If we chewed our food very well and ate slowly, could we lose ...

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If we chewed our food very well and ate slowly, could we lose weight? The kind and amount of food we eat is important to our health but how and when we eat is also important. Mr. Y eats very quickly with very little chewing. Discuss the importance of chewing. Include in your discussion the glucostatic theory of hunger and its possible relationship to chewing and the rate at which we eat.

Question 2

Are there any foods in Mr. Y's diet that contain substances that could bind to or react with essential nutrients and render them unavailable? Identify these foods, the harmful substance they contain, and the nutrient(s) they react with.

[Zebsrer]

Answer to Question 1

According to the glucostatic theory of hunger, as the blood glucose level drops, a signal is sent to the brain indicating the need for additional glucose. The brain sends a signal to the stomach and hunger results. As we eat, digest, and absorb our food, the blood glucose level rises. A resulting signal is sent to the brain indicating that the glucose level is adequate. In turn, the brain sends a signal to the stomach and a feeling of satiety results. If we eat very fast without proper chewing, we may eat more food than we physically need in a matter of minutes, but until it gets digested and absorbed, our blood glucose level remains low and we are still hungry. Thus, we go back for seconds. When the food is finally digested and absorbed, we feel over-stuffed. A few large chunks of food take longer to digest than numerous small pieces of food. The more we chew our food, the smaller the particles and the faster the food is digested and absorbed. The more we chew our food the longer it takes to eat, allowing more time for food to be digested and absorbed. As the food is absorbed and the blood glucose level rises, we begin to feel full before we finish our first plate.

Answer to Question 2

Mr. Y drinks a lot of tea which is high in tannin. This could inhibit iron and calcium absorption and, because of the caffeine, promote excretion of fluids and possibly some water-soluble nutrients. The alcohol could also promote fluid and calcium excretion.

[luminitza]

Gracias!

[Jossy]

Excellent