When you eat, if you chew but don't swallow do you get the calories?

Question

When you are eating, if you chew the food up, but do not swallow the food, are the calories actually getting in your system? I was asked this strange question but don't know the answer.

Answer 1

You get some because your saliva glands will start to partially digest foods in your mouth. (Salivary amylase from your salivary glands digest starch) When you swallow the saliva in your mouth, some of the particles already broken down will enter your digestive system.

Although, you get signifigantly less calories from just chewing the food than you would if you actually swallowed everything.

This is why gum has calories (averaging at 5 calories per peice) even though you don't ingest it.

Answer 2

The person who ask you this might have some eating disorder (bulemia?). Well, I would think that just by chewing does not allow a person to gain any calories because that is not the actual digestion where the contents of the food are being disolved (in stomach) and absorbed (s. and l. intestine) into the body. Of course, if you chew food and it is mixed with your saliva and some of the food content mixed with saliva is ingested then I can see that happening.

Answer 3

Yes, when you chew you're beginning to gigest food already. You may not realize it but particles of the food seaps down your throat and some nutrients are absorbed through blood vessles under the tongue. Therefore, you still get a few calories.

Answer 4

It's not a strange question, it's a stupid question. Our mouths are not made to absorb the food so no,you do not get the calories if you don't swallow.

Answer 5

Your mouth only breaks down starch nothing else. No your body is not getting the nutrients. But if you just want to taste something bad for you like chocolate but not eat it then chew it and spit it out. But other foods that are good for you, you need to eat to stay alive and healthy.

Answer 6

Ghandi said "chew your liquids," and "drink your foods," meaning that digestion starts in the mouth. Yes, undigested food will not be burned, and therefore won't have the same "effective caloric content." Nonethelss, the food we don't digest is putrefied by bacteria and yeast, and will end up causing side effects. Because putrification can lead to metabolic acidosis, weight gain just might be one of them.

Answer 7

that's a good question i've never thought of!!! i would have to say yes your'e still getting some calories bcuz theirs other stuff out there that all you have to do is chew and they have calories in them!!!! i hope this isn't your way of getting calories!!!!!

Answer 8

I think you may get some because why else would there be calories in gum, if all you do is chew it. :\

Answer 9

A very little amount of calories still enter your system, just like gum.......................................................................i think as long as that person eats healthy and does not want to over eat ,it is OK for that person to do that so that they can still to taste the flavor and not over eat, just don't do it all the time because that is not really healthy.i like that idea i might try it

Answer 10

you'd get some calories from leakage into saliva, but not much, i guess... but, sounds like an eating disorder to me. i wouldn't want to try doing that. plus sounds pretty yucky! why'd you really want to do that. could lead to problems, healthwise