By John Huntington
Don’t you hate to eat and run? I hope so, as recent studies confirm definite health benefits to slower meals and chewing more.
It looks like Grandma’s advice to not wolf your food was more important than we realized.
What you gain with proper chewing is an increase in metabolism, improved digestion, better weight management and more nutrient assimilation.
Subjects given identical servings of ice cream on different occasions released more hunger-regulating hormones when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of five.
They reported feeling fuller when they ate slowly, and consumed 10 percent fewer calories. Eating rapidly and until full was shown to TRIPLE one’s risk of being overweight.
A good portion of our digestive enzymes are produced in the mouth, not your stomach. With proper chewing, food particles are mechanically broken down to smaller sizes and digestive enzymes chemically act on food for further breakdown.
Other benefits include improved dental health (stronger teeth) and more nutrient and energy absorption. You can experience less gas, cramping and bloating because improperly chewed food particles will be less likely to ferment or putrefy in the intestines.
So slow down, give thanks and enjoy! You will be happier and healthier as a result.
Dr. Huntington practices Chiropractic, Biomedical Acupuncture and Physiotherapy in Oracle, Az. He enjoys gardening and has a family-run organic-fed egg and broiler business. 520-896-9844 huntingtonchiro@hotmail.com.