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Why a Chewable?

Can you name a food that you swallow whole without chewing first? Think about it! Every type of food you eat, you CHEW before swallowing. Well, there is a scientific reason for that. The most important part of digestion actually takes place in the mouth. Your teeth break apart food into small particles and your saliva, which contains 3 digestive enzymes, breaks down the proteins, fats and carbohydrates… and this takes place even before you swallow. If you swallow vitamins and minerals in pill form, you are skipping this vital part of the digestive process and many of these nutrients will never completely absorb in your body. In fact, some vitamin companies use binders, fillers and hard chemical coatings that diminish absorption. Hospital orderlies often refer to these undigested pills and tablets that pass through a person’s intestinal track as “bedpan bullets.”

After conducting tests on 17 brand name vitamins for dissolvability, IntegratedBiomolecule Corporation, a well-known pharmaceutical lab concluded: “ At the end of the recommended USP dissolution time of 2 hours, none of the products were considered fully dissolved. In fact, some of the pills were not completely dissolved even after 12 hours!” By comparison, Chew-4-Health chew tabs are fully broken down in less than 40 seconds and digestion begins even BEFORE reaching the stomach. This leads to QUICKER ABSORPTION AND ASSIMILATION! Also, during the act of chewing, your brain sends signals to the stomach preparing it for proper digestion.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND CHEWING

Chewing your food starts with the aid of your teeth. Chewing well grinds food into small bits, allowing it to be more easily swallowed. If you don’t chew your food properly before swallowing, it can severely irritate the esophagus and can actually lead to tearing and scraping of your throat. Well-chewed bits of food are more easily coated with digestive juices once in the stomach.

The body uses much less of its energy trying to digest well-chewed food than hastily chewed and swallowed food. Chewing well also allows the molecules of nutrients from inside the food to be more quickly released and assimilated.

Keeping food in the mouth longer and chewing it well allows the food’s flavors to be recognized by the tongue. Once the tongue recognizes the flavor, it sends a message to the brain, which in turn sends messages to the digestive system resulting in the release of the correct digestive juices needed for that particular food.

Saliva

Digestion begins in the mouth, well before food reaches the stomach. When we see, smell, taste, or even imagine a tasty meal, our salivary glands, which are located under the tongue and near the lower jaw, begin producing saliva. This flow of saliva is set in motion by a brain reflex that's triggered when we sense food or think about eating. In response to this sensory stimulation, the brain sends impulses through the nerves that control the salivary glands, telling them to prepare for a meal.

As the teeth tear and chop the food, saliva moistens it for easy swallowing. The enzymes amylase and lipase present in saliva start the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates (starches and sugars) even before it leaves the mouth. While this is happening, the chewing of the food stimulates the production of digestive enzymes in the stomach.

Saliva moistens the molecules of dry foods so that we can taste the foods when we eat them. The body is incapable of distinguishing many flavors in food that is dry. Our saliva binds masticated food bits into a bolus, which we can swallow easily. The mouth is almost constantly flowing with saliva, which flushes away food debris and protects your teeth from decay. Salivary glands also secrete lysozyme, an enzyme which actually kills some bacteria. Saliva acts as a first defense against bacterial infection. By chewing food well and creating more surface area on which the saliva can act, more potential food-borne bacteria can be killed.

Anatomy of Chewing

You have 3 pairs of major salivary glands and a few minor pairs located throughout your mouth. The salivary glands create saliva, which is then secreted into your mouth via the salivary ducts.

The first pair of salivary glands are the Parotid Glands (1). These glands, located just under the ears, produce a serous solution. The oral serous solution is clear and watery, and contains the digestive enzyme amylase, also known as ptyalin. It is no wonder that these salivary glands are the ones most associated with carbohydrate digestion. The ducts for these glands are near your upper teeth.

The Submaxillary glands (2), also known as the Submandibular glands , are located near the jawbone, secrete both serous and mucous saliva. The saliva reaches your oral cavity via ducts located under your tongue. The Submaxillary glands and the Sublingual glands also produce salivary amylase.

The Sublingual glands (3) are located under the tongue and produce a saliva that is primarily mucous. Mucous saliva is thick and gluey. It binds the masticated (chewed) food into a bolus as well as lubricating the esophagus. The ducts for these glands are located on the floor of your mouth.

Need More evidence to support the importance of CHEWING?

Chewing Well:

http://www.macrobiotics.co.uk/chewwell.htm

The Importance of Chewing:

 

Nutrition in Pill Form

  • Swallowing a handful of pills is not convenient.
  • Many pills contain binders, fillers and hard chemical coatings that diminish absorption.
  • Most contain only synthetic (man made) nutrients and no natural ingredients.
  • Often contain more of certain nutrients than our systems can use, and this overload can lead to imbalances.

Liquid Nutrition

  • Is heavy and costly to ship.
  • Many contain mostly water- some are 75% water (and you are PAYING for this water.)
  • Most are pasteurized. This process is required to kill bacteria and harmful organisms, however, this excessive heat can alter and deactivate some of the naturally occurring GOOD nutrients. They must be refrigerated after opening. Contain chemical preservatives like sodium benzoate. Difficult to travel with (you can’t put a bottle in your pocket or purse.)

Nutritional Powders

  • Many are vacuum/ heat processed
  • Very INCONVENIENT:
  • Requires a glass.
  • Requires adding water.
  • Requires a spoon or mixer to stir the ingredients.
  • Leaves a mess to clean up afterwards.
  • If you don’t have water, a glass, and a spoon handy, you can’t take the product!

Chews-4-Health ChewTabs

  • Doesn’t have to be refrigerated and is not pasteurized.
  • Digestion begins in the mouth before swallowing! Chewing breaks down the supplement, activating the digestion process so absorption in the stomach is more efficient.
  • Contain no chemical preservatives or stabilizers.
  • Convenient to travel with (fit in a pocket or purse)
  • Don’t contain 75% water like many liquid products. The human body already contains 75% water. Chews-4-Health contains NO ADDED WATER so after they are chewed and swallowed, they absorb into the 75% water content that’s already in your body, which is FREE.
  • Cost effective. Chews-4-Health retails for only $44.95 (with bulk discounts available.) Buying a month’s worth of all 16 ingredients separately in pill and liquid form would cost you $460.00*)
  • Chews-4-Health is CONVENIENT, AFFORDABLE and more QUICKLY ABSORBED! ….. With so many pills and liquid products on the market, isn’t it time for you to CHEWS?

*Cost comparison based on Xango, Tahitian Noni, Himalayan Goji, SeaHealth Plus, Acai Zone and data taken from GNC nutrition stores. The product and company names are registered trademarks of their respective companies.