Page 37 - Viva ICSE Science 4 : E-book

Importance of chewing food properly

We know that our digestive system works very hard to
Did You Know!
provide the necessary nutrients to our body. Therefore, we
Saliva also contains some
must help it to function properly. For this, we must chew our
chemical substances
food properly. Chewing is an important step in digestion. It called enzymes. They
helps in the breakdown of food into smaller pieces so that help in softening the
food.
it becomes easier for the nutrients to be absorbed by the
intestines.

If we do not chew our food properly, then the other organs of the digestive system
have to use more energy to breakdown the food. Food may take longer time to

digest. Release of nutrients from food and absorption of nutrients by our body may
not be complete or suffi cient. Thus, proper chewing of food allows it to move through
the digestive system easily and helps in complete absorption of nutrients into the

body.

Need for regular bowel movements

Bowel movement is an act of passing faeces through the rectum and anus. A regular
bowel movement is important to maintain proper functioning of our body as it removes

wastes out of the body and prevents digestive problems. Similarly, a healthy digestive
system helps in the formation of faeces and enables it to move out of the body. Changes
in bowel movement can lead to digestive problems like diarrhoea.

Chewing food properly, eating fi bre-rich balanced diet and drinking plenty of water are
some of the ways to promote regular bowel movement.

TIME TO REVISE

Match the following.

Column A Column B
1. Food pipe (a) stores digestive juices produced by liver
2. Tongue (b) fl eshy organ in the mouth, helps mix food
with saliva and swallowing it

3. Small intestine (c) long, coiled tube-like structure
4. Gall bladder (d) last organ of the digestive system

5. Anus (e) organ which carries food and liquids from
mouth to the stomach

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