The #chewchallenge has started! As I’m encouraging others to chew each bite of food 30x, I figured I might as well explain why!

There are three big benefits to chewing your food well.

Each benefit creates a ripple, positively impacting your body in new ways, making chewing one of the secrets to many people’s health goals.

Want to know how chewing your food can improve your health and body?

Click below to watch the video or keep reading!

Benefit #1: Digestive Support-

It may not sound exciting, but in health and wellness, digestion is seen as a top indicator of a healthy body. We want healthy, easy digestion so that our body can use the energy it would be exerting on digesting food to do more exciting things like grow healthy hair, nourish your skin, and improve your energy.

How does chewing help digestion? DIGESTIVE ENZYMES! You may have heard about digestive enzymes from companies that now sell them as supplements, but really, the best way to get digestive enzymes is to chew your food.

Our saliva has lots of digestive enzymes. If you chew your food longer, you will get more digestive enzymes. More digestive enzymes means food digests faster, giving your body more energy for other things.

Benefit #2: Nutrient Absorption-

When you chew your food, it breaks open the binding that holds the nutrients together. These nutrients are then easier and ready for your body to absorb. You will absorb more nutrients from the exact same size and serving of food if you chew it better. The more nutrients your body absorbs, the better it will work.

Benefit #3: Weight Management-

It takes your stomach 20 minutes to tell your brain it is full. If your meal takes less than 20 minutes, your brain hasn’t received the signal yet, which leads to eating more than your body truly needs and desires.

Also, if you are eating with distraction or so fast you hardly remember eating, you will reach for more food to fill the void. Our brain and body want to experience the act of eating, so if it goes too fast, it will want more food.

Slowing down by chewing your food well and paying attention to what you are eating will make you feel more satiated and full, and will give your brain enough time to register that your stomach is full.

The Chewing Goal

At minimum, I want you to chew your food 30x per bite. This will help make the above benefits happen for you, if you are consistent with it. There are many more health benefits to chewing food well, these are just a few of my favorites.

If you still need a reason to chew your food well, join my Chew Challenge this week and you will have a chance to win some delicious Bee Keeper’s Naturals honey!

To join, sit down to a meal, take a pic, chew each bite 30x, post the pic on Instagram, including #chewchallenge and tag me @northwestheathcoahcing along with three friends you want to join! The Chew Challenge is running this week, August 10th-16th, with the winner being drawn on Monday the 17th. Enter sometime this week to have your name in the drawing on Monday!

Even if you don’t join the Chew Challenge, give yourself some time this week to slow down, chew each bite of food really well, and see if you notice a difference in your fullness, digestion, or energy. You might be surprised!