Chewing Starts Digestion, but Does Not Feed the Body
Food provides energy and building materials only when its nutrients reach the digestive tract and are absorbed. Chewing breaks food into smaller pieces, while saliva moistens it and begins breaking down some starch. But if the chewed food is spat out, most of its calories, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals go with it. Any nutrients dissolved in saliva are far too little to replace a meal.
The Body Turns to Its Own Reserves
Without enough food reaching the gut, the body must draw on stored fuel. It first uses readily available carbohydrate reserves, then increasingly relies on fat and, during prolonged undernourishment, breaks down body tissue as well. Losing these reserves can make a person visibly thinner and weaker; the pace depends on how little nourishment they receive and on their existing condition.
Spitting out every meal therefore removes the central benefit of eating: supplying nutrients the body can use. The mouth may do the work of chewing, but the body is left to live on its own dwindling stores.
