Chewing well is not only a process that depends on each person and to which we are obligated when we eat hard foods, but also fulfills other functions of great relevance. We tell you why it is so important to chew each bite well.
What is chewing and what is it used for?
We do this in an unconscious and natural way, since from a very young we get used to chewing when there is food in our mouth, but chewing is a key process in our digestive process that involves sensory and motor activity and aims to prepare food for swallowing.
During the mastication muscles are contracted, the tongue and jaw are mobilized and saliva is released from the salivary glands that are in our mouth. All this helps the food is crushed, crushed and moistened to form a food bolus that is then swallowed to continue through the digestive system.
The chewing is the first phase of digestion , for there begins with comminuting food is of great importance for enzymes and hormones acting on each part thereof and can release absorbed nutrients. Also, in saliva there is an enzyme called ptyalin that begins with the digestion of carbohydrates.
Also, during chewing food flavors are captured, hence this process is more important than we think to digest and taste each bite.
This is how chewing helps you lose weight
Chewing is the process that initiates the digestive process and therefore, also sets in motion the release of hormones that later provide satiety.
Our whole digestive system is connected to the brain, so when we chew food it knows it and starts sending signals to the rest of the digestive system that starts up and, among other things, releases hormones that calm hunger and reduce appetite.
On the other hand, according to scientists at the University of Oxford, the sensory stimulation produced by mastication already produces satiety, even without eating food, something that was confirmed in 2006 after chewing but not ingestion of salad that considerably diminished the desires of eat.
As if that were not enough, listening to chew could help us eat less and a small research published in the magazine Appetite found that increasing the time dedicated to chewing reduces food intake in the same food and then, therefore, chew Well, it’s key when we’re looking to lose weight.
Likewise, satiety is greater when we consume solid foods, regardless of the energy contribution as was verified with fresh apple, in compote and juices , being always superior the satiety before the consumption of whole and fresh apple, perhaps because for its consumption we need to chew much more than when eating apple compote or juices . For this and other reasons, it is always more convenient to choose whole fruit than juice of the same fruit.
Given the importance of chewing each bite at the moment of weight loss, we can not fail to mention the little use of milkshakes that are drunk to replace a whole meal and are promoted as an aid to lose weight , since we can consume a preparation that demand chewing with equal calories and sate many more than with a smoothie or a juice of this type.
