Chewing your food is the first step in the all-important digestion process. In order to digest food properly, your food must be broken down into a liquid form before it's swallowed. When you don't get the job done, large food particles that haven't been digested make an appearance in the stool. Taking small bites, chewing food well and swallowing at a slow pace readies the food for digestion. By chewing your food up well, you also drag out the eating process. This means you swallow less air, your body realizes that it is full sooner and you won't eat as much. You'll also be less likely to suffer from gas or indigestion. A small study revealed that people who chewed 1.5 ounces of almonds 40 times felt more satiated than others who only chewed 10 or 25 times.