How I taste food

How I taste food

Yum! There’s ice cream for dessert! Ugh! I have to eat my beets first.

I know what I like and what I don’t like because I can taste my food. My
tongue rolls each bite around my mouth. I taste my food as it tumbles
over my tongue.

The front, back, and edges of my tongue are covered with little bumps.
On the sides of the bumps are tiny openings to my taste buds. Inside the
taste buds are nerves that send messages to my brain. My brain tells me
what I’m tast­ing.

The nerves in my lips, tongue, teeth, and mouth, and my jaw muscles also
help me know what I’m eating. They send messages to my brain about how
hot or cold my food is, and whether it’s rough or smooth, hard or soft.

My food tastes better when I can smell it. When a cold stops up my nose,
food doesn’t taste as good. And food tastes better when I can see it,
too.

I see my tongue