Chewing your food is so underestimated. Sounds like silly advice, right? On the surface, it sounds almost too basic to be important, but that's exactly why it's so often overlooked. Next time you are eating food, take a few seconds and think about how you are eating. How many times do you chomp down? 3 times? 10 times? You may be surprised to hear that certain foods need to be chomped on up to 40 times!

Digestion begins in the brain when you see, smell and think about the food you are about to eat.

These reactions begin the process of getting your body ready to digest. Your brain triggers the release of saliva into your mouth. Your saliva is loaded with water and a few important digestive enzymes that begin the break down of carbohydrates and fats within your mouth, preparing the food to begin the journey down into the stomach. The mouth, which is the gateway to the rest of the digestive system, begins the first phase of chemical and mechanical breakdown of food.

Chewing, which helps to stimulate saliva production, also works to breakdown the food into small particles, which leads to better absorption later on in digestion. If food is too large and not broken down enough, they may cause bacterial overgrowth in the colon. This, in turn, may lead to common stomach complaints such as bloating and constipation (source). In addition, undigested food particles can lead to a leaky gut (source).

Lastly, but not to be overlooked, is the act of chewing slows down the eating process and forces the eater to be more mindful, which may help with overeating and improve digestion.

That’s just a little bit of information to think about next time you take a big bite of your apple!