By the title of this post, you can obviously tell I’m going to be covering a basic human function. But before you click away thinking I’m going to lecture you like a parent, think again. I’m actually going to be covering the benefits of chewing your food that you might not even know about. And if you’re one of those people who are prone to swallowing more than chewing, let this be your motivation to improve! If you’re ready, let’s get into it! Time to munch on some knowledge! (I couldn’t resist!)

Digestion

Usually, we think of the stomach and intestines when it comes to digestion… never the mouth. But believe it or not, aside from our brain, emotions, and rumbling stomach signaling it’s time to eat, our mouth is where digestion usually begins. The salivary glands in particular are a winning player. They of course secrete saliva, which is our natural “digestive enzyme”, containing the enzymes amylase, lysozyme, and lingual lipase. Amylase helps to break down starches (carbs), lysozyme breaks down (potentially) harmful bacteria, and lingual lipase breaks down fat (fun fact, the older we become, the less of this particular enzyme we produce- infants produce very high amounts since it helps them to digest the natural fats found in breast milk). [1] By the way, our mouth also contains the submandibular gland, which provides saliva as well as the digestive enzyme protease, which helps to break down proteins. [2] Saliva itself is very important, performing a number of tasks outside of carrying enzymes. It keeps our mouth and teeth moist and protected from food residues, blocks the growth of bad bacteria, and even plays a role in helping our body to excrete (or detoxify) substances like mercury, lead, potassium, iodide, bromide, morphine, ethyl alcohol, and even antibiotics, to an extent. [3]

So, is it any wonder why we must chew? Our teeth mechanically break down food, while saliva saturates it in digestive enzymes. Ideally, you should be grinding your food into a porridge-like consistency. That way, by the time it reaches the stomach, it will be even easier for it to continue being digested and assimilated. Remember, your stomach doesn’t have teeth; nor do your intestines. The more efficient you are at predigesting your food, the more efficient the rest of your digestive system can be at breaking it down. Failure to do so makes this clunky, to say the least. You may see pieces of your food in your stool or suffer some disturbances in your GI system. Therefore, remember what mom always said, “Chew your food!”

Overeating

Not only must you chew your food, you must also do it mindfully. Don’t just stuff your face like a chipmunk: go at a controlled, moderate pace, and take the proverbial foot off of the accelerator. Why? Aside from tampering the digestive process (as mentioned above), slowing down helps to keep you from overeating. Overeating is not the healthiest habit to maintain, since in the long term it can lead to excess, unnecessary weight gain. Research from the Journal of the American Dietetic Associationeven shows that fast eaters are nearly 115% more likely to be overweight or obese in comparison to those who eat slowly. [4] Luckily though, an easy preventative measure is to go slow. And there’s science to support it. Chewing your food slowly encourages the release of satiety, hunger-controlling hormones CCK, PYY, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which all reduce appetite and keep you from going for extra helpings. [5] By wolfing your food down you bypass this release and keep your brain from accepting their signals for satiety. But again, if you slow down, this won’t be a problem. In fact, slowing down and embracing fullness lowers your caloric intake by proxy. You’re just naturally going to be eating less since you’re allowing yourself to get full. While I’m not a fan of obsessing over calories, there’s no denying that an excess of any foods whether it’s fat, protein, carbs, real, or fake foods is going to lead to some form of weight gain. And you can naturally maintain your weight without counting calories by simply taking the time to chew your food.

Stress

There’s so much conflict over food these days. From the diet wars to food quality debates (i.e., organic versus conventional versus local), is it any wonder that we’re starting to lose touch with our meals? Our relationship with food should come from pleasure. I don’t mean all our meals have to be gourmet adventures, but they should have some level of enjoyment. Whatever happened to feeling grateful to have food? (And no, honoring what goes on our plate should happen before and after Thanksgiving.) I cover this dilemma more in this post, but suffice to say, we as a society need to work on how we view and take in our food.
One way that we can slow down and appreciate our food is by taking the time to be mindful of every bite through chewing. We know that it supports digestion, and we certainly know that it acts as a natural form of both weight management and portion control, but what we don’t often realize is that it can keep us from feeling stressed. In fact, slowly chewing your food enables you to connect with your inner taste buds. You can truly savor the flavors, textures, and scent(s) of your food, which again, should make you happy! After all, why do we associate certain foods with the holidays? It’s because it’s not just the food that comes with Christmas, Easter, or the Fourth of July. We also remember the music, traditions, and social connections that are tied to them! You can go back to your childhood and remember familiar comfort foods from that time in your life. Mom’s home cooking… a catchy jingle for an afternoon snack. Doesn’t it make you nostalgic? That’s why chewing your food is so important! It’s also a form of mindful meditation, taking you out of a scatterbrained, distracted mind, and focused on a simple (but essential) task. To enhance the experience, I further recommend you take your meal away from a screen. Turn off the computer, TV, iPad, or phone. Go outside, sit by a window, or sit where there is no technology to keep you from focusing on your food. Try this out for at least a couple of days and notice the difference in your mood!

There you have it everyone! Three compelling reasons why chewing your food is more than simple parenting. It’s vital for optimizing digestion, keeping overeating at bay, and controlling stress. Let me know in the comments what you think about chewing, and whether or not you’ve seen any improvements from going slow, and mindful.

Sources:

[1] https://sciencing.com/names-enzymes-mouth-esophagus-17242.html
[2] https://branchbasics.com/blog/mindful-eating-how-chewing-improves-digestion/
[3] https://www.britannica.com/science/human-digestive-system/Salivary-glands
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21802566
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23092061