Weekly Health Tip
by Phillip Day

Eat slower and chew your food!

Research shows many of us chew just 5-6 times on average before the food goes down the chute - fast and fibreless foods especially. Failure to chew means enzymes like ptyalin in the saliva do not get a chance to mix with and 'pre-digest' carbohydrates, resulting in digestion problems and the pancreas having to produce enzymes to pick up the shortfall. Try chewing each mouthful 30-40 times before swallowing.

Also, eating properly combined foods slower and resting between forkfuls gives your blood sugar more time to adjust, resulting in you experiencing that 'full' feeling earlier, thereby cutting down on food intake. If you suffer from that bloated, 'I really wish I hadn't eaten that' feeling on a regular basis, a much slower munch will go a long way towards helping digestion problems. Again, ensure you do not mis-combine proteins and carbohydrates.

Further Reading:
The Diet Doctors, Inside and Out by Dr Wendy Denning and Vicki Edgson
Health Wars by Phillip Day (or go to your regional Credence store)