Path of Food

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system. Once you start chewing and breaking the food down into pieces small enough to be digested, More saliva is produced to begin the process of breaking down food into a form your body can absorb and use. The pharynx is the portion of the digestive tract that receives the food from your mouth. The esophagus carries food to the stomach. The stomach holds food, secretes acid and powerful enzymes that continue the process of breaking the food down and changing it to a consistency of liquid or paste. From there, food moves to the small intestine. the small intestine also breaks down food using enzymes released by the pancreas and bile from the liver. While food is in the small intestine, nutrients are absorbed through the walls and into the bloodstream. What's leftover (the waste) moves into the large intestine. The large intestine is a highly specialized organ that is responsible for processing waste so that defecation is easy and convenient.i