When I was a small boy, my father used to tell me to chew my food 100 times before I swallowed it. Today, in our hurried society, this advice is often overlooked — a fact that may explain a lot of digestive woes people face in this country. We dash off to lunch and wolf down our food, often busy talking, giving no thought to chewing everything properly.

Most people assume that the stomach is solely responsible for breaking down food and digesting it. But in fact, the stomach can do its job only if the food has been well chewed first.

Often, when I see people eating a salad, I watch them give the lettuce a couple of weak chomps before they swallow. But we should remember that vegetables, especially in their raw form, are very difficult to digest if they are not mechanically broken down first.

This is because plant cells are coated with an indigestible layer called the cellulose cell wall. If this protective sheath is not broken, especially with raw vegetables, the rich nutrients inside will merely pass through the gastrointestinal tract unabsorbed. And that nullifies the effects of eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, because they will do little to improve your health.

To get the maximum nutritional value from your foods, even meats, you should chew them until they are finely dissolved — that is, until they are almost a liquid mush. This greatly assists digestion in the rest of the gastrointestinal tract and helps prevent acid reflux. Properly chewing food also helps reduce the volume in the stomach, which is vital to stopping acid reflux.

My special report "Key Vitamins that Save Your Heart, Prevent Cancer and Keep You Living Long" will give you more details on protecting your health with nutrients.

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