chewing food

Question
Hello, I was wondering how many times a person is supposed to chew food before swallowing? And other than choking, what are the consequences of not chewing food well (or at all)? Weight gain? Lack of nutrients being absorbed?
(I have a problem with chewing, so I am arming myself with imformation to motivate me to change this).
Thank you!

Answer
Hi
Ideally your food should be well chewed before swallowing. There is no optimum amount of times it should be chewed, but the better chewed your food is the easier it is for it to be digested.
The smaller food particles are when they enter the digestive tract the easier it is for enzymes - which can only work on the surface of food particles - to break them down.
The possible consequences of food not being chewed well are that if large food particles are absorbed through the digestive tract into the blood stream they can be incorrectly identified as food allergens (a substance that provokes an allergic reaction). You are correct that there is also a possibility of nutrients not being properly absorbed, because food particles have not been fully broken down.
Should you feel that your problem with chewing is physical, it might be worth seeing your doctor.

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