Back to Teeth & Tongue in the Digestive Process

It is actually quite simple with delicious results!

It may take a few days to get in to the swing and habits, but the results will be most rewarding - especially because you would have accomplished the improvements using natural means and you will have taken control of this most vital function.

- First and foremost – too large a quantity per mouthful cannot and will not be chewed as required.
- Discipline yourself to feed in smaller manageable quantities.
- At the outset, try to appreciate all that your tongue is doing from the time you put some food into your mouth until the tongue is ready to guide the food to the next stage of the digestive process. The Human Tongue.
- The cheeks, lips, tongue and teeth will – or should - be heavily involved.
- The food needs to be changed from solids to digestible nutrients with the help of the tools - teeth, lips, cheeks, tongue, saliva and enzymes. This cannot be achieved with big mouthfuls.
- Physical digestion breaks the food down into smaller pieces. To do this, the surface area of the food is increased and spread out so as to allow the saliva and enzymes to work more efficiently and speed up digestion.
- Soon you will be chewing and masticating correctly and you will not have to think about the process once the habit kicks in.
- So remember the initial requirement – small quantities of food with every mouthful. Again, it is a physical impossibility to chew a large mouthful of food correctly. Some of it will slip away and be swallowed without being chewed, with serious negative results.
- In addition, enjoy your meals in a relaxed atmosphere without being tense or rushed.
- The tongue can only recognize the various flavors if the food is chewed well and if it has enough time to register these various elements. It will then send messages to the brain, which in turn will send messages to the digestive system, which will result in the release of the required digestive juices needed for the efficient and healthy digestion to take place.
- Chewing well also allows the nutrients from the masticated food to be more quickly released more quickly and assimilated by the digestive system.
- Once the well chewed food (now called bolus) arrives in the stomach, its digestive juices will be more effective in fulfilling their job.
- It is logical therefore that less energy will be required by the body in absorbing the nutrients at every stage of the digestive process.
- The well masticated bolus travels much more smoothly through the various digestive organs, starting with it passing through the esophagus.
- Sufferers from reflux could find almost total relief.
- It is not a coincidence that most people who eat quickly and fail to chew correctly and efficiently, are overweight.
- The synergy of you Chewing well and the properties of Saliva results in an efficient digestive system.
- And we should all be aware of how a poor digestive system can play havoc with our health and can only promote sickness and disease.
- The famous old saying – “Slowly but Surely” – applies so appropriately to the chewing process.
- Don’t look to make big dramatic changes in your lifestyle all at once. Small steps will add up and last longer than making drastic changes. A little change in your eating habits will have a more positive impact on health because you are more likely to stick with it over time.
- By taking smaller mouthfuls, you will allow the taste buds to function efficiently, the brain will receive the right messages, and the whole digestive system will work more efficiently AND guess what? You will automatically enjoy your food better AND cut down on your calorie intake without feeling deprived or hungry.
- Imagine reducing your calorie intake WITHOUT dieting! AND an extra bonus is that you will feel more satisfied. That may sound impossible, but in reality it is not that difficult and is a fact.

The old saying – “You are what your Eat” should have a rider to it – “… and How you eat it”.

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