Chew Your Food!

One day Keith and I went to see a nutritionist who is also an iridologist (she looks at our eyes to see what they show about health throughout our bodies) and I will never forget when she looked at my eyes she said, “Do you eat pretty quickly?  You need to slow down and chew your food more.”  It stunned me that she could tell this by looking at my eyes.

She was right.  I have a tendency to push my meals down.  I like to think it comes from being the youngest of four and wanting to get seconds of whatever the tastiest thing on the table was before my siblings ate it.  The school systems don’t help either…giving kids less than 20 minutes to consume a meal.

Regardless of where the habit came from, I was a speedy eater and Keith enjoyed having someone else tell me I should slow down while eating.  The nutritionist recommended chewing food until it was the consistency of baby food.  I thought she made an excellent point when she said, “Baby food is that consistency because they don’t have teeth to make it the right consistency before they swallow it.  The job of our teeth is to get food to the right consistency so our bodies can fully utilize the nutrients.”

You may also already know that digestion begins in our mouth and by chewing our food well the saliva mixes in and helps to break down the nutrients.  This is also true of drinking protein shakes and other liquid foods: if you swirl them around your mouth before swallowing they will break down better and be less likely to cause gas.

Since then I have made an effort to slow down while eating but I still find it easy to slip back into my old ways, especially when I am in a hurry.  I do find that I enjoy the food more and I have an opportunity to savor the flavors and texture as I am chewing.  I also notice I get full more quickly because I am giving my body a chance to send the signal that it is full so you may find that chewing your food more can help you to maintain a more healthy weight too.

As you eat your food today remember that our stomachs don’t have teeth.  Chew your food well and see how much better you feel.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys sharing healthing living tips she picks up through her research and education.  You can visit her website at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com  She is paid a comission by Shaklee for any products that are purchased through her or her site.