Chewing for Health and Weight Loss

When it comes to increased health, it’s not just what we eat but how we eat. Digestion actually begins in the mouth, where contact with our teeth and digestive enzymes in our saliva break down food.

But these days most of us rush through the whole eating experience, barely acknowledging what we’re putting in our mouths. We eat while distracted—working, reading, talking and watching television—and swallow our food practically whole. On average we chew each bite only eight times. It’s no wonder that many people have digestive problems. It’s like they are “inhaling” their food, not eating it.

My mantra when it comes to chewing is:

There are many great reasons to slow down and chew your food.

• Saliva breaks down food into simple sugars, creating a sweet taste. The more we chew, the sweeter our food becomes, so we don’t crave those after-meal sweets.
• You can only taste the many flavors of food while in the mouth. If you eat fast, you’ll eat more to taste more. To prevent overeating you want to keep the same bite of food in your moth as long as possible.
• Chewing reduces digestive distress and improves assimilation, allowing our bodies to absorb maximum nutrition from each bite of food.
• More chewing produces more endorphins, which are the brain chemicals responsible for creating good feelings.
• It’s also helpful for weight loss, because when we are chewing well, we are more apt to notice when we are full. Remember “the 20  minute rule to full” (gut brain communication resulting in a feeling of satiety takes about 20 minutes). Allow minimum 20 minutes before you go for seconds.
• Chewing can promote increased circulation, enhanced immunity, increased energy and endurance, as well as improve skin health and stabilize weight.
• Taking time with a meal, beginning with chewing, allows for enjoyment of the whole experience of eating: the smells, flavors, and textures. It helps us to give thanks, to show appreciation for the abundance in our lives, and to develop patience and self-control.

The power of chewing is so great that there are stories of concentration camp survivors who, when others could not, made it through with very little food by chewing their meager rations up to 300 times per bite of food. For most of us 300 chews is a daunting and unrealistic goal. However, you can experience the benefits of chewing by increasing to 30 chews per bite. Try it and see how you feel.

Your actionables: (remember there is “power in knowledge, but the real power come from taking actions”)

Action #1

Next time you sit down to eat, put a timer next to you and set it for 20 min. If you finish eating before the timer goes off, chances are you ate too fast, so wait for the timer to go off before you go for seconds. You may realize that you don’t needed it 🙂

Action #2

Aim to chew each bite for 25 seconds (you can count to 25-50 and only after that you swallow). I promise you, you’ll enjoy the food more (think to yourself, you only taste food while is in your mouth, thank your taste buds), you’ll have better digestion (less bloating, heart burn, and indigestion), improved nutrient absorption, and you’ll eat less. Now that’s one easy way to start shedding off the extra pounds.

Action #3

Try eating without the TV, computer, phone, newspaper or noisy company. Instead just pay attention to the food and to how you are breathing and chewing. This kind of quiet can be disconcerting at first since we are used to a steady stream of advertising, news, media, email, and demands from others.

As you create a new habit, you will begin to appreciate eating without rushing. You have to eat every day—why not learn to savor and enjoy it?

This is one of the many steps in the health transformation. To take few more steps towards a healthier, slimmer, happier you, please check out the “3 Things you’ve got to change to go from dragging to unstoppable”.  It’s a FREE Online Coaching Program , and has the potential to bring awesomeness back into your life.

And if you’re not a member of the FREE Private Facebook Community, please join now. It’s a place for support, accountability, education, inspiration, and so much more, all to support you in reaching your amazing health and life goals. Click the image below to join NOW!

    

Lots of love and chewing for health,

Mihaela