Q1.
Disha wondered whether more saliva come out when you chew the food for long.
Answer
Yes. The longer you chew, the more saliva comes out. Anna said it too — chewing properly releases saliva, which helps digest the food.
Check it yourself:
- Take a small piece of dry food — a plain biscuit, a puffed rice, or a bit of roti.
- Chew it slowly and count to twenty.
- Notice how the dry piece becomes wet and soft in your mouth.
- The wetness did not come from the food. It came from your own saliva.
- Now try just smelling hot food when you are hungry. Your mouth waters even before you have eaten anything.
| What saliva does | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Wets the food | Dry food becomes soft and easy to chew |
| Sticks the bits together | Makes a smooth mush that can be swallowed safely |
| Starts breaking the food down | Digestion begins in the mouth itself, before the food reaches the stomach |
| Cleans the mouth a little | Washes bits of food off the teeth |
Finding #10: Chewing food properly breaks down the food and releases saliva which helps in digestion.
Why the body works this way: The mouth is the first place food reaches, so it is the best place to make the work easier. Chewing does the cutting, and saliva does the wetting and the first bit of digesting. Food that is gulped down whole gets neither — and then the stomach has to struggle.
A simple habit: put down your spoon between mouthfuls, or take smaller bites. Both make you chew longer without even trying.