Why Chewing is Imperative to Proper Digestion

When we chew our food, we just assume it is properly broken down and digested. However, more often than not it isn’t so it’s important to understand why chewing is essential for proper digestion.

The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract, which is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. There are other organs, such as the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and both small and large intestine, that help the body break down and absorb food.

Inside these hollow organs is a lining called the mucosa. In the mouth, stomach, and small intestine, the mucosa contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest food. The digestive tract also contains a layer of smooth muscle that helps break down food and move it along the tract.

Two “solid” digestive organs, the liver and the pancreas, produce digestive juices that reach the intestine through small tubes called ducts. The gallbladder stores the liver’s digestive juices until they are needed in the intestine. Parts of the nervous and circulatory systems also play major roles in the digestive system.

When you eat food like bread, meat, or vegetables, they are not in a form that the body can use as nourishment. Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before they can be absorbed into the blood and carried to cells throughout the body. Digestion is the process by which food and drink are broken down into their smallest parts so the body can use them to build and nourish cells and to provide energy.

Digestion involves mixing food with digestive juices, moving it through the digestive tract, and breaking down large molecules of food into smaller molecules. Digestion begins in the mouth, when you chew and swallow, and is completed in the small intestine.

Proper digestion requires four major enzymes:

Amylase – for the digestion of carbohydrates and starches.

Protease – for the digestion of proteins.

Lipase – for the digestion of fats; also assists in balancing fatty acids.

Cellulase – for the digestion of cellulose (fiber found in vegetables and other plant materials).

Improper digestion can lead to a variety of health disorders including gas, indigestion, toxicity, poor cholesterol, acne, and leaky gut syndrome. Chewing your food 20-30 times with each bite will release the natural enzymes in food which will prevent it from sitting in your intestinal track, undigested and rotting.

Another way to help digest your food thoroughly is to take a plant-based digestive enzyme with every meal. Plant-based enzymes are most useful because they aid digestion throughout the entire digestive process. These enzymes cannot be made like synthetic vitamins and minerals, and must be grown in plant form and extracted through a laboratory process.

Like what you read? Then sign up for my weekly Healthy E-newsletter here: Wellness With Angela

Did you know that most people who don't get the support and accountability to reach their health goals usually fail in the long run? Find out more about my 9 Week Complete Transformation System by signing up for an Initial Nutrition Assessment at Wellness With Angela