Thorough chewing of food, no doubt, is only beneficial. Scientists have long proven this claim. In various research centers, observations were made that answered the question: why do you need to chew food thoroughly. If the food does not linger in the mouth and unprepared is quickly sent through the esophagus to the stomach, a lot of problems threaten health. Let us single out a number of reasons why food should be grinded carefully and slowly.
Chewing gives you the opportunity to lose weight quickly
It may seem strange, but carefully chewing food, we really help the body control the process of absorption of food. And this contributes to rapid weight loss. As a rule, a person gains excess weight if he overeats. At times when the hunger feeling is too strong, we quickly chew and swallow food, without noticing at the same time how well it is processed. Trying to get enough sooner, we send not crushed pieces into the stomach. As a result, food is absorbed much more than is required to saturate the body.
If you chew food thoughtfully, slowly, then the likelihood of losing weight increases. Thoroughly chopping food to a mushy state, it is quite possible to get enough of small volumes, thereby avoiding overeating. It then leads to a set of excess weight. When the hormone histamine begins to be produced, the brain receives a signal, and a feeling of fullness sets in. The maximum concentration of histamine is reached approximately 20 minutes after the start of the meal. If you chew slowly during this time, the amount of food consumed will be much less than if you swallow it in pieces. The feeling of fullness will come anyway, but there will be a lot of harm from a lot of badly ground food.
Case Studies
One of the most striking examples is the study when scientists observed two groups of subjects. Everyone was offered the same servings with food for a meal, but the former should chew food, limiting themselves to 15 movements. The second group chewed food 40 times. After lunch, all subjects took blood for analysis. The results were incredible. Those who chewed their food more thoroughly had several times less hunger hormones (ghrelin). Experience has shown that with a calm, measured meal, saturation lasts much longer than those in a hurry.
So, carefully chewing food, you help the body not only keep weight under control, the gastrointestinal tract also stabilizes, the possibility of harmful deposits - toxins, slags, stones, is minimized.
Digestion begins in the mouth
A large number of people tend to think that food begins to be processed, broken down, as soon as it enters the stomach. This is the wrong opinion. Already in the oral cavity, the digestive process begins, which is why food must be thoroughly chewed. Our salivary glands perceive the chewing process as a signal for the production of saliva, the stomach is also given a “go-ahead” so that it prepares for eating. The longer the food stays in the mouth, the more it mixes with saliva. In saliva there are a lot of useful enzymes that help the process of splitting food, provide an antibacterial effect.
The longer you chew, the less the stomach and intestines need to work. Saliva begins the breakdown of carbohydrates and starch into simpler glucose. Teeth in the digestive process play an initial role. They grind food into gruel, then the organs of the digestive tract will be much easier to process it.
Do not overload the digestive system
This item follows smoothly from the previous one. You need to chew food carefully, this will not only facilitate rapid digestion, but also serve as an excellent prevention of various indigestion. If the pieces in the digestive system are very small, gas formation in the intestines will be minimal. It also helps to get rid of the unpleasant sensations of bloating and heaviness after eating. The gastrointestinal tract from thorough chewing gets the maximum benefit. In large pieces, the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach can be injured, this leads to the formation of various gastrointestinal ailments, including ulcers.
Well-chewed food, which is sufficiently saturated with saliva, easily passes through the digestive tract, is easily digested and excreted without difficulty.
Help digestion
Answering the question why food should be chewed thoroughly, it is worth noting the fact that with prolonged exposure in the mouth, its temperature approaches the temperature of the body. The mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach will be easier to work with such a consistency. Large pieces can linger in the intestines for a long time until they are fully digested. This often causes severe abdominal pain. Also, full-fledged chewing contributes to the fact that the body quickly assimilates small foods, while the blood receives a greater amount of the necessary substances and enzymes. Lumps are difficult to process, so the saturation with vitamins, proteins, trace elements and other useful substances does not occur in full.
After poorly chewed and not moistened with enough saliva food enters the digestive system, it becomes a breeding ground for microorganisms and bacteria. Already in the mouth, saliva processes food, removes bacteria, then small pieces in the stomach are saturated with hydrochloric acid. If the lumps are large, they are poorly disinfected. Acid simply cannot soak them. This means that the bacteria located there remain alive and then freely enter the intestines. There they multiply intensively and provoke dangerous intestinal infections, diseases, including dysbiosis.
Beneficial effects on the heart
High-quality chewing has a positive effect not only on the digestive tract, but also on other important organs, perhaps on the whole body as a whole - this can answer the question why chewing food should be thoroughly chewed.
The load on the heart is significantly reduced. With rapid absorption of food, the heartbeat accelerates per minute by about 10 beats. Large lumps, while in the stomach, cannot be distributed there evenly, so pressure on the diaphragm occurs. This significantly affects the work of the heart muscle, the rhythm. With a calm, slow, prolonged chewing, the heart rate will always be normal.
Assistance to all organs
With careful chewing, the gums strengthen. Hard food puts severe stress on our teeth and gums. At the same time, excellent training takes place, blood flow increases to the tissues. The effect of acids on enamel is significantly reduced with intensive chewing, because more saliva is produced. The longer we chew, the more saliva. It neutralizes acid, fights microbes, has a positive effect on enamel, and strengthens teeth.
Why chew food thoroughly? Here it is worth saying that prolonged processing of food in the mouth helps relieve nervous tension. Long chewing helps to concentrate, increase working capacity.
Processing food in the mouth significantly reduces the risk of intoxication. Lysozyme contained in saliva has antibacterial properties. It destroys various microbes before they enter the body. Therefore, before swallowing, food must be saturated with its own saliva.
Improving the palatability of food
With careful chewing, a person more brilliantly reveals to himself all the richness of aromas and taste of food. This is due to saliva. As already mentioned, it breaks pieces into simple sugars with its enzymes. The taste buds that are on the tongue begin to respond better to the constituent components. More advanced impulses are sent to the brain, a more acute taste enjoyment comes.
How long does it take to chew food
We briefly answered the question, why do we need to chew food thoroughly, now we will find out how much time it takes to do this? There is no definite answer. It depends on how and what the dish is made of, in general, to what type it belongs. For example, soups and mashed potatoes do not make sense to chew for a long time. The former contains a lot of water, while the latter already resemble in consistency a mass that normally fills our stomach.
One has only to say that you need to saturate food with saliva in any case. For proper processing of solid food in the mouth, it is recommended to make 30-40 chewing movements, for the rest 10-15 will be enough. Experts advise to focus on the fact that food turns into a liquid slurry, and a full disclosure of taste is felt.
Conclusions: briefly about the main thing
We draw conclusions and give a short answer why food should be chewed carefully.
To stimulate the pancreas and stomach . The food that enters the oral cavity gives a signal to the brain, and that in turn is the digestive system. Enzymes necessary for the process of digestion begin to be produced. Thorough chewing reinforces the signal, as a result of the amount of enzymes for processing food. This improves the digestive process.
Accelerating the absorption of nutrients . Well-dissolved pieces in the mouth break down faster in the body. It is no coincidence that foreign elements are not processed and are often removed only surgically. For processing large lumps, bile and pancreatic juice are forced to stand out. The stomach does extra work. At the same time, health is deteriorating, energy is becoming minimal. Only carefully chewed foods increase our efficiency and speed up the absorption of nutrients.
Saliva . 98% consists of water, 2% - vitamins, minerals, enzymes. In the process of chewing, saliva is released 10 times more than in a calm state. An increased number of useful elements has a beneficial effect on the state of enamel and the whole organism as a whole.
Strengthening the gums. All the components of our body need constant training. For gums, this is a chewing process. The load on the gums during chewing can reach 100 kg, the blood flow is increased, the likelihood of periodontal disease is reduced.
Diaphragm pressure decreases . Everyone felt how difficult it was for a large piece to pass through the esophagus, making its way to the digestive tract. So the load on the diaphragm is felt. The heart is located next door.
Losing weight . With careful processing of food, taste buds are more quickly satisfied, and a feeling of fullness comes. Overeating in this case is excluded, namely it becomes the cause of gaining excess weight.
Question of the exam: "Why do I need to chew food thoroughly"?
Upon admission to prestigious universities in the country, many children require the results of the exam in biology. Those who are going to medical schools should be well prepared for the exam in advance. The question in block C1 “Why food should be chewed thoroughly” has the following correct answers:
- Carefully chewed food is rapidly impregnated with digestive juice.
- With thorough chewing, the digestion process accelerates, while complex insoluble organic substances turn into less complex ones, absorbed into the lymph and blood.
So, to the question of the exam "Why food should be chewed thoroughly" we answered simply and in detail. More concise answers are also provided. Our information will help prepare for the answer to this question, and will also be instructive for all readers.