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| Digestion begins in the mouth |
Digestion begins as soon as you bite into food. For example, as you chew a sandwich, your teeth cut and grind the bread and the filling into smaller pieces. Your tongue helps mix the chewed food with saliva, the liquid in your mouth. Saliva makes the food wet and easy to swallow.
Saliva also contains an enzyme, or chemical, that helps break food down so saliva can change the food starches into sugars. That is why you may notice a sweet taste when you chew bread, crackers, and other starchy foods.
When you have finished chewing, your tongue moves the wet lump of food to the back of your mouth. You swallow, and the food enters a tube called the esophagus. Your bite of sandwich is now on its way to the next stop in the digestive system which is your stomach.
References:
Cooney, T. M. (2003). Scott Foresman science: grade 4. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman.
http://www.howany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/How-Long-Does-it-Take-to-Digest-Food.jpg. (n.d.).Google. Retrieved October 18, 2012, from http://www.howany.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-digest-food
Question:
List the Steps that happen before food enters the stomach?
