Eating is a Brain Exercise

by Judy Soborowicz, Active Health Chiropractic

Nutrition is one of the most important factors for good health. Maintaining a proper diet and eating healthy foods helps us feel our best and provides us with energy to face the day. When focusing on nutrition, it is important to choose foods that supply us with both energy and nutrients. Choices such as the nutrient-rich, ‘no ingredients list’ foods grown by nature: animal proteins, fats, fresh vegetables and fruits are a great start. Optimal digestion is essential for our body’s ability to fully extract and use vital nutrients present in our food, such as amino acids, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Digestion of food starts in the brain, and much is required of our body to fully extract nutrients from food. The very anticipation of food, triggers the brain to signal the specialized organs of digestion, initially signaling for release of saliva enzymes in the mouth and digestive acids in the stomach. As part of the well-coordinated process, enzymes from our pancreas and bile from our gall bladder break down our food into its smallest parts. Optimally we fully digest our food and so allow our body to absorb essential individual nutrients. During digestion, we turn protein into individual amino acids and carbohydrates into simple sugars, and set free the vitamins and minerals for absorption. 

Under chewing food can lead to inadequate digestion. Chewing provides time for our body’s saliva enzymes and the enzymes from the fresh food we are eating to begin to unlock nutrients even before the food reaches our stomach. Saliva enzymes and enzymes present in fresh foods are a vitally important part of preparing food for further digestion. A good rule of thumb is to chew 20 more times once you feel like you ready to swallow. As a bonus, chewing crunchy vegetables and meats help maintain facial structure and jaw musculature as we age.

Our lifestyle, habits, and food choices matter greatly to our nerve system, and we perform digestion optimally when we establish patterns around eating. Timing of meals and minimal snacking both provide our nerve system and digestive organs with the opportunity and time to rebuild stores of digestive enzymes and bile. Shock and awe attacks of binging and fasting, irregular eating patterns, or using drug solutions to achieve weight loss, can all add unproductive stress on the brain and nerve system, and further aggravate nutrient deficiencies. It is possible for a body to be experiencing symptoms of deficient nutrients while simultaneously appearing as if it has a surplus. Nutrient deficiencies impact brain function, many times expressing as brain fog, memory problems, anxiety and even more severe disorders. Honoring the sensory nature of our brain and nerve system, and its relationship to digestion, can benefit our ability to effectively unlock vital nutrients for life.