"Chew your food. You're an Animal!"

If you don't already know, that quote is from the movie Matilda, and that is just one of the gems in that masterpiece.

I have been reading about food chewing after I remembered a health video I watched in elementary school about people with digestive problems and it said that the number one reason a person has digestive problems is because they don't chew their food into small enough pieces. It seems like a little thing with few ramifications but the more I learn about it and have made an effort to do it I see that the ramifications can be HUGE. Here is what I have learned...

Most of the enzymes in the digestive process are in your mouth. Who knew? I assumed that they were all in your stomach. This means that if you don't fully chew your food, it cannot be fully broken down and digested. This can lead to many problems, one is that your food can rot in your digestive system and lead to a host of standard digestive issues. The other major issue is that if the food is not broken down, your body can not receive the energy and nutrients it needs from the food.

Chewing your food obviously takes longer. This can be very helpful for people watching their waste-line because they are able to start to feel full on less food. Also you can get more energy out of the food that you do eat.

Chewing food obviously makes food go down the esophagus easier, but one of the things I didn't expect from chewing is that the longer the food is in my mouth, the better it tastes. Is that strange? I am not sure why that is but I assume it has something to do with the enzymes in my saliva. I never talk about saliva. It feels weird to even type SALIVA!

The digestive process is actually very demanding on your body. It gives us energy but it also takes up a lot of energy. This is especially true for food that is not fully chewed. It just seems to cause many problems for all of the other stages of digestion. Just remember the smaller the particles of food the faster and more efficiently they will digest.

Chewing strengthens your teeth. Who knew that your teeth needed a work out? It all makes sense though, just as weight bearing exercises is good for your bones, chewing has to be good for your chompers. Also as more saliva is produced in this process, it helps wash away bacteria in your mouth leading to less tooth decay.

I remember at meal time my super health conscious grandmother used to say, "chew, chew chew!" I assume that is because she saw the value in this process. She would also discourage drinking beverages with her food. Now I see why, she didn't want the beverage to water down her food and take the place of the more helpful enzyme rich saliva. Then there is the health guru Horace Fletcher who advocated chewing your food 100 times before you swallow each bite. He attributed his good health, strength and endurance to this.

As I have been working to chew my food more, I've realized two things about myself. One is that as I have tried to be more efficient at meal time by getting the food into my stomach quickly, I have only caused myself more problems. The other thing is that I need to slow down, enjoy life and my food to a greater degree.

Anyway, this has been my latest health challenge for myself. The gallon challenge was good and I still feel like I need to be careful that I don't dehydrate myself. However, I think that this challenge may be even more beneficial. This brings new meaning to the phrase, "Party in my mouth".