Page 108 - My Health Bible 1

Maria Edith

The fact is that a large percentage of the digestive function takes
place in the mouth. The amount of carbohydrates consumed daily
is a very high percentage of our daily diet. Even vegetables and fruits
contain carbohydrates that must be digested first in the mouth. Here,
the enzymes responsible for unleashing the carbohydrate chains found
in saliva perform their function. The mass of carbohydrates binds with
the saliva and the more it is chewed, the more the mass dissolves and
binds with the saliva, turning from a solid to a liquid.
When you drink liquids, you usually pass them through your
throat, without giving them the opportunity to be digested by the
enzymes found in saliva. This is a real shame since this step (as we
saw), is essential in digestion. If you take a sip of something liquid, the
ideal situation is to allow it to mix with the saliva for a few moments.
In this way, you will be helping your body to optimize your digestion.
Thus, “Drink your solid foods and bite your liquids.”
In my practice, I always advise people with bad digestion to start
by chewing the first bite 36 times. I have given this advice for more
than twenty years, always with very good results.
When I tell people to chew all the bites 36 times, it seems very
heavy for them. But if I ask them to try to start with the first bite,
it does not seem so heavy. After doing this, they immediately notice
that the body appreciates what it is being given and little by little their
eating habits change, until they find themselves eating much more
slowly than they did before.
Therefore, this step is extremely important for the digestion. If
you want to stay free of indigestion, if you want to optimize your
digestion, this is the first step: Chew all your food very well.

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