The Importance of Proper Chewing: Benefits & Techniques

We are often advised to chew our food properly. But, our hectic lifestyle and negligence makes us eat food and swallow it immediately. Chewing the food properly is very important for many reasons. Chewing the food properly and calmly increases the secretion of chemicals that aids digestion. Moreover, if you chew the food properly, you can control your food cravings.

How to chew food properly?

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• Cut the food into small portions so that you can take it inside your mouth easily. Do not over-stuff your mouth with food. Small portions can be chewed and swallowed easily.
• Chew till the texture of the food is lost. Be it a dry or watery food, the food should be chewed till the food is completely dissolved inside the mouth. 
• Avoid swallowing the food instantly. Chew it properly and slowly take it down the throat. If you swallow all together, you can suffer from choking or hurt your esophagus
• After swallowing the food, wait till the mouth is empty. Your food is not running anywhere. Then take another bite. If you suffer from choking, drink water and calm down.

Benefits of chewing food properly:

Makes you feel fuller: When you eat slowly, your brain sends signals that make you feel fuller. As you know you are eating, the urge to eat reduces. Knowing when to stop eating helps you aid weight loss and prevents excessive weight gain.

Aids digestion: While chewing the food, your saliva breaks down the food particles and softens it. This makes it easy to go into the digestive system. Alpha amylase enzyme and lingual lipase enzymes in the saliva helps break down the carbohydrates and fat. These enzymes are produced by the salivary glands.

Oral hygiene: As you chew the food properly, it benefits your mouth. Saliva helps fight mouth odour and plague. Hydrogen carbonate in saliva neutralises plague formation. Moreover, saliva also kills harmful bacteria and washes away food particles around the teeth.

Releases saliva: When you chew the food, you secrete more saliva. This saliva softens the food and helps change the texture of it. While chewing, the nutrients and vitamins from the food particles are absorbed by the saliva. This boosts up your body energy and breaks down the food particles more easily. As mentioned, saliva kills bacteria that might affect digestion. If the food is not properly chewed and is directly swallowed, digestion takes more time and the bacteria from food can cause gas or stomach pain.

These are few benefits of chewing food properly. Do you chew your food before swallowing?