What is the advantage of chewing food rather than swallowing it whole?

Answer 1

Chewing food before swallowing has four important roles:

1) Preparation of bolus to facilitate swallowing

Chewing mechanically breaks down large complex food molecules into smaller simpler molecules so that there is an increase in surface area for the action of salivary enzymes (e.g. amylase) to begin digestion (however, digestion in the mouth is minimal compared to the SI).

2) Chewing stimulates salivary flow and hence allows the food to be mixed and lubricated which makes swallowing easier

3) Chewing releases chemicals from food which stimulate taste bud receptors

4) Chewing helps to maintain the structural integrity of the oro-facial tissues (it is through the process of chewing that exercise of our jaws helps to keep them strong and healthy)

Chewing before swallowing makes digestion and absorption more efficient as the lubricated bolus is a much smaller mass of food and so nutrients extracted can be absorbed more quickly. Chewing is particularly important for tough food such as red meat than it is for fish, eggs, cheese because these can be broken down in the SI aswell. Red meat is more difficult to break down in the GI tract and this makes it harder to absorb nutrients from it.

Hope this helps?

Answer 2

Chewing is technically the first step in animals' digestion process. Both the act of chewing and the introduction of saliva start breaking up the food for use by the body.