When I was a little kid I didn’t like food. To be more precise; I found it disgusting. My parents had a hard time with me because I just didn’t want to eat at all! However, when I became 18 years old, and I started living on my own because I went to university, I started experimenting with different dishes. And my love for food grew very fast! (When my parents see me eating nowadays, they could never imagine this when I was younger!)
Nevertheless, I was used to swallowing my food very quickly instead of chewing it properly. I taught myself this since I didn’t like food as a younger girl. This resulted in intestinal problems such as bloating and irritable bowel syndrome.
At the age of 28, my boyfriend once told me I was a quick eater, and I noticed that I indeed didn’t properly chew my food compared to other people. After that, I started paying attention to chewing at least 20 times on every particular bite.
This resulted in the first days in tired jaw muscles. But at the same time, I felt my stomach was less bloated than before. I also discovered that I wasn’t that nauseous anymore after every meal and that I eat much less than I did before.
Therefore, I found out how important it is to chew your food properly for different reasons.
So, why is properly chewing important?
When you chew, a lot more is done than just grinding your food. The following five advantages can be missed by not chewing properly:
1. A larger surface area
By chewing, you break your food into smaller pieces. This increases the surface area of food already in your mouth. The larger surface of food ensures that the enzymes in your saliva can do more. In this way, the digestion of your food is already set in motion.
When food is broken up in smaller pieces it has a huge advantage later on in your digestion. Once in your intestines, the larger surface ensures that you can take in more nutrients from your food. So you literally get the best out of your food when you start chewing properly at the very beginning!
2. Better digestion
As already mentioned above, properly chewing improves the digestion of your food. Not only do you enlarge the surface, but your salivary glands also increase the production when you chew longer. In this way, the food is 'prepared' as well as possible for the journey towards the stomach and intestines.
Chewing well also allows your brain to analyze the food for taste and structure. This information is passed on to your digestive system, which can already prepare itself. If the food tastes sweet, for example, more insulin is produced. This enables your body to use fuel optimally.
3. Less bloating
When you chew badly and eat too fast, often a lot of air comes within. This first results in a bloated feeling in your stomach, and then in too much air in your intestines. Cramp and flatulence are predictable consequences.
In addition to that air, larger chunks of food come along if you don't chew properly. In your intestines, bacteria find it much more difficult to digest these chunks. This in turn leads to extra gas formation, with all its consequences. Chewing well can be a solution if you regularly suffer from constipation or diarrhea, stomach cramps, and flatulence.
4. Better satiety
Feelings of satiety don't go one on one with how full your stomach is. It has much more to do with how full your brain thinks your stomach is. And you can influence them considerably, for example by chewing longer. The more effort your jaw muscles put in, the stronger the satiety stimulus becomes.
On top of that, if you chew longer per bite, you often eat longer. This prevents you from eating too much before your stomach has time to tell you that you are full. For most people, this process takes about twenty minutes.
5. Cleaner and stronger teeth
Finally, good chewing is very important for the health of your teeth. The production of saliva is not only important for the digestion of your food. The same saliva also contains substances that protect your tooth enamel and prevent cavities. And on top of that, if you don't chew enough, it's easier for your food to stick to your teeth.
In fact, dentists say your jaw muscles can weaken if you don't chew properly. This can also make the jaws themselves more brittle, which in turn makes the teeth more vulnerable. Sufficient movement of your jaws may even stimulate blood flow in some brain areas! In that case, your memory will also benefit from strong chewing.
Properly chewing improves the digestion of your food. Not only do you enlarge the surface, but your salivary glands also increase the production when you chew longer. In this way, the food is 'prepared' as well as possible for the journey towards the stomach and intestines.
Tips for properly chewing
All this shows why it is important not to put all your food in smoothies and porridge. Even if you go for firm, solid food, you can still chew it badly. What are good ways to prevent this?
Take the time to eat. In other words; eat mindfully! Rushing causes you to swallow your food too quickly. Instead, try to eat slowly and consciously.
Concentrate on your meal. As soon as you actively try to taste what you eat, you will soon chew longer.
Count a few bites. Of course, it's no fun to have to count every bite how often you chew, but try to make it twenty a couple of times. That will soon affect the uncounted bites afterward.
Avoid distractions. For example, if you eat in front of the TV, you'll swallow half-chewed bites much more thoughtlessly.
Only drink water if your mouth is empty. Many people unconsciously flush whole mouthfuls of badly chewed food when they take a sip.
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