7 Critical Reasons To Chew Slowly And Thoroughly

December 2, 2009 by Weight Loss Tips

How many times do you chew your food before you swallow? Japan’s ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recommends chewing each mouthful 30 times. (1) Mothers and grandmothers have often told kids to chew their food well, and with good reason. The ideal number of chews depends on the consistency of the food, but even chewing very liquid or creamy food for a long time has benefits (e.g. especially if you are sick).

1. Lower stress levels. Chewing relaxes the nervous system (2) and when you chew slowly and more thoroughly , you are less rushed and can enjoy the present moment more. A 2008 study found that chewing gum helps relieve anxiety, stress and improves alertness. (3) However, I don’t recommend gum chewing as it can release mercury from fillings and can loosen white composite fillings also . Besides most gums include artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. Instead, chew your food well! In addition to chewing, here are some other powerful tips on lowering stress.
2. Strengthen teeth and gums. The hormone parotin gets released when you chew, which helps maintain teeth as well as stimulate cell metabolism. (2)
3. Boost the immune system. This same hormone parotin that strengthens the teeth and gums, stimulates the thymus which in turn creates T-cells (white blood cells) that are the protectors of the immune system. 2
4. Improve memory. Japanese researchers found that chewing helps prevent age related memory loss. New memories are stored for a short time in the hippocampus (brain area related to learning), which gets impaired with age. MRIs (magnetic resonance images) showed that hippocampus activity was increased when chewing. 4
5. Prevent stomach and digestive issues. Our teeth are made to chew and break down food. The more we chew, the less stress and work for the digestive system. In addition, if you don’t chew enough the food will be too dry and have a tougher time moving to the stomach through the esophagus. Gastric juices will already be at work, stimulated by the smell and taste of food, and will have nothing to work on until the food arrives, thus irritating the stomach. If food arrives well chewed it also decreases chances of sitting there and causing gas. (5)
6. Activate the circulatory system. There are 15 pairs of muscles attached to the jaw. When you chew, the pressure activates the circulatory system. (6)
7. Activate anti-bacterial properties. Streptococcus bacteria, staphtococcus bacteria, and the Aids virus can’t live in saliva. Chewing stimulates saliva production, which in turn activates its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. (7)
8. Bonus reason: lose weight! It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to register you are no longer hungry. If you eat more slowly, you will feel full sooner. Several studies have been conducted and reported successfully that people eat fewer calories on average if they eat slowly rather than quickly.(8,9, 10)

Even when you are rushed , try to chew slowly and until the food is well mashed into a pulp. It is easier when you are not multitasking (e.g. reading, watching TV, carrying on conversation with your mouth full). Besides you should avoid multitasking to increase your peace of mind and productivity.
http://www.keytobeing.com/2009/avoid-multitasking-and-increase-your-productivity

It may be hard to chew a lot in the beginning and you will find a natural instinct to swallow food earlier. Move it back with the tongue and continue chewing – and I know, it doesn’t sound too appetizing. But definitely worth it!

1 Group ruminates, picks and chews figure of 30 chomps for each bite, Japan Times
2 The Gastrointestinal Sourcebook, by M. Sara Rosenthal
3 Andrew Scholey, Ph.D., professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia
4 Behavioral Brain Research (vol 108, p 145)
5 Chewing Well Prevents Stomach Woes, Kelly Reith, BA, RHN
6 Hasegawa Y, Sakagami J, Ono T, Hori K, Zhang M, Maeda Y. , PMID: 19627361 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7 Mactrobiotic Times, Bob Carr
8 Myers, RD and ML McCaleb. “Feeding: satiety signal from intestine triggers
brain’s noradrenergic mechanism.” Science, Vol 209, Issue 4460, 1035-1037.
9 “Science Confirms Diet Tactic: Eat Slow, Eat Less.”
LiveScience. Nov. 15, 2006.
10Warner, Jennifer. “Eat Slow, Lose Weight?.” WebMD. Nov. 17, 2004.

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