Page:Strength from Eating.djvu/28



Digestion begins in the mouth. The thorough chewing and mixing of the food with saliva is, consequently, one of the principle and important factors in digestion. All foods in a natural state require a great deal of chewing before they can be swallowed, but the various methods of preparing food, by which it is moistened and softened, usually enables one to swallow it with but little chewing. It therefore behooves us to remember this prime ne- necessity for thorough mastication, no matter how soft the food may be. Even soups must be submitted to a certain amount of this chewing process, that the saliva may be thoroughly mixed with it before it is swallowed. Food is not in a fit condition to enter the stomach unless it is first thoroughly masticated and mixed with saliva. The necessity for this is almost universally ignored, and diseases of the