Reader Barb A. writes, “Thank you for the article you wrote about how it’s not just about what you eat, but when you eat it. I am 69 and had been slowly gaining weight the last few years. I struggled. I only ate two small to average meals a day but continued to gain weight. I would eat brunch and dinner. After reading your column I started eating breakfast and “dinch,“ an early dinner/late lunch before 3. I have lost 20 pounds. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Wow, Barb! That’s impressive. I’d say you did it very well without me!
Karen, who reads the column in The Daily News in Longview, Washington, asks, “Does the amount of chewing or the degree to which food is chewed before swallowing have an effect on the nutritional benefits? Fiber? Calories? Vitamins?”
Good question, Karen. Chewing our food is a vital first step in the digestion process. And scientists tell us chewing is actually a pretty complex process. According to a 2022 article on the topic published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, not only does the act of chewing make food easier to swallow, it also aids in the digestion and absorption of vital nutrients.
Think about it. A well-chewed bite of food offers more surface area to the digestive enzymes in our mouths and all the way down our digestive tracts. The better a food is broken down into tiny particles, the more easily its nutrients can be absorbed into our bodies.
When we literally bite off more than we can chew, we swallow fragments of food that are too large to be digested completely. This can lead to indigestion, bloating and constipation, according to this article.
As for dietary fiber, these undigested components of plant foods are extremely important to the health and happiness of our gut microbiome — the myriad of good bacteria in our digestive tracts that fight off pathogens and enhance our ability to use nutrients.
High-fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables also tend to be rich in nutritional value. Yet they may be difficult for some people to chew. If one avoids these foods because of chewing problems, they can miss key nutrients in their diets.
While chewing food does not magically make calories disappear (darn), it may help keep us from overeating, researchers say. That’s because when we take the time to chew our food thoroughly, it takes us longer to eat. And that gives our stomach time to tell our brain we are no longer hungry. Result? We may actually start to feel satisfied with less food.
Some research has even found that the more you chew your food, the less ghrelin — a hormone that stimulates your appetite — you produce. Sweet!
Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian nutritionist and syndicated columnist. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition: The Uncomplicated Science of Eating.” Email her at [email protected].
