Good Morning Everyone!

How many times do you chew your food…or maybe I should ask, when was the last time you payed attention to chewing your food??  It might seem trivial to pay attention to the amount of times we chew our food but it can make a big difference with your digestion and weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.  Check this out:

• How many times SHOULD we chew each bite of food for optimal digestion?
  • 30x seems to be the most agreed upon #
  • How many times does the average American chew each bite of food?
    • 2 – 4x (It’s true!  I fell into this statistic too! Yikes)
    • What are the benefits of chewing our food more than 4x?
      • Dr. Mercola wrote an article about the benefits of chewing our food 30 + times and would recommend taking 5min to read it if you’re interested in improving you digestion or losing weight.  Here are the 7 benefits he outlines: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/31/chewing-foods.aspx
        • Absorb More Nutrients and Energy From Your Food
        • Maintain a Healthy Weight
        • Your Food Gets More Exposure to Your Saliva (necessary digestive enzymes are found in your saliva)
        • Easier Digestion
        • It’s Good for Your Teeth
        • Less Excess Bacteria Lingering in Your Intestines
        • Enjoy and Taste Your Food

Give it a try today.  You may not chew bite 30x but I want to encourage you to try 10-15x each bite and I want you to make a mental note of these 3 things and the end of your meal:

1. Did I eat less because I chewed more?
2. Did I enjoy my food more because I tasted more of it?
3. How does my stomach feel?  Any different from yesterday after my meal?

Take time to enjoy your food and be mindful about what you eat:-).

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith