Why You Should Chew Your Smoothies + New Recipe!

Why You Should Chew Your Smoothies!

Some of you might have heard the saying that goes “drink your solids and chew your liquids.” Really simply, this wise advice tells us that no matter what is going into our mouths, we should be chewing it very well before we swallow……yes, even our liquids!

Why is this important??

Putting food into our mouths is not only for the purpose of enjoying the taste of what we’re eating…it’s actually the FIRST STEP of the digestion process, and it’s a rather important one at that. While we’re chewing our food (including those liquids) certain enzymes in our mouths start to “pre-digest” the food, preparing it for the stomach. Additionally, taking the time to thoroughly chew our food allows the time for signals to be sent to the stomach, telling it what “mix” of enzymes to start producing to digest the type of food you’re currently eating.

For example, the digestive juice mix that the stomach uses to digest a heavy protein meal, such as steak, is quite different than the mix to digest a smoothie. So, taking the time to really chew your food prepares the stomach for what’s coming, allowing it the time to get prepared, so it can digest your food as optimally and efficiently as possible.

Making sure to properly chew your food before swallowing is especially important for people who have any type of digestive issue, including leaky gut, autoimmune, and/or IBS. Thoroughly chewing your food helps your body to be able to absorb more of the nutrition, as the food is more completely broken down and is easier for the body to digest and assimilate.

To be digestable, fruits, greens, and the other elements that make up your smoothie or shake must be fully broken down into very tiny particles. Chewing your food well is the first step towards properly breaking down the food, allowing the stomach and then the intestines to be able to optimally carry out their role in the digestion. If good chewing doesn’t happen, then the actions of the stomach and intestines is strained, and the end result over time can lead to indigestion, autoimmune, and more.

And, while it might make sense that blending foods into a smoothie make the food more small and digestible (which is partly true), it doesn’t do what the mouth does…and that is to add the vital enzymes to your food to serve as “pre-digestion” or to notify the stomach of what digestive juices to start mixing up.

So, if you really want to be optimally healthy and nourished from what you’re eating, smoothies or otherwise, make sure to completely chew your food…remembering to “drink your solids and chew your liquids.”

Here’s To Your Optimal Health,

The Super Vital Team

Blueberry Cream Smoothie

• 1 cup homemade coconut milk, unsweetened nut milk, or raw milk

• 1 scoop NewZ Whey Protein Vanilla

• 1 cup frozen blueberries

• 1 Tbsp raw honey (optional)

• Ice as desired

Put all ingredients in blender, in order listed. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!