As Julie Andrews sang in the famous movie, “The Sound of Music,” let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start! Currently, there’s much research and written articles as well as doctors, biochemists and nutritionists talking about the importance of the GUT for overall health.
You’ve likely heard many times the saying, “you are what you eat.” Actually, it’s more accurate to say we are what our bodies can do with what we eat. That is what our bodies biochemical processes can digest, absorb and put the nutrients we eat to use.
The relationship between how and what you eat, how you can process what you eat, and ultimately how you feel is undeniable. This is, again, where food meets physiology, which is called Symbiosis.
Digestion is one of the essential jobs of the human body. In fact, digestion is a cascade of actions where the success of each event is dependent on the completion of the prior action. While some of the initial steps involved in digestion are chemical, one of the first is mechanical – that is, chewing.
While it seems like a simple, insignificant thing we do, it is far more important than you might know. Intentional chewing plays a crucial role in how our bodies process and use the nutrients we consume and it has a powerful impact on our health.
When you chew, your food breaks down and signals hormones, enzymes, and gastric juices to initiate the chemical processes of digestion. The longer your food stays in this stage of dissolve, in this mechanical and chemical decomposition that occurs within your mouth, the more effective the rest of the digestive actions are on the rest of your body.
Not only is your food dissected into smaller and smaller bits by your teeth, but your saliva produces enzymes such as amylase and lipase that further disassemble your food’s molecules. There are three different pairs of salivary glands which are the parotid, sublingual and submandibular. The saliva released from these glands lubricates the food as you chew to help with swallowing. It also contains softening agents to allow the food to be molded into a ball (called a bolus).
In addition, as you chew, you also create more time to chemically alert the rest of your digestive system to start its engines!
Well-chewed food glides easily through the esophagus and into the stomach, promoting optimal digestion and reducing the risk of bloating, gas, and abdominal pain. Dried and unchewed food has a more stilted journey through the entire digestive and metabolic chain reaction.
Another benefit people who eat slowly often find, is that they feel satisfied sooner and therefore eat less.
How about a personal challenge to intentionally slow down, enjoy the colors and aromas of the food and give mindfully chewing each bite at least 20-30 times a try? Maybe you’ll be the last to finish dinner, but you might find you enjoy the taste of the food significantly more!