
Finally, try to slow down, relax and enjoy your food! Eating in a hurry or under stress especially hijacks the digestive process. This takes stress off the digestive organs and can do wonders to help repair the digestive tract. It’s critical that people with chronic illness or digestive issues, especially those on a plant based diet, chew their food until it’s liquified. If the cellulose isn’t broken down enough, it’s more likely to cause gas and bloating.

Cooking and fermenting help to break down cellulose, but the mechanical action of mastication breaks the cellulose down, making it more manageable for the digestive process. They are digested by amylase in the saliva but are covered with a thin coating of cellulose, which human enzymes can’t penetrate. Carbs are plant-based foods - grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, starches, herbs, spices, etc. While proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are all targeted by the enzymes, the most complicated foods for the body to digest are carbs. Reduce Symptoms of Poor Digestion The more digestion that takes place in the mouth and in the upper stomach, the less work the body has to do later. Taking the time to pre-digest what you eat makes digestion more energy efficient by dramatically increasing nutrient uptake and reducing the workload on the stomach and small intestine. They also continue to be key even after swallowing when food moves toward the upper part of the stomach because acid secretion is minimal for at least 30 to 45 minutes. These digestive enzymes, as well as the the enzymes in the food itself, help to pre- digest your meal when you chew each bite well. Lipase is secreted from the sublingual (under the tongue) glands to initiate fat digestion. Protease is secreted from the submandibular glands and begins protein digestion. Amylase is secreted from the parotid glands and breaks down carbohydrates. Saliva contains three important enzymes: amylase, protease and lipase. Chewing then mixes the food with the saliva so enzymes can start to digest it. Salivary glands secrete mucus to lubricate the food and make it easier to chew. One easy thing you can do is to take advantage of how the salivary glands team up with the chewing process to help pre-digest your food. The Importance of Predigestion The complete digestion process requires a lot of energy and what you eat is important, but if you don’t digest your food, you don’t get the necessary nutrients. Thorough chewing also exposes more surface area to the digestive enzymes found in saliva. Since chewing breaks food down into smaller particles, it reduces the chance of infections, as larger bits of unchewed food are more vulnerable to opportunistic bacteria and fungi proliferation in the digestive tract. The extra saliva that it produces helps reduce plaque buildup and tooth decay and it strengthens the bones that hold the teeth. The Benefits of Chewing Chewing is an often overlooked part of the digestive process, which is unfortunate because it has very powerful benefits.


Whether eating on the run or sitting down to a formal dinner, you can strengthen your digestion right from the start just by taking the time to really chew your food. Chewing is perhaps the simplest tool you can use to get the most nutrition out of what you eat.

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THE TINY BALLS OF FAT THAT COULD REVOLUTIONIZE MEDICINE PLUS
Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design - plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Learn how her work is already powering mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and forging the path for future therapies that could treat Ebola, HIV and even cancer. Whitehead as she gives a breakdown of the little fatty balls (called lipid nanoparticles) perfectly designed to ferry cutting-edge medicines into your body's cells. but had no way to administer it? Zoom down to the nano level with engineer Kathryn A. What if you were holding life-saving medicine. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Whitehead: The tiny balls of fat that could revolutionize medicine | TED
