Chewing is a small exercise that is easy to adopt and is above all the secret weapon to stay healthy.
Memory capacities increase
There is nothing better than chewing food properly to “feed” the brain. This actually increases sensory stimulation (food mixed well with salivary enzymes releases all their flavors), which stimulates the memory residing in the hippocampus. According to the Japanese researchers, chewing food well would therefore prevent cognitive disorders and, more generally, dementia. Chewing also increases the secretion of histamine, a neurotransmitter that improves learning skills. And that’s not all. Due to the pressure exerted by the jaws, blood flow to the brain promotes better oxygenation and increases the efficiency of brain functions.
You control your cravings better
Taking the time to eat by chewing each bite fifteen to twenty times before swallowing limits small hunger pangs throughout the day. The more we chew, the more the brain is informed about the contents of our mouth: it analyzes the quantities and counts the calories ingested, to trigger the release of the satiety hormone (leptin) when the time comes, about twenty minutes later. “Eating on the go diverts the brain from these gustatory and nutritional messages, which are transmitted to it by the sensory receptors located in the mouth. The risk, sending it the mass, is then to absorb more (or less) calories than our body we really need it. We risk gaining weight by eating more or feeling hungry earlier in the day and then being tempted to have a snack “, warns Raphaël Gruman, nutritionist and dietician.
Take care of the microbiome
“Animal proteins or starch in bread and starchy foods require a particularly long chewing to be sufficiently broken down in the stomach and colon. Ingesting it whole risks generating fermentation in the large intestine: bacteria proliferate to” end up. work “, leading to an imbalance (or dysbiosis), an incompetent source of gas, bloating and stomach pain”, warns Raphaël Gruman. Food reduced to tiny pieces of saliva allows for unimpeded transit. Essential when you are prone to constipation. Furthermore, taking the time to swallow allows you to “release” the dietary fiber contained in vegetables, cereals and legumes, which the intestinal bacteria feed on. Anything that can facilitate digestion at the same time limits the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, often associated with an altered composition of the microbiota.
Protect your teeth
Chewing well increases the production of saliva, which, rich in minerals (calcium, phosphate, fluoride), contributes to the remineralization of the enamel, neutralizes acid attacks and reduces the risk of tooth decay. Saliva also contributes to the bacterial balance of our mouth and therefore to keep the breath fresh. “Chewing also helps to strengthen the jaw muscles, to keep the teeth well implanted in the gums and thus to prevent the risk of loosening,” explains the nutritionist. Also, when you eat a hard food (apples, radishes, carrot sticks, unrefined grains, meat, seafood, etc.), your teeth “sweep” due to the tenfold increase in saliva production.
Avoid vitamin losses
In addition to playing an important role in digestion, chewing provides the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.) that our body needs and facilitates their assimilation. Researchers have shown that biting into a raw carrot for a long time releases more beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Once in the digestive tract, the nutrients must further travel through the wall of the small intestine to reach the bloodstream and feed the cells.
