Want to eat a more nutritious meal? Do you have digestive issues, or do you take digestive enzymes? We spend a great deal of money on health food, supplements and expensive produce. These can have a tremendous impact on our health; however, it’s easy to overlook some of the most basic, yet effective, ways of extracting more vital nutrients from our food. Case in point: chewing, or mastication.
If food is not properly chewed, much can go to waste, passing through the system as a fermenting, decaying mass, including those precious vitamins and minerals that we need to stay healthy. This is especially important for raw fruits and vegetables. Nutrient portions in these foods have indigestible cellulose membranes surrounding them that must be broken down by the teeth before they can be digested. Furthermore, taking the time to chew tends to slow down the dining process, resulting in smaller portions needed to appease your hunger.
Hatha Yoga practitioners have been in tune with the importance of chewing for a long time. They believe that food has prana, a vital energy force, and that by chewing properly, prana is liberated from the food and travels through the nerves of the mouth and tongue into the nervous system, giving you energy.
So how do you know when you’ve chewed your food enough? Chew it until there is no taste left. Allow the food to gradually melt away in your mouth until you realize that it is all gone. By doing this, you will improve your gastrointestinal health, give precious nutrients to your body and, best of all, increase the enjoyment of your food.
I am always amazed by how the body can combine several functions into one while making it an enjoyable experience for us. As a wise yogi once said, “Mastication is a most pleasant process, and so it is in the case of the lower animals and the children of the human race. The animal chews and munches his food with the greatest relish, and the child sucks, chews and holds in the mouth the food much longer than does the adult.” What other mundane processes do we take for granted that may be playing much larger roles in our bodies?
Healing Tip of the Week
Try eating an apple in the way described above. You’ll be surprised at the feeling of having eaten a fair-sized meal and the sensation of increased strength.
