- 17 hours ago
It's not only what we eat or when we eat it — how we chew matters too. Discover the latest research on how eating habits shape digestion, metabolism and overall health.
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00:06you don't cook for yourself but let the food industry do it instead convenient but not good
00:12for you ultra processed foods make you crave more fat and carbohydrates than home-cooked meals
00:17and that leads to weight gain and illness there are healthier approaches take fiber maxing for
00:24instance a trend where you pack your diet with fiber from whole grains vegetables and legumes
00:30you eat less but have to chew more and that's healthy welcome to in good shape
00:54poor chewing can cause a lot of problems which many of us struggle with says guido ritter from
01:00munster's university of applied sciences the food sensory scientist and nutritionist is an expert
01:06on the topic people don't chew properly these days this has to do with all the convenience food we
01:15eat and also because we often don't make time to sit down calmly or eat mindfully and really focus on
01:23our meal as a result we chew less and swallow our food more quickly i do it myself as well
01:32pasta with a soft broccoli patty in the cafeteria for lunch nothing like what our ancestors ate
01:39instead they gnawed on roots hard nuts and raw meat with powerful jaws but then came fire
01:52once we started heating our food we didn't need to chew as much because it grew softer as a result
01:59over thousands of years our jaws became smaller and the shape of our faces changed completely
02:06students emily gloria and elisa are here in a sensory lab to show us why chewing properly is so important
02:16firstly properly chewed food is tastier only when we chew thoroughly do we produce a special type of
02:26saliva it contains the digestive enzyme amylase which breaks down tasteless carbohydrates into simpler
02:34sugars and only then does the tongue register the pleasant taste sweetness saliva enzymes don't just
02:43release flavor from carbohydrates tomatoes also taste much better when we chew them thoroughly instead
02:49of swallowing them quickly we begin breaking down proteins in the mouth we have to choose so
02:59that umami the flavor of savoriness can fully develop making it more pleasurable but we get even more
03:08pleasure from our sense of smell than from the taste receptors on the tongue and chewing plays an
03:15important role here too so we carried out an experiment to see how some foods are identified just by smelling
03:23them directly through the nose cheese cheese cheese cheese but our food actually has a second much richer
03:34dimension of smell which is only unlocked when we chew that's when the new aromatic compounds are
03:41released and rise into the nasal cavity from the back of the throat slightly pungent note the
03:52the cheese tastes very strong a bit grassy and also nutty a little like hay floral smelling and tasting
04:05releases dopamine a key chemical in the brain's reward system when people lose their sense of smell the risk of
04:17depression actually increases today we know that the ability to smell and perceive aromas is closely linked
04:24to psychological well-being that connection is extremely important secondly chewing thoroughly keeps you slim it takes
04:35around 20 minutes for the body to realize we've eaten enough first the stomach has to stretch sufficiently
04:42then the pancreas releases insulin only then does the signal finally reach the brain to say stop we're full if
04:53you chew very little and eat too quickly you don't notice when you've had enough
05:00when you wolf your food down the risk of overeating and therefore becoming overweight is quite high and on top
05:07of that you barely taste what you're eating
05:11chewing well is good for your teeth
05:16one floor above the sensory lab guido ritter shows us a textual analyzer a mechanical chewing device
05:24it measures the force that the jaw needs to exert to break down a particular food strong chewing massages the
05:31gums and improves blood circulation
05:36with almonds we see how the chewing apparatus is trained the muscles are activated that's exactly what we want to
05:43achieve when we chew
05:46raw fruit and vegetables such as carrots can act as natural toothbrushes when chewed they help remove plaque and are
05:55a valuable addition to a daily oral hygiene routine and saliva neutralizes the acids from what we eat
06:03so chewing well helps us create healthy beautiful teeth and even makes us smarter
06:10there is strong evidence that chewing improves blood flow to the brain
06:15that makes us more alert and attentive and may in turn support cognitive performance and train the brain
06:26and finally chewing well helps proper digestion
06:30food that has been thoroughly chewed can be more easily broken down in the stomach by muscular contractions and stomach
06:37acid
06:38to pass through the pylorus into the small intestine food particles actually need to be about 0.2 millimeters in
06:46diameter
06:47roughly the size of fine breadcrumbs
06:49larger pieces can keep the stomach busy for hours while it tries to break them down
06:55the problem we rarely give the stomach the time it needs to finish its job
07:01we're constantly snacking so that new pieces of food often poorly chewed just keep landing in it
07:11at some point the pylorus gives up and lets larger pieces pass into the small intestine
07:16but intestinal villi cannot properly absorb valuable micronutrients from larger pieces
07:27if you go to the toilet and can still identify undigested food like corn kernels
07:34then maybe it's time to think about starting digestion up here in the mouth
07:40keep in mind that thorough chewing produces saliva and therefore enzymes that begin to break down carbohydrates in the mouth
07:49this means the digestion process can already get started
07:54chewing properly what to remember
07:58health and enjoyment go hand in hand
08:00the best approach is to chew food until the food has a consistent soft texture
08:05then swallow small portions and keep chewing the rest
08:10mindful eating is a good alternative to the commonly recommended rule of counting to 30
08:15and some final tips
08:18eat without distractions
08:20put your fork down between bites
08:23and take a conscious breath in and out
08:27and chew well
08:29enjoy your meal
08:38your body actually likes it when you overeat
08:41because then it can store fat for emergencies and potentially harder times down the road
08:46spreading it out so cleverly you barely notice it
08:50one kind of adipose tissue called visceral fat builds up around organs
08:54for the brain it poses a high risk of accelerated aging
08:58meaning we're more prone to disease
09:01that was shown by a study tracking 26,000 people who underwent MRI scans
09:08and it's not just the brain
09:11we've long known there's a close link between diet and health
09:15but scientists continue to be surprised by just how close
09:23the medical university of Innsbruck in Austria
09:28gastroenterologist Herbert Tilke and his team have evaluated almost 300 studies
09:33on the link between nutrition and chronic disease
09:36they found that what we eat is a regular cause of inflammation in many parts of the body
09:46it starts in the gut then migrates via the porthole vein to the liver
09:50but it doesn't stay there
09:52it enters the circulatory system and spreads through the bloodstream
09:56from there it travels from the toes to the brain affecting the entire body
10:01in particular the blood vessels
10:03there it causes especially chronic inflammation
10:08their analysis shows that a diet high in saturated fats and sugar
10:12leads to lasting inflammation by changing the gut microbiome
10:15this increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, obesity, type 2 diabetes
10:22non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer
10:32what surprised us was the enormous influence that diet and nutrition have on diseases in humans
10:39ranging from chronic inflammation to vascular disease to cancer
10:44in other words a very broad spectrum of diseases is influenced by food and nutrition
10:57most of us consume far too much sugar and that triggers a chain reaction in the body
11:05sugar disrupts the microbiome balance in the gut and massively impacts the intestinal barrier
11:13food should pass through but nothing else
11:16but sugar? too much of that disrupts the barrier and subsequently the immune system
11:23we know quite precisely that immune systems in the intestinal wall are suddenly activated
11:29and that's not good for us because they also cause inflammation
11:37red meat and eggs can also have dramatic consequences
11:40they contain phosphochardylcholine which is broken down into choline in the stomach
11:46then the intestinal bacteria take over
11:50they produce trimethylene from it or TMA for short
11:54this enters the liver and is converted there into trimethylene N-oxide or TMAO
12:02we now know that TMAO is a risk factor for heart disease
12:11TMAO is carried throughout the circulatory system ending up in the blood vessels where it causes inflammation
12:18it's one of the most extensively researched substances of the last 10 years
12:22it has been shown that the higher the TMAO levels the more inflammation occurs in the blood vessels
12:30and the more heart attacks and strokes
12:36however the risk can be reduced by eating a diet that prevents inflammation
12:41but what should you eat? vegetables especially beneficial the cruciferous varieties
12:48take broccoli as an example when it's metabolized in the stomach it produces carbazole
12:55they act on the so-called sentinels in the intestine
12:58these are immune cells that protect us
13:05dietary fiber found in cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables
13:10has a positive effect on the immune system
13:15fiber swells in the body, binds water and thus increases the volume of food
13:21this causes longer lasting feelings of satiety
13:27which help to prevent obesity
13:31German nutrition researchers recommend at least 30 grams of fiber per day
13:37this tray of food items represents that amount
13:42Dr. Stefan Karbisch from the Charité Hospital in Berlin
13:45has been studying the effects of the health benefits of fiber for years
13:55soluble fiber is very well researched
13:57and it's been proven to lower LDL cholesterol
14:01this is the cholesterol that is responsible for heart attacks and strokes
14:05it's also been shown to lower the glycemic index of food
14:09so it reduces the glucose spike after a meal
14:15soluble fiber is mostly found in vegetables and fruit
14:18but insoluble fiber, mainly found in cereal products and legumes
14:23hasn't been studied extensively
14:27Kabisch and his team have pioneered a clinical study to investigate the effects of insoluble fiber
14:34over a longer period of time
14:37the two year study involved 180 people with pre-diabetes
14:43all participants received nutritional education
14:47and consumed two daily fiber doses
14:51about half the participants received a powder containing insoluble fiber
14:56the others were given a placebo powder containing none of it
15:00neither the patients nor the researchers knew who was receiving which powder
15:07in the fiber group
15:10diabetes was slightly less frequent and blood sugar levels were slightly lower
15:16but the effect was not dramatic
15:18in a follow-up study
15:20Kabisch is researching insoluble fibers impact on type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease
15:28Jörg Kolfhold only saw minor improvements after three months in the study
15:32he wasn't supposed to change his diet while taking a powder
15:36it's a double blind study
15:38so Kabisch doesn't know whether the 69 year old took the placebo or the fiber
15:45nevertheless based on Jörg Kolfhold's recorded food intake
15:48the doctor has two tips
15:54your protein intake is a little low
15:56that could be improved as could your fiber intake
16:01eating more of these two items should make him feel full for longer
16:05and protein is important in later years to maintain muscle mass
16:12Kabisch isn't the only one to notice that we tend to underestimate nutrition's influence on our diet
16:21when we eat an imbalanced unhealthy diet
16:26the equilibrium is upset
16:28and then suddenly microbes that are not beneficial and are pro-inflammatory proliferate
16:34this means we also need to consume what restores balance inside of us
16:40and that's first and foremost vegetables that are rich in fiber
16:45and proteins
16:46these promote feelings of fullness
16:48don't cause sharp blood sugar spikes and support our intestinal flora
16:55Stefan Kabisch is now going to tell us about a supposedly healthy way of eating
17:00besides top loading your diet with lots of fiber
17:04plant-based 2.0 is a trend that emphasizes natural proteins from nuts and tofu or tempeh
17:12and so-called functional food
17:13fermented products like kimchi kombucha and sauerkraut
17:17are making a big comeback among influencers
17:20it's all knowledge your grandma probably had
17:23none of it is actually new
17:25take the alkaline diet
17:27which is supposed to protect the body from growing too acidic
17:36meals of mainly vegetables to supposedly reduce acidity in the body
17:43the alkaline diet
17:46it focuses on foods that supposedly have an alkaline effect
17:50items like meat and processed flour are regarded as acid promoting and should be eliminated at first
17:57long-term a ratio of 80% alkaline foods to only 20% acidic foods is considered ideal
18:08processed meat, cheese, eggs and pasta are considered acid promoting
18:14apples, tomatoes and surprisingly even lemons are considered alkaline
18:20nutritionist Christina Holtzapfel from the Fulda University of Applied Sciences explains
18:27it's a fallacy to believe that foods which taste acidic are also acid promoting foods
18:35we don't refer to foods as acidic but rather as acid forming foods
18:40because acids are produced when the food is metabolized
18:48when food is broken down acids or bases are produced in a complex process
18:54vegetables and fruit contain minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium
18:59which help shift the metabolism towards a more alkaline state
19:04when bread, pasta or rice are broken down
19:07one by-product is lactic acid
19:09protein-heavy foods such as meat, fish and soy produce sulfuric acid
19:14the acid-base balance describes the ratio between acidic and alkaline molecules in the body
19:19this is indicated in what's called the pH value
19:23measured on a scale between 0 and 14
19:26the most important is the pH value of the blood
19:29which is normally around 7.4
19:34acidification in healthy people is immediately balanced out
19:37because the body has excellent control over the acid-base balance
19:41and it has a very sophisticated buffer system
19:44that keeps the acid-base balance in equilibrium at all times
19:49so the body can cope efficiently with excess acid
19:58but does this cause negative health consequences long-term?
20:03at Berlin's Charité Hospital
20:06Dr Stefan Kabisch is an expert on nutrition's impact on metabolic diseases
20:11alkaline diet devotees claim that the body stores excess acids in connective tissue
20:18is this true?
20:21our bodies strive to maintain a neutral pH value
20:24if there's excess acid anywhere
20:26more buffers are produced to balance it out
20:29urine can reveal how well these buffers work
20:33alkaline diet advocates recommend doing urine pH tests yourself
20:39but what do these tests actually tell you?
20:44this pH value doesn't reveal if a diet is healthy or unhealthy
20:48while doing it we can see the metabolism improve or worsen or stay the same
20:53secondary diseases have very little to do with the pH value
21:00however people who suffer from kidney stones
21:03or have an increased risk of developing them need to be careful
21:06they should avoid highly processed foods and animal products
21:10that tend to form acids when broken down
21:14these uric acid stones thrive in urine with an acidic pH value
21:18they form easily and remain longer
21:20what is clear is that the body cannot become overly acidic just through diet
21:26so healthy people don't need alkaline supplements
21:32the truth of the matter is that unhealthy diets
21:35full of animal products and highly processed foods
21:38are unhealthy for different reasons
21:40they're lower in fiber, vitamins and minerals
21:43that's what makes them responsible for the long-term health consequences
21:47pH value and the amount of acids produced aren't really relevant
21:56so the golden rules remain
21:58eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables
22:01is key to living a long healthy life
22:03but that is only distantly connected to the alkaline diet
22:07so paying for subscriptions and supplements isn't necessary
22:13suffering from procrastinitis
22:15home cooked meals
22:17yeah maybe I'll have time tomorrow
22:19eating the rainbow of vegetables
22:22starting next week
22:23and soft drinks
22:25I'll quit drinking those any day now
22:27too bad those strategies rarely pan out
22:30one study shows most people stick to the eating habits
22:34they develop when they're young for life
22:36once unhealthy always unhealthy
22:38and the older you get
22:40the harder it is to change
22:42but you can make it happen
22:44Willy proves it
22:54This is Willy Causton
22:56he was 63 when he first noticed health problems
23:00caused by being overweight
23:02he would feel out of breath
23:05and experience knee pain
23:06after walking just a few hundred meters
23:10but in three years
23:12he was able to lose 40 kilos
23:16today he remains vigilant
23:18every morning he checks his blood sugar and blood pressure
23:22but most important for him is his water intake
23:26he never wants to weigh 120 kilos again
23:31he remembers when he realized that something had to change
23:35it was on a family holiday in Scotland
23:40we visited Edinburgh and Glasgow as well
23:43my wife and three kids went up to the castle
23:47but one of us didn't make it
23:49I had to sit on a bench because I just couldn't manage
23:54and how that felt inside
23:56it was just unimaginable
23:59it was my dream to travel there
24:01but once I was there I couldn't cope
24:05I saw a little bit of it
24:07but I wasn't fit enough to go where I wanted to
24:10I couldn't
24:13but the full reality check came in a warning from his doctor
24:17on his 63rd birthday
24:20holding his lab report he said
24:23oh it's your birthday
24:24happy birthday
24:25but looking at these results
24:27it's a shame
24:28as I won't get many more chances to wish you that
24:35Willy followed the doctor's advice to exercise by cycling
24:41I wanted to prove him wrong
24:43to show him I have many more birthdays ahead of me
24:48at first he only rode two to three kilometres a day
24:52later 20
24:54then sometimes 120
24:57consistently
24:58and then last year Willy cycled around 8,000 kilometres in total
25:05of course diet also plays a role in losing weight
25:08dinner is served at home at 6pm
25:11his nutritionist doesn't forbid anything
25:14everything is allowed
25:16but in moderation
25:19his latest goal is to ride 17,000 kilometres
25:22he wants to raise money for children in need
25:25and is looking for sponsors for the cause
25:28it's another source of motivation for the 66 year old
25:34it can be hard to know where to begin
25:36but the doctor had some resounding advice
25:40it's never too late to start
25:42just get going and take it one step at a time
25:49a study shows that the more items a buffet has
25:52the more likely you are to reach for high calorie choices
25:56still want lots of healthy variety?
25:59keep tuning in to In Good Shape
26:01bye see you next time
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