The Chief Executive Officer of Solis Hospital, Dr Ebo Daniels, has urged Ghanaians to adopt healthier eating habits by chewing their food thoroughly and eating at a moderate pace, particularly when consuming fufu and other starchy foods. He explained that proper chewing is an essential part of digestion because it breaks food into smaller pieces and increases its surface area, enabling enzymes in the mouth to begin the digestive process before the food reaches the stomach.
Speaking on the Healthy Living Project on Tuesday, September 1, Dr Daniels said swallowing large portions of food without adequately chewing them meant the body missed an important stage of digestion. He noted that enzymes present in the mouth begin breaking down food during chewing, making it easier for the digestive system to continue the process.
“When you take fufu and chew it in the mouth, there are a lot of enzymes that start working on the food. So, if you don’t chew it, let’s say yam or fufu, you lose the benefit of the enzymes in the mouth doing their work,” he said. Dr Daniels explained that the concept of surface area was important to understanding digestion, as the greater the area of food exposed to digestive enzymes, the more effectively the enzymes could act on it.
“Surface area refers to the amount of food that is exposed to digestive enzymes during digestion,” he explained. He cautioned that swallowing large chunks of food reduces the surface area available for digestion, which can make the process less efficient. Dr. Daniels also advised Ghanaians against eating too quickly, emphasizing that the speed of consumption should not compromise healthy eating habits.
He noted that chewing food properly can help prevent complications, especially when meals contain small bones or hard particles. “If you don’t maximise the surface area of the food—something the mouth helps with—then it enters the stomach with a significant portion still not exposed. As a result, digestion may not be very effective,” he said.
