A simple and powerful way to aid digestion- chewing! Tips from a Naturopath, Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner.
In the fast-paced city life, many of us are strapped for time and eating on the go. It is well understood that the contents of our diet can impact our digestive health. However, is also another significant factor that contributes to digestive health- chewing.
As food passes through our digestive system, various enzymes are released throughout the process. The saliva in our mouth contains salivary amylase which breaks down carbohydrates, our stomach secretes hydrochloric acid which breaks down proteins, our gallbladder releases bile which breaks down fats and like this all the way to the end of the digestive tract our body breaks down our food- extracting, absorbing and assimilating nutrients in this process.
What we eat is important- but so is how we eat. If we are sub-optimally digesting our food- we may not be absorbing and extracting the essential nutrition we need to build our health and wellbeing. This may also contribute to low iron, B12, and other nutrient and vitamin deficiencies.
Chewing our food signals to the other parts of our digestive tract (stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine and large intestine) to get prepared and begin to secrete enzymes in preparation to the food to come. By not chewing our food effectively this can impact the process downstream- contributing to symptoms of bloating, digestive pain, loose stools and diarrhoea with undigested food and may play a role in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and irritable bowel disease (IBD).
Mahatma Gandhiji once said “Chew your drink and drink your food”- emphasising the importance of mindful eating. Taking the 10-20 minutes to sit down, chew your food and eat your meal is a simple way to get more out of your food. It is also a useful tool to help to reduce bloating and other digestive symptoms.
If you still feel symptoms of bloating, digestive pain, loose stools and diarrhoea talk to your doctor or visit your acupuncturist, naturopath or herbalist for treatment. Warm regards and happy holidays, Ahil.
Any questions or to book in feel free to contact me on (02) 9341 5775 or by email at ahilnaturopath@gmail.com.
Ahil Naturopath/Acupuncture is a clinic located near Redfern, Alexandria and Waterloo. We also service areas across Sydney including Botany, Camperdown, Darlinghurst, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Mascot, Newtown, , Rosebery, Surry Hills and Zetland.
We offer Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Cupping, Gua Sha (Scraping) and Moxibustion services in South-East, Eastern and Inner City of Sydney.
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