The mouth is where digestion starts. Even before you take a bite of food your digestion system goes into action! When you see, smell, or taste food your salivary glands (located under the tongue) start producing saliva. When we sense food our brain sends impulses through nerves to the glands to get prepared to eat. In our saliva is a digestive enzyme called amylase. It can break down the carbohydrates in the your food even before it leaves your mouth.
Saliva is important in digestion because it moistens our food for easier travel to our next stop, the pharynx!
