After weight loss surgery, we are told to chew, chew, and chew some more. But why do we need to do all that chewing?

After surgery our new stomach pouch does not operate the same as our old stomach.

Our new pouch doesn't have as many digestive enzymes (or hydrochloric acid (HCI). Nor does the food leave our stomach in the same way as it did before surgery.

The opening or stoma, (or pouch exit) doesn't allow food to stay in our pouch as long as it did before. Therefore, the food we eat doesn't have as much time to digest as it did before.

Our new stoma, also has a smaller opening for food to leave. If the food gets stuck in the opening, it could cause vomiting or dehydration. If the food is too big to pass from the stomach soon enough, it could have to be surgically removed.

All that to say this, all this chewing does more than just crush up or moisten our food so that it goes down well and prevents food from getting stuck leaving our tiny pouch—chewing sends signals to our brain to release digestive enzymes. Our saliva contains enzymes that begin to chemically break down foods, such as carbohydrates and fats, even while we chew. So chewing is greatly needed to help digest the food we eat so that our body can use it properly. Besides, undigested food can cause bloating or gas, and there is no room for air in our tiny new pouch. So, especially after weight loss surgery, chewing our food becomes an extremely important habit to develop!

As a side note, there is one thing that we shouldn't chew—and that is chewing gum. Chewing gum causes us to swallow air which can cause pain. But more importantly, chewing gum stimulates your appetite, tricking your body into thinking it's time to eat.

So now you know why we must chew! Yes, we can. We have many more miles to go!