Why Should You Chew Your Food Throughly?
Do you know why you are advised to chew food thoroughly? It has more health benefits that you can think of. Even if you are ultra-busy, you should take time to chew the food you take thoroughly or else your health will pay the cost of it. Unleashed here are a few reasons good enough to chew your food properly. Let us have a quick look at them.
Feed Your Body Cells Properly:
Amylase in Saliva Breaks Down Starch:
Many people believe that the process of digestion starts in the stomach, but this is not the fact. Digestion begins in the mouth itself. The saliva in your mouth has enzymes which aid the process of digestion. Alpha amylase is one of the prime enzymes found in your saliva. This enzyme breaks down the starch you eat into smaller particles that your body cells find easy to absorb. When absorbed these food particles provide energy. When you do not chew your food thoroughly, this enzyme cannot break down the starch you eat and hence your cells starve.
Lipase Breaks Down Fat:
Lingual lipase is another important enzyme contained in saliva. This enzyme is secreted by a gland that lies below your tongue. The fat content in your food gets semi digested when you chew your food well.
Prevents Bloating:
If you often have problems like bloating or stomach aches then this is a clear indication that you have not been chewing your food well. Incomplete digestion is the result of improperly chewed food. When large food particles pass into your colon, the bacteria begin to thrive on them and this leads to their overgrowth. People complaining about flatulence do not chew their food properly.
Nutrients Get Absorbed Properly:
Chewing your food thoroughly keeps your digestive track healthy. A good amount of saliva in the food that passes through the digestive track relaxes the muscles and ease the process of food passing into the small intestine where most of the nutrients of the food you take get absorbed.
How Many Times Do You Chew?
Well! Nobody would be able to answer this. But, this answer varies greatly. You have to chew a bite of meat many more times in comparison to a bite of bread. So, make sure that whatever food you eat must be chewed enough that the texture of it gets changed.