When your parents told you to ‘slow down’ while you were eating, you most likely rolled your eyes and continued to gobble up whatever was in front of you. Despite your skepticism, apparently they were on to something. It turns out that chewing food fully and slowly is essential to both eat and swallow it. Why? It helps prevent a number of health problems and digestive issues. Many people tend to eat hastily, mindlessly, or on the go, in this age of multitasking, time constraints, and distracted eating. Thus, we chew our food without giving it any thought, not even about how quickly we do it.
Listed below are five signs that you’ve been chewing your food wrong.
You are prone to heartburn easily
Anyone who has experienced heartburn understands that it is not a pleasant feeling. As previously indicated, chewing causes the stomach to produce hydrochloric acid. This prepares the stomach to begin food digestion. However, incomplete chewing of your food reduces the amount of acid in your stomach, which is necessary for effective digestion. The combination of low stomach acid and partially chewed food may cause gas bubbles, which leads to heartburn.
You overindulge
You’re probably eating too fast if you’re not chewing your meal well enough, which might result in overeating. This can make it challenging to pay attention to your body’s satiety cues, which indicate when you’re full.
You experience digestive issues
The gut suffers when there is insufficient chewing. Therefore, if the food particles are too big (that is, not completely chewed), the bacteria that are already present in your stomach may ferment the undigested food and grow. This can cause bloating, gas, indigestion, or constipation.
You absorb fewer key nutrients
Incomplete chewing of food results in the incomplete breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, which hinders the small intestine’s ability to absorb these nutrients.
You find eating less enjoyable
Overly rapid chewing can take away from the pure joy of eating. On the other hand, thoughtful eating and chewing allow you to engage all your senses and notice how the food looks, its smell, what it tastes like, etc. This enable you to enjoy the food in a more fulfilling manner, and also facilitate your stomach’s ability to recognise when you are content and full.
Here’s how you can adopt healthier chewing habits.
Chew on each bite 20 to 30 times
To what extent is anything thorough? On average, each morsel of food should be chewed about 30 times before swallowing, but the exact number depends on the consistency of the food. For instance, eating muesli may take 20 chews, whereas nuts can take up to 30 chews.
Chew until the meal is nearly pure mush
However, try not to overthink this or worry about keeping track of how many chomps you take in each bite (that could ruin a nice meal). The most crucial thing is to chew your food until it is almost completely liquid—think baby food consistency. The cue is if the texture of your meal has entirely disappeared, which means it has been properly chewed.
Make note of your eating habits
If you find it difficult to chew thoroughly, especially when you’re hungry, remember that mindfulness is the key. As a starting point, avoid eating while watching TV, responding to emails, or browsing Instagram. This also applies to eating on the run, which frequently occurs when commuting or driving. Experts also advise eating while maintaining proper posture, since bad posture can make it difficult to chew or swallow food. Examples of poor posture include reclining or slouching. It’s also a good idea to avoid waiting too long to eat, because eating slowly and mindfully is difficult when one is super hungry. Lastly, it’s beneficial to eat in a relaxed setting whenever you can, as eating in a stressful scenario might cause you to unconsciously gulp down food.