The digestive system works by breaking down food into nutrients your body can use for energy, growth, and repair.
The food you intake first enters the mouth, where chewing causes the secretion of saliva, which contains enzymes that break down the carbohydrates in the food into smaller parts. This makes the food easier to swallow and begins the digestion process.
After that, food moves down a tube called the oesophagus. The food is pushed forward to the stomach through the peristalsis movement of the muscles in the oesophagus.
The stomach contains digestive juices, which contain acid and enzymes that act on the food to break it down further. The stomach churns the food particle and turns it into a thick, consistent liquid called chyme, which is then pushed to the small intestine.
Most digestion and nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine as enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver help break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into even smaller particles. These nutrients pass through the walls of the small intestine and enter the bloodstream. The undigested food is passed into the large intestine.
In the large Intestine, the water is absorbed and what remains after that is considered stool or waste, which is then stored in the rectum and expelled out through the anus during bowel movement.
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