Blending versus chewing

Question
Hello,
I have a question about the bllending of food. A friend of mine has only been taking in liquid blened foods for many months now. He refuses all solids. His reasoning is that the body takes up so much energy breaking down food that it is healthier to jus blend it and aid digestion. He has affirmed tat he is not doing it for weight loss and has taken up more exercise. He thinks the ritual of blendng is a factor in his fitness. Can you tell me if this is a healthy practice and if there are any benefits or disadvantages to it??
Thankyou!


His stats are:
5'11
9 Stone 7 pounds

Answer
Amy,

Chewing isn't only for breaking foods into small particles. It's important for initiation of salivary response to meals, the process allowing to start proper digestion including digestion of carbohydrates with the help of enzyme amylase.

Chewing also participate in creating an adequate sense of fullness.

On the other hand, if the goal is better extraction of nutrients from foods, blending seems to be a better way than  chewing especially when you don't pay attention to it and don't chew longer than usual -- for instance, short, fast chewing resulted in lower glycemic responses.

Doctors recommend blending the food for people that are weak after illness, old, or mentally impaired.

Read more about it:

How to Eat Pizza: Mindful Eating
http://dietandbody.com/advice_support/2007/07/how-to-eat-pizza-mindful-eating.ht...

= TZ

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