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Liquid meals – chewing is a thing of the past?

December 31, 2024 Sven Altorfer

Whether as smoothies, juice cleanses, in powder form or bottled in trendy bottles from the health food market - liquid meals are currently on everyone's lips. Meals in liquid form are practical, wholesome and contemporary, according to the consensus among manufacturers. Liquid food is supposed to save time and adapt your diet to the hectic pace of everyday life. Why chew when you can eat a wholesome meal in liquid form? After all, not everyone has time to eat.

These and other marketing campaigns are currently popularly promoting various liquid food products.

In this article, we would like to clarify why caution should be exercised here, how liquid meals should be viewed from a nutritional point of view and why liquid meals cannot keep up with solid food.

What are liquid meals?

Liquid meals come in various forms: bottled full meals; healthy juice diets that are also supposed to make you slim and detoxify the body; or meals in powder form that you can mix yourself.

What they all have in common is the promise that the liquid meal/drink would replace a full, solid meal and that the body would benefit equally or even more.

Some manufacturers point out that their products should only be taken for a short period of time and should not replace solid food, while other producers do not include this warning.

But what motivates people in general, with the exception of astronauts, to resort to liquid nutrition?

Why does someone resort to liquid nutrition?

The potential benefits of a liquid meal are widely touted: you save a lot of money, as a liquid meal in powder form is much cheaper than a home-cooked meal made from various foods from the supermarket. You also save time on weekly or daily shopping and, of course, preparation time is reduced or even eliminated entirely.

Because: most liquid meals are already ready-made or only need to be mixed with water or milk as a powder.

However, one of the most attractive advantages of the liquid meal is the promise that all necessary and valuable nutrients are already included in the instant meal. So you no longer have to worry about whether you have cooked and eaten a varied and balanced diet.

Another touted advantage of the liquid meal is that you are supposedly less tired after eating or drinking the liquid meal.

We've all been there: you've eaten a lot and then you could lie down straight away to take a little digestive nap. Since the liquid meal doesn't have to be chewed and is sent straight into the digestive tract, the body has to use less energy, which supposedly leads to less tiredness after consumption. However, this claim cannot be confirmed by all consumers.

The touted benefits of liquid nutrition at a glance:

Time savings due to no preparation time & shopping

More cost-effective than solid, freshly prepared meals

Allegedly less fatigue after consumption

All nutrients already included

But what is the reality? Are liquid meals as promising as they seem?

Nutritional Physiological Approach to Liquid Food

Eating a liquid diet is not unknown in medicine. Under certain circumstances, doctors even recommend a liquid meal or a temporary diet in liquid form. These circumstances can include, for example, previous surgery on the stomach or gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, diabetes or Crohn's disease. The aim of the liquid diet is to keep the patient hydrated and still provide them with important nutrients.

Eating liquids mainly allows the stomach and gastrointestinal tract to recover because they have to work less to digest food. For a few days or a short period of time, this form of nutrition is therefore not a problem.

However, it becomes problematic when a person consumes liquid meals over a long period of time or regularly. But why?

Problems of liquid nutrition

If you don't take the time to chew and replace solid food with liquid food, you will damage your digestion and potentially your general health in the long term. Our digestion is very closely linked to our immune system and is an essential part of it, which in turn should emphasize the importance of treating our gastrointestinal tract sensibly.

The digestion of food and the way our intestinal bacteria, intestinal mucosa and other parts of our gastrointestinal tract deal with threatening but also valuable substances keeps our intestines and our immune system healthy and active. The constant immune reaction of our intestines and their dealing with potential threats strengthens the immune system in the long term and ensures that our intestines can recognize threats in time so that we do not become ill. Our secondary immune system is strengthened by an active intestine.

However, if the intestine is regularly “sent on vacation” because we replace solid meals with liquid food, then we are depriving the intestine of its function, which can lead to illness and atrophy.

Likewise, many powders and liquid foods contain enormous amounts of sugar, which can damage dental health in the long term.

Questionable nutrient intake

One of the biggest concerns about liquid nutrition is the questionable absorption of artificially added and highly processed nutrients by our bodies. We already know from nutritionists and biochemists that not all artificially added or highly processed nutrients and additives can be absorbed by the body, such as vitamin B-1.

In addition, liquid meals lack secondary plant substances, which have diverse and important effects on our general health, such as blood pressure. Secondary plant substances, such as phenolic acids, are also important for our immune system and general intestinal health.

One potential consequence of a regular liquid diet can be “leaky gut syndrome”.

That sounds unpleasant? Yes, it is. And what are the consequences of leaky gut syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome

If the protective function of the intestinal mucosa is severely impaired, this is referred to as leaky gut syndrome.

Our intestinal membrane and the immune system located there, the GALT , protect us from pathogens, harmful bacteria and viruses by recognizing these pathogens and actively fighting them or flushing them out. The intestine plays one of the most important roles in our general health and immune defense.

If this protective barrier is disrupted, for example if it is inflamed or can no longer function properly, then harmful substances can enter our bloodstream unhindered and consequently make us ill.

Our immune system then only recognizes the threatening intruders after a delay and reacts with inflammatory and allergic processes that can lead to discomfort and a variety of accompanying symptoms. It is therefore important that we keep our intestines healthy so that the GALT can recognize potential threats in time to combat them in good time.

When we eat liquid meals, we deprive the body of important digestive processes that it normally carries out and that keep the intestines healthy and well cared for. Digestion begins with chewing and salivation in the mouth.

If we drink liquid food, this first and second step is completely eliminated. Our saliva contains the starch-splitting enzyme alpha-amylase. Amylase breaks down starch, i.e. polysaccharides, into starch fragments, dextrins, which facilitates and promotes further digestion and absorption of nutrients in the intestine. The longer we chew, the smaller the starch molecules are broken down and the better the nutrients can be metabolized by the body in the further digestive process.

And how can we keep our gut healthy?

The conclusion: Chewing – Oldie, but Goldie

Leaky gut syndrome and other gut-related diseases can be prevented by keeping your gut active and healthy, just like the rest of your body. Meals that have been freshly prepared and require chewing are ideal for this and are intended by nature for this purpose.

Because if we do not use a body part or an organ in the way evolution and biology have created and intended, then the organ will atrophy in the long term, become damaged and susceptible to pathogens and diseases that can become chronic.

Solid and natural foods contain numerous nutrients, vitamins and trace elements that have been proven to be absorbed by our bodies. This is not always the case with highly processed and artificial nutrients or has not yet been fully clarified. In addition, solid foods such as vegetables and fruit contain secondary plant substances that have far-reaching and positive effects on our health. Trace elements also do not have to be legally labelled and declared, which makes their content in liquid food questionable.

In conclusion, we can say: A meal needs to be digested. We cannot bypass, ignore or skip the entire enzymatic process of our digestion with liquid food. Carbohydrates should be chewed and salivated before the intestines begin further digestion. Natural nutrients and trace elements are also preferable to artificial substances from a nutritional point of view.

When you eat foods that contain sugar and carbohydrates, regardless of the form, you should salivate them in your mouth for at least three seconds before swallowing them. This is also important for sports drinks that contain sugar and carbohydrates.

Finally, we would also like to point out that the social aspect of eating together should not be overlooked. Eating in company has far-reaching, positive effects on our mental health.

So it is best to eat your meals in company, in a solid form and while sitting down!

Bon appetit!