Have you ever wonder why your mother used to tell you to chew your food all of the time? In most cases, your mother figured that you didnā€™t know how to chew your food, and she worried that you were going to choke. Choking may happen, but there are other health benefits to eating thoroughly.

Most of us have forgotten how to chew our food properly because we are TOO BUSY. Hey, I am just as guilty as the next person.

We eat on the run. We forget to eat. We forget to chew! No wonder you feel like choking, and you are looking for a glass of water before hiccups start! Your breathing is not coinciding with your swallowing, and all a sudden, your diaphragm is contracting uncontrollably (the bottom line: you are swallowing more air than chewing) the hiccups! Want to avoid hiccupping? Easyā€”donā€™t eat and drink so fast! Get the picture?

Why is it so important to chew your food properly?

The first step to processing your food is chewing, also known as mastication. Chew your food anywhere from 25-40 times per bite and continue to chew until there is nothing to chew.Ā  By chewing thoroughly, you are aiding your digestion and increasing nutrient absorption processing.

HOW? By chewing thoroughly, it combines with your saliva, starts the digestion process in your mouth before it reaches your stomach. Your saliva contains digestive enzymes. Then your body will be able to absorb more nutrients and produce more energy quicker. (Source: webmd.com)

The food coated with saliva will slide down in your esophagus faster and easier. You will find yourself drinking less because you donā€™t have to wash down the food. After chewing, your tongue will force food into the back of your throat towards the pharynx for swallowing.

Once food reaches the back of the throat, sensory receptors stimulated. More receptors will be triggered if the food is broken down into small pieces. When we eat too fast and donā€™t chew thoroughly, partially digested food can lodge somewhere in the inner folds of the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation and digestive problems.

So give your digestion a break by not making it work so hard. Take a little more time to chew properly. Take time to taste and enjoy your food. Be kind to yourself and your digestive tract by eating correctly.

Healing Place LLC

The Healing Place has helped hundreds of adults and children to find long-lasting relief from chronic pain, digestive issues, and heal hormonal imbalances naturally.

The Writer

Helen Chin Lui is a Certified Reflexologist, Certified Energy Medicine, and Reiki Practitioner. She is the founder and owner of the Healing Place in Medfield, MA. She specializes in helping people with chronic digestive disorders. For her free report ā€œProven Alternative Ways to Heal Common Chronic Digestive Problems: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Can Keep You From Healing,ā€ click here.

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