Digestion is a cascade of physiological events that start before you even put food in your mouth. That anticipatory “mouthwatering” effect is your digestive system kicking into action.
Digestive prompting can also come from something today’s diets often lack: bitter flavours. These stimulate the vagus nerve in the roof of the mouth, triggering the release of the hormone gastrin. This signals the body to produce saliva, gastric juices, enzymes, and bile — crucial elements of healthy digestion.
Bitters also help the nervous system to shift into “rest and digest” mode (rather than “fight or flight”), which allows for optimal digestion.