Is Your Fast Eating Habit Wrecking Your Health?
What happened to those long family dinners where everyone sat around for an hour talking and eating? It has gone the way of dial up Internet stone-washed jeans! Many of us gulp down lunch at our desks during a busy workday, and grab a fast dinner on the move too. And we’re not even talking here about all the water you should have been drinking along the way too. A recent study found that average chewing time has fallen to just 39 minutes per day. That’s 7 minutes for breakfast, 13 for lunch and 19 for dinner! We know, it sounds a bit silly to think about your average chewing time per day, but truly there’s significance in this.
Chew Chew and More Chew
The more you chew the better your digestive system will be able to work. It’s no fad, this is science—when you start to chew a signal tells your stomach lining to produce hydrochloric acid and your pancreas to release digestive enzymes. The more time you spend chewing your food the better prepared your digestive system will be. When you break down food into small pieces it is much easier for your digestive enzymes and stomach acid to break it down further and so more nutrients are absorbed in your small intestine.
Chewing also generates saliva; it not only contains enzymes that start the chemical digestion but also protects your throat when you swallow; we’ve all gulped down a big chunk of something and felt it scrape its way down – eek!
And believe it or not if you eat slowly you will reduce levels of the hunger hormone called grehlin, increasing the feeling of being satisfied and reducing appetite. So, you can chew your way to weight loss! (Sounds like a late night, tv infomercial, but it’s true!)
Who Knew Chewing Could Do All That
If you’re saying right now, “I’m going to chew and chew”, there’s even more. Chewing your food sufficiently will also cut down embarrassing gas. It will also cut down the Dentist bills, because the saliva generated washes away plaque and prevents it from hardening. Saliva also contains antibodies that kill pathogens and nitrate, a killer of acid producing bacteria, which causes cavities. The more saliva you produce, the more bacteria killed before reaching your stomach. Add to that, high quality hydration with Qure Alkaline Water and you’re really doing yourself some good.
Lastly, more time spent chewing is more time to notice individual flavors. You’ll find that processed foods become bland real fast and natural foods keep their flavor so you’ll enjoy what you’re eating that much more. Who knows, you might even become a “foodie!”