THIS POST IS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE FOOD CHEWING POLL – HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU CHEW – ARE YOU NORMAL?
Chewing your food at least 20 times for each mouthful helps with the digestion process by enabling your saliva to mix with and properly break down food.
There are enzymes in saliva that can start the digestion process even before the food gets to the stomach
Properly chewed food that’s well-coated with saliva also travels down the esophageus more easily. This is important as dry food can stick to the walls of your esophageus, which can create problems when swallowing.
When the food reaches the stomach, well-coated food can be easily broken down by the gastric acids that are release by the stomach. Well digested food will mean that the nutrients in the food will be better absorbed. Also, “under-chewed” food can cause bloating and flatulence.