Chennai, March 18 -- About

While growing up - we have often heard the refrains - chew your food, chew well and swallow. Many people even insist on counting the number of chews but that sort of takes away all the fun of eating.

Making a conscious effort to chew food at an unhurried pace will contribute to good digestion. As someone once said, 'Our stomach does not come with teeth.'

The word 'digestion' conjures to the mind 'the stomach' - when actually the digestion begins in the mouth - as soon as the chewing action begins. The mouth secretes saliva and while chewing, this saliva coats the food with enzymes called amylase and lipase . These enzymes start the process of digesting the fats and starches in the mouth.

The action of chewin...