From Tasting to Digesting — Class 5 EVS (CBSE)
Based on the NCERT Looking Around Grade 5 textbook. Understand how food travels through your body, then solve the practice set.
1. Why this chapter matters
We eat food every day, but what happens to it after we swallow? This chapter takes students on a journey through the digestive system — from the mouth to the anus. Students learn about taste buds, the importance of chewing properly, how food is digested, and what happens when someone cannot eat by mouth (glucose drip). Good digestive habits lead to good health.
2. The sense of taste
Your tongue is covered with tiny bumps called taste buds. Taste buds help you taste different flavours.
| Taste | Example | Where on tongue (approximately) |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet | Sugar, honey, fruits | Tip of the tongue |
| Salty | Salt, namkeen | Front sides of the tongue |
| Sour | Lemon, tamarind, yoghurt | Sides of the tongue |
| Bitter | Bitter gourd (karela), coffee | Back of the tongue |
| Umami | Tomato, cheese, mushrooms | Throughout the tongue |
Fact: Your tongue has about 10,000 taste buds. They are replaced every 1-2 weeks.
3. The digestive system
The digestive system is a long tube from the mouth to the anus. Here is the journey of food:
| Organ | What happens |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Teeth chew food into small pieces. Saliva mixes with food to soften it. Tongue pushes food to the throat. |
| Oesophagus (food pipe) | Muscles push food down to the stomach. This takes about 5-10 seconds. |
| Stomach | Food mixes with digestive juices (acids and enzymes). The stomach churns food into a liquid paste. |
| Small intestine | Nutrients from food are absorbed into the blood. This is where the body gets its energy. |
| Large intestine | Water is absorbed. The remaining waste becomes solid. |
| Anus | Solid waste (poop) leaves the body. |
4. Proper chewing
Chewing is the first and most important step of digestion.
Why chew properly?
- Chewing breaks food into smaller pieces for easier digestion.
- Saliva mixes with food and starts breaking down carbohydrates.
- Smaller pieces are easier to swallow.
- Proper chewing prevents choking.
- It helps the stomach digest food more easily.
Tip: Chew each bite at least 20-30 times before swallowing.
5. Glucose drip
Sometimes a person cannot eat or drink by mouth (after surgery or during severe illness). Doctors then give a glucose drip. A needle goes into a vein, and glucose (a simple sugar) goes directly into the blood. The body gets energy without needing to digest food.
This shows that the body can get energy through the blood directly, bypassing the digestive system.
6. Activity corner
Activity 1: Close your eyes and hold your nose. Eat a small piece of apple. Can you taste it? Now release your nose. Notice how the taste becomes stronger. This shows how smell affects taste.
Activity 2: Take a bite of bread or roti. Chew it for 30 seconds without swallowing. Notice how it starts tasting sweet. This is because saliva is breaking down the starch into sugar.
Activity 3: Draw the digestive system and label the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus.
7. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Thinking digestion starts in the stomach Fix: Digestion starts in the mouth with chewing and saliva.
- Mistake: Confusing the small and large intestine Fix: The small intestine absorbs nutrients. The large intestine absorbs water.
- Mistake: Believing glucose is a medicine Fix: Glucose is a simple sugar that gives energy. It is given in a drip when someone cannot eat.
8. Key facts
- Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and saliva.
- The digestive system: Mouth -> Oesophagus -> Stomach -> Small intestine -> Large intestine -> Anus.
- The small intestine absorbs nutrients into the blood.
- The large intestine absorbs water.
- Taste buds on the tongue detect sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
- Chew food properly (20-30 times per bite) for good digestion.
- A glucose drip gives energy directly into the blood.
9. Self-test
- Where does digestion begin?
- Name the five tastes that the tongue can detect.
- What is the role of the small intestine?
- Why is chewing food important?
- When is a glucose drip used?
10. Answer key
-
Where does digestion begin? Answer: Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and saliva.
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Name the five tastes that the tongue can detect. Answer: Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
-
What is the role of the small intestine? Answer: The small intestine absorbs nutrients from digested food into the blood.
-
Why is chewing food important? Answer: Chewing breaks food into smaller pieces, mixes it with saliva, and makes digestion easier. It also prevents choking.
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When is a glucose drip used? Answer: When a person cannot eat or drink by mouth (after surgery or during severe illness), doctors give a glucose drip to provide energy directly into the blood.
11. Quick revision
- Digestion starts in the mouth (chewing + saliva).
- Food travels: Mouth -> Oesophagus -> Stomach -> Small intestine -> Large intestine -> Anus.
- Taste buds detect five tastes.
- Chew food thoroughly for good health.
- Glucose drip = energy directly into blood.
- Drink water and eat fibre for healthy digestion.
- Eat slowly and with attention — it helps digestion.
