Chewing Your Food

Many of the foods on the Budwig Diet are soft because they are made with quark (or cottage cheese) and freshly ground flaxseed. As a result, it’s easy to swallow them without much chewing. However, chewing is an important part of healthy digestion.

Dr Johanna Budwig recommended that each mouthful should be swirled around the mouth and gently “chewed” for a few moments before swallowing, even when eating soft foods.

Science Supports This

More than seventy years later, research has shown that thorough chewing plays an important role throughout the digestive system.

Digestion begins in the mouth. As you chew, food mixes with saliva, which contains digestive enzymes such as salivary amylase (ptyalin). These enzymes begin breaking down starches before the food even reaches the stomach.

Chewing also slows down eating, giving your digestive system more time to prepare for the meal. This can help improve digestion and reduce indigestion.

Properly chewed food also reaches the intestines in a form that is easier to digest and may help support a healthy gut microbiome, allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive.