As you know there are over 10,000 taste buds in the tongue, have you ever wondered about the importance of chewing? ‘Chew your food ‘ is probably an oft-repeated statement by mothers over the world. Science shows that this age-old wisdom has a lot of merits-from regulating digestion to prevent bloating, gas, and even overeating, chewing has a lot of benefits for us.
The Importance Of Chewing
It is the process of using teeth to break food down into manageable, digestible pieces. Human beings, over years of evolution, have developed teeth that aid in cutting, chewing, and grinding food. This helps food move easily through the esophagus. Saliva also contains enzymes that begin the breakdown process of carbohydrates. Try out this exercise-eat some plain rice and chew it at least twenty five times. After a while, you will notice a sweet taste in your mouth. This is because the enzymes in saliva help break down the rice into simple sugars. In other words, digestion begins well before food reaches the stomach.
How Many Times One should Chew The Food
While there is no fixed rule, at a bare minimum, we must chew each portion in our mouth at least twenty times. Some say that thirty two times is ideal per morsel. Ayurveda says that chewing food adequately sends signals to the brain about the nutritional profile of the food you are eating. The brain can process these signals and release digestive juices in the right proportion. In any case, most of us probably chew no more than fifteen times. Hence, it is a good idea to be mindful and chew a bit more than you usually chew.
Chewing issues As One Ages
As we age, several factors contribute to weak bite. Some of them are:
Tooth decay, Missing or falling teeth, Loss of strength in jaws, Ill fitting dentures, and Parkinson’s disease makes muscle coordination difficult.
It is advisable that one should never opt for dentures to replace teeth that are decaying but otherwise healthy and in their place. Hence, never opt for artificial dentures except as a last resort. Sometimes, painful as it may be, the best solution to deal with tooth decay is a root canal procedure.
Digestion: How It Happens
The digestive process starts in the mouth when food is chewed and mixed with saliva. Until the food reaches the oesophagus, the process of digestion stays voluntary. After this, it becomes involuntary and is controlled by the brain and digestive system. When food reaches the stomach, which primarily produces stomach acids and some enzymes that digest protein. The contents are emptied into the small intestine, where some more juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine are missed with the food to aid further digestion. Bile produced by the liver, is essential to break down or dissolve fat molecules. Some more juices from the small intestine combine with the semi-digested material to complete the process of digestion. Glucose, the primary energy molecule from food, is absorbed into the blood which carries it to various parts of the body. The undigested component of food is pushed into the large intestine which absorbs any remaining water and converts it into stool which is stored in the rectum until excreted.
Reasons To Start Chewing Your Food
Broken-down food releases more nutrients into the body:
Since chewing well takes time, we d0 not eat in hurry and instead eat only until we feel full.
The longer we chew, the more time saliva has to break down complex carbohydrates.
The best workout for the gums, teeth, and facial muscles is, chewing.
Chewing reduces the involvement of gut flora in digestion, which in turn leads to less production of gas.
Still not convinced? Here’s what happens when we do not chew food well enough:
1 We do not enjoy food as we are not eating mindfully.
2 Not chewing well and swallowing quickly leads to a condition in which stomach contents rise back up into the oesophagus and injure the delicate lining.
3 Improperly chewed food causes improper digestion, bloating, and gas.
4 Enzyme in saliva helps destroy common pathogens. For it to act, adequate time is necessary, which chewing well provides.
5 When enough saliva does not move around the mouth, food particles get stuck in teeth and cause decay.
Here’s a Simple Exercise To Get You Started On The Habit Of Chewing
1 When you have your meal, measure the amount of time it takes to finish.
2 In the next meal, aim to increase the amount of eating time by two minutes. In each meal, increase the time in two-minute increments.
3 Make a promise not to watch TV or look at the screen while eating. This helps focus on the meal and chew properly.
4 If you eat chapatti or rice, chew until you notice a sweet taste in your mouth.
5 Go in for regular dental check-ups to look for tooth decay and prevent problems before they arise.
6 If you use dentures, be sure to clean them properly and ask for a replacement as soon as they are worn out.
So these are some tips for better chewing, which will help in getting the food digested in a proper manner.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
10th March 2022.