Old Saying Right Again

Remember when mom said, "Chew your food! Don't swallow it whole!" She was right, of course and now we have science to prove it. In fact, chewing your food seven times before swallowing (my mom's recommendation) would be even better.

Well, it looks like old wisdom is sometimes good wisdom. Remember when your grandparents and parents told you when you were small to chew your food more and that it was good for your. Well it appears that there is even more wisdom in the idea of taking a good whiff of your food before you even taste it.

New research appears to say that we stimulate more of our cerebral cortex when we smell our food and it adds to our sense of taste. What is interesting here is that there is also previous study which shows that with more mixing of the mouth contents with saliva, the chemical signature for the food is relayed to the brain where it is then translated into the appropriate environment in the stomach. Another words, the more we chew and mix our food in the mouth, the better prepared our stomachs are with enzymes to digest those same foods. For the guys out there, it might shed some new light on the idea of getting your a_ _ in the kitchen and helping your wife or girlfriend with the culinary duties. Of course not to be a male chauvinist, it could be you women joining your husband or boyfriend. You could feel even better about this help because you are also stimulating two areas, not just one, in your brain.

I remind my patients of this with their whole food supplements. If they chew them slightly then swallow them they will get better absorption in the gut. Of course it takes some courage to do this but the upside of it is that absorption goes up significantly.

Hope you have the opportunity for a nice meal with friends or family this weekend and that you SMELL AND TASTE all your food well before you swallow.