Chewing slowly used to be a saying used by my parents when I was a child. Every time we come back from playing outside, our parents always tell us not to wolf down our meals. However, with the fast-paced life in modern society, the entrustment of childhood has gradually drifted away from us, and the word "eat slowly" seems to have gradually disappeared in our lives. But in fact, this living habit is not only applicable to teenagers, but also the basic law of diet and health care for the elderly. Let's take a look at the benefits of chewing slowly to the health of the elderly!
Expert opinions/suggestions
As the saying goes, "swallow all the dates", it is the ancients who warned people: "eat slowly." So, what are the benefits of chewing slowly for fitness and longevity?
In China's Yuan Dynasty ancient book Zhan Yu, there is a story that three people are talking about the medicinal value of pears and dates. The tall man said, "Pear benefits the teeth and hurts the spleen, while jujube benefits the spleen and hurts the teeth." Hearing this, the fat man proudly said, "In the future, I will only chew pears without swallowing, and only swallow dates without chewing. This will neither hurt the teeth nor hurt the spleen and stomach. " The old man standing by said, "pears can be eaten without chewing, and dates can't be eaten without chewing." You can't digest it like this! " This story mocks those who "gobble up" the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and warns people to chew slowly. So, what are the benefits of chewing slowly for fitness and longevity?
Chewing slowly can promote nutrient absorption.
People need to eat food every day to absorb nutrients and maintain normal life activities. After food enters the mouth, it is first bitten, cut, torn, rolled and ground by teeth, and then fully mixed with saliva under the agitation of the tongue to become chyme, which can be swallowed into the stomach for preliminary digestion, and then further digested and absorbed in the intestine. Amylase in saliva can hydrolyze starch in food into maltose, which is absorbed and utilized. The finer you chew, the more fully you digest saliva and the faster you absorb nutrients.
However, if food is swallowed hastily without careful chewing, it will not only increase the burden on the stomach, but also interfere with the normal secretion of gastric juice and affect the digestion and absorption of food. Over time, you may suffer from gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis and indigestion, which is not conducive to the normal development and healthy growth of the body. Experts have done experiments. The absorption rates of protein and fat in the food of people who eat the same food and chew slowly reach 85% and 83% respectively, while the corresponding absorption rates when swallowing are only 72% and 765,438+0%. It can be seen that the nutrients of food can not be fully absorbed by the human body, which is harmful to health and longevity.
Chewing slowly can prevent oral diseases.
Chewing exercise is a mild stimulus, which can fully adjust the physiological function of oral cavity. If food is chewed carefully in the mouth, it can not only massage and stimulate oral soft tissues, especially gums, but also promote the changes of surface keratin, accelerate blood circulation, improve the disease resistance of gums, and also play a good role in "cleaning and self-cleaning" the teeth themselves, reducing the growth and reproduction of germs, which is of great significance for preventing gingivitis and periodontitis.
On the other hand, when chewing, the pressure on the teeth can also be transmitted to the mandible, which is of great benefit to the mandible. Chewing slowly can also enrich the blood circulation of gums, get more blood and nutrition for teeth, increase the firmness of teeth and avoid premature shedding.
Chewing slowly helps to lose weight and keep fit.
Chewing slowly can also help you lose weight and keep fit. Experts have found that chewing can raise blood sugar and make the brain send a signal to "slow eaters" to stop eating at an appropriate time, thus avoiding obesity caused by overeating. I wonder if you have noticed that in daily life, generally speaking, obese people always eat earlier than thin people. Obese people gobble, thin people eat slowly and for a long time.
Chewing can promote the growth and development of jaw, increase its width, provide enough space for tooth growth and avoid dentition deformity. Chewing can also promote facial muscle movement and make facial muscle shape natural and healthy. Some actors and singers are at least 8~ 10 years later than ordinary people, which is not only influenced by music, but also inseparable from the regular movement of their facial muscles.
Saliva can not only moisten and digest food, but also stimulate appetite, sterilize and remove residues, and neutralize stomach acid. Ancient hygienists called it "manna" and "golden jade liquid". In recent years, experts have found that salivary amylase is a natural preservative that can kill cancer cells. The high incidence of cancer in the elderly is also related to poor chewing ability, resulting in insufficient saliva secretion and low detoxification function. Chewing more, chewing slowly, will improve the secretion function of saliva, which is beneficial to health and longevity.