Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 1, 1 January 2012 — Chew, chew, chew [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Chew, chew, chew

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D. Why is chewing so important? Recently, researchers watched men eating breakfast; some men were lean and some overweight. The lean men took four bites of food per minute, while the heavy men took five bites. Later, the men were asked to eat as mueh as they wanted, but to ehew the food either 15 times or40 times. The men who chewed 40 times per bite ate

12 percent fewer calories than the 15 chews-per-bite men ... whether lean or overweight. Researchers checked blood levels of a hormone that stimulates appetite, ghrelin, and found lower ghrelin levels after 40 chews per bite compared to after 15 chews. Therefore, those who chewed more were satisfied for a longer time and they ate less. Then, researchers fed 14 prediabetic men and women who were very overweight a breakfast of Cream of Wheat cereal. They gave some 225 calories of whole almonds (33 nuts), some got 225 calories of almond butter (2-1/4 Tablespoons), and others got 190 calories of almond oil (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons). Those who ate whole almonds felt more full for the rest of the day than those who ate the oil or butter or almond-free cereal.

Another study found students ate 40 percent fewer calories when offered pistachios in the shell than when they got shelled pistachios (125 calories versus 210 calories). In yet another study, students, faculty and staff ate 18 percent fewer pistachios when researchers left the discarded shells on their desks all day than when they routinely removed the shells. The science of nutrition instructs us that during the process of chewing, food is broken into smaller pieces and is moistened with saliva. The chewed food is exposed to the digestive juices in saliva, as well as to the sensations of taste and smell. Well-chewed food is digested more efficiently, and more nutrients are readied for absorption. Another important fact is that it takes time for digestion to break food down into nutrients small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It takes about 20 to

30 minutes before newly processed nutrients ean trigger the sensors of the brain to let you know that you are eating. And, it is quite possible to consume a significant amount of food during those 20 minutes ... resulting in overeating. Many lessons taught by our kūpuna and mākua have been forgotten and are no longer being passed down to our keiki. Recently, I was talking with some young adults about chewing food properly. I recalled as a child, being cautioned by the elders to "ehew your food" or "ehew your food properly." I was even taught to ehew poi! Of course, that was in the "old days" when pa'i 'ai poi was stored in the kelemania (poi crock) in the coolest plaee on the kitchen counter. Poi was mixed specially for eaeh meal. Water was added slowly and mixed thoroughly into the thick pa'i 'ai. And, the poi was still rather thick when it was

Well-chewed food is digested more efficiendy, and more nutrients are readied for absorption. ready for the table. Thicker poi requires more thorough mixing with saliva and digestive juices before swallowing, thus allowing efficient digestion into nutrients for the body. Unfortunately, food companies today sell us watery, ready-to-swallow poi. Chewing, especially of raw fruits and vegetables, will keep the entire mouth - gums, teeth, muscles, etc., healthier and functioning better. But, who could have guessed - chewing, that process of combining food with digestive juices and the pleasures of eating, could help with weight control! Our ancestors were so wise. ■

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