Guess what? Your stomach doesn't have teeth. Digestion starts in our mouths. You may have heard, "We are what we eat." But I believe it's actually, "We are what we digest and assimilate." Don't assume our bodies get the all the nutrition in the foods we eat. Just because a food had 5 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of carbohydrates does not mean that we actually absorb all of it. If we swallow bigger pieces of food, then bigger pieces go all through the digestive process and we miss out on nutrition. Our digestive system isn't a magical place that turns an apple into nutrition. We have to do our part!
When we chew, enzymes are released into the mouth that combine with saliva that starts the process of digestion. Taking the time to thoroughly chew each bite of food is important. When we chew more, we:
naturally eat less
feel more satisfied
can lose weight
heal our bodies
reduce acid reflux
reduce bloating
That's a lot of benefits from simply making an effort to chew more. Here's a challenge for you: for one meal a day, try chewing 20 times per bite. Notice how you feel. I'll bet you'll feel pretty good!
Another tip for better digestion is to not drink a lot of fluids while you're eating. The fluids dilute your digestive enzymes so the process becomes sluggish which can lead to bloating.
Chewing has amazing health benefits and everyone can do it for free!