Eating healthy is the cornerstone of good health, but how you eat is just as important as what you eat. Every meal is an opportunity to nourish your body, and taking your time while eating can significantly impact digestion and gut health. Focusing on this, Karan Rajan, a doctor and author, shared an insightful post on Instagram about the benefits of eating slowly. In the video, a woman demonstrates how the stomach reacts differently when food is consumed “nice and slowly” versus “when you eat too quickly”.
Karan Ranjan said, “The speed you eat has a significant impact on your overall gut health. When you eat too fast, you can actually override multiple physiological mechanisms designed to optimise digestion.”
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How Chewing Helps Improve Gut Health:
Talking about the importance of chewing, the doctor added, “Digestion begins in the mouth, where the enzyme starts to break down carbohydrates. So, if you’re speed-running your food and don’t chew it properly, it can reach your intestines in larger chunks and your gut bacteria have more undigested carb deferment, leading to excessive gas production.” Therefore, the more you chew, it improves your enzymatic action and nutrient absorption, he said.
If you inhale your food without chewing enough it can overwhelm the lower oesophagal sphincter, said Karan Ranjan. The oesophagal sphincter is the valve that prevents stomach acid from flowing back into the oesophagus.
“Speed eating equals an increased risk of acid reflux and heartburn. Eating too fast can also trigger an exaggerated gastrocolic reflex. This can lead to an increased urgency of wanting to release the chocolate Kraken or diarrhoea, especially if you have IBS,” added Karan Rajan.
Smaller, slower meals assist in avoiding stomach distress by regulating the gastrocolic reflex. Karan Ranjan said, “We also need to acknowledge that digestion isn’t immediate. It takes time for the body to secrete essential digestive fluids like bile and enzymes. If the food is consumed too quickly, the body doesn’t have enough time to release these, leading to incomplete digestion and poor nutrient absorption.”
Also Read: How The Simple Act Of Chewing Food Slowly Brings Many Health Benefits
Finally, eating too fast prevents your hormones-such as cholecystokinin, GIP, and GLP-1-from having enough time to tell your brain when you’re full. It may result in trouble recognising fullness resulting in overeating, the doctor revealed.
