IMPORTANCE OF CHEWING

It is important to eat each and every meal in such a way that you are left feeling satisfied, not hungry and not too full.  One way of doing this is by eating your food slower and chewing your food longer.
Do you eat your meals sitting in front of the computer or television? its worth taking time out to enjoy a meal and to eat consciously, as you can only utilise the nutrients you digest if the body is relaxed.  Most of us consume our food way too fast.
Following points show the advantages of when you take your time to eat and enjoy your meal:-

1/ Eating will be more pleasurable as you will enjoy and appreciate the different flavours.
2/ It will help prevent overeating. Since it takes our brain longer than our stomach to realize that we are satisfied.
3/ By chewing more, you will also assist the digestion of the food (which begins in the mouth).  This sends messages to the digestive tract to release different digestive enzymes according to what is in your mouth.
4/ It also ensures the proper break down of food, which is then easily absorbed in the Gastric Intestinal Tract. Undigested large food molecules cause indigestion and the likelihood of developing food allergies.
5/ This therefore ensures you get the most nutrition from your food.
6/ You will have more energy rather than feeling bloated and tired.  A significant amount of your blood supply gets diverted to the Gastric Intestinal Tract following a heavy meal and this can make you feel fatigued and tired. If you have eaten the proper amount and the right kind of food, you should feel more energized following a meal.

There is an old Italian proverb that says “a tavola non s’invecchia”, which means one does not grow old at the table. It simply means that when you take the time to enjoy the pleasures of good food, wine and company, the passage of time is suspended.

Having spent many holidays in Italy and eaten many simple and lavish meals there, I can tell you there is no place for gluttony in the true Italian lifestyle, or indeed the Mediterranean lifestyle.