Chew, please ?

Chewing properly helps make us strong and mentally aware… yet, chewing food is a daily challenge for the majority of us.

Chewing repeatedly increases our pleasure when eating our food. Chewing properly will also satisfy our “hunger” with less food and will help nourish our body cells. To the contrary, eating too fast is discouraged like eating too much (!).

The first digestion happens in our mouth. The food releases its nutrients when chewed until it becomes a cream made of food and saliva. Saliva contains an enzyme that breaks down the carbohydrates of bread and pasta for example.

Only when the food is broken down in smaller bits by our teeth, it will reach the stomach and start the second digestion. In fact, our stomach is the perfect place to digest proteins from meat, eggs, and fish.

If we don’t chew our food properly, eating too fast then we might encounter digestive problems, drowsiness, abdominal bloating, feeling hungry, lack of concentration, and many other common annoyances.

So, how many times should we chew before swallowing our food?

According to some, the magic number is 30 times, but in some cases, the advice goes up to 50 and even 100 times. Whatever the number, this isn’t an easy exercise, even reaching 30 is a bit of a challenge!

5.30 tip

Try counting the times you chew before swallowing the food… 3–4-10 times? Right, it’s time to double that! You need to focus and really think about the process, perhaps put your cutlery down between mouthfuls. With time and practice, you’ll enjoy your food more and even your digestion will improve. Believe me, chewing is an art worth learning!