Page 22 - Southdown Dental Implant Book

One: What Happens When My Teeth Are Missing? | 21 The very first step to good digestion is chewing your food well. If you don’t, or if you’re unable to do so, then you may not absorb the nutrients from the food that you’ve eaten. Digestive problems can occur from having an imbalanced diet that is lacking in essential nutrients. Symptoms vary from person to person, but they can include constipation, diarrhea, bloating, wind, belching, heartburn, acid reflux, cramps and nausea. You can also feel tired, irritable, and suffer from headaches as well as skin problems if you’re not chewing and digesting your food well. Being unable to chew, and failing to absorb the nutrients that are essential to your good health, is just one aspect of the problem. Of course, there are things you can eat if you choose to follow a “soft diet.” For example, you can have oatmeal for breakfast, beef stew for lunch and mushy meatloaf with gravy and a side of well-steamed broccoli for dinner.