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This question might be simple but it has kind of been bothering me for a while. Lately I have been observing that I don't chew my food properly. If it comes to small sliced vegetables or it is rice, I used to chew less and try to take it down as quick as possible.

So my question is that what might happen if I don't chew food properly. Is it possible that due to not chewing food properly I might not be able to have a proper diet/nutrients? (I just asked this because as my physical body is also not so fit and I used to eat a lot but don't chew food properly so I guess this might be one of the reasons)

Also let us say I have been not chewing food properly for around 1 - 2 years so is it possible that it will affect my physical health by any means like less growth or something like that.

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  • You could choke
    – Kenshin
    Commented Mar 29, 2016 at 8:59
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    I am expecting an answer in terms of 'change in nutrients' only if there will be any change(like not able to digest food properly etc). It is obvious that someone who will not chew food properly will get choked.
    – Shashank
    Commented Mar 29, 2016 at 10:03

1 Answer 1

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I suppose since whatever you ingest spends a certain amount of time travelling through your system it should make a difference depending on how quickly the certain food is broken down. If not chewed well enough the food will have a smaller surface area while spending time in the stomach. So thorough chewing should allow not only faster food absorption but also extracting more nutrients out of the food. This is just an educated guess though :)

EDIT: Adding sources for information in this comment and the one below.

Why eating slowly helps you feel full faster (Harvard) http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605

Study finds additional chewing reduces food intake in young adults - http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/apr/chewing

Also this article encompasses all of this nicely http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/31/chewing-foods.aspx (Scroll down to the bottom for the list of sources and references)

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  • Well said and also one more question related to this only is that, let us say I have been not chewing food properly for around 1 - 2 years so is it possible that it will affect my physical health by any means like less growth or something like that.
    – Shashank
    Commented Apr 2, 2016 at 15:35
  • Absolutely not! All that happens when you don't chew food is: -Slower absorption of nutrients -Possibly less nutrients absorbed from the food (though you can eat more anyways) -More energy is used to digest the food chemically in the stomach (You know that feeling of being tired when you get stuffed? This tiredness can be reduced and will last less by chewing food more). The only real health risk is the possibility of choking, but I'm sure there's no effect on your health otherwise :)
    – Coma
    Commented Apr 2, 2016 at 15:44
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    Welcome to Health SE! This post has the makings of a very good answer, but here on Health, we strongly encourage using references. They are the only way in which we can tell if information is reliable or not. If you are struggling to find good sources, check out, What are reliable sources? If you want to learn more about our site's stance on answers without references, check out, Should answers without references be immediately deleted? Thanks :)
    – michaelpri
    Commented Apr 3, 2016 at 2:27

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