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Understanding Digestive Process: Functions and Steps

Learn how the digestive system breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, and eliminates waste. Discover the two kinds of digestion - mechanical and chemical. Understand the importance of absorption and the roles of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and large intestine in the digestive process.

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Understanding Digestive Process: Functions and Steps

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  1. Digestive ProcessBegins

  2. Functions of Digestive System • Breaks down food into molecules • Molecules are absorbed into blood and carried throughout the body

  3. Functions of Digestive System. Cont. • Wastes are eliminated from the body

  4. Digestion • Process by which the body breaks down food into small nutrient molecules

  5. Two Kinds of Digestion • Mechanical And Chemical

  6. Mechanical Digestion • Foods are physically broken down into smaller pieces. • Begins when you take your first bite of food

  7. Chemical Digestion • Chemicals produced by the body break foods into smaller chemical building blocks. • Example:Carbohydrates into glucose molecules

  8. Chemical Digestion, Cont. • Enzymes are proteins that speeds up chemical reactions in the body

  9. Absorption • Process by which nutrient molecules pass through the wall of the digestive system into the blood • Occurs after food has been digested • Mainly in small intestines.

  10. The Mouth (Step 1) • Produces saliva, a fluid released when your mouth waters • This aids in chemical digestion • Chewing and grinding of food with teeth is a form of mechanical digestion

  11. The Esophagus(step 2) • A muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach • Peristalsis are involuntary waves of muscle contractions that push food down to the stomach.

  12. The Esophagus, Cont. • The epiglottis seals off the windpipe to prevent food from entering.

  13. The Stomach(step 3) • Most mechanical digestion takes place in the stomach as the smooth muscle squeezes food and churns the food up.

  14. The Stomach, Cont. • Hydrochloric acid chemically digests the food into a liquid form • Mucus coats and protects the stomach lining to keep acids from burning a hole in your stomach.

  15. Final Digestion and Absorption

  16. Small Intestines • Most chemical digestion takes place, and most nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream • Villi cover insides to help absorb nutrients into your blood. • Longest part of digestive tract.

  17. Liver • Largest organ • Produces BILE to break down fat particles. • Food does NOT go into liver.

  18. Pancreas • Produces enzymes that flow into small intestines and help break down proteins, fats and starches • Food not in here either!

  19. Large Intestine • Contains helpful bacteria that feed on the material as it passes through. • This material contains water and undigested food.

  20. Large Intestine continued • As it passes through, water is absorbed into the blood stream. • The remaining material is ready for elimination (exiting) the body as it enters the rectum where it is compressed into a solid form • The solid waste exits the body through the anus.

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