Digestive System Part 2: The Process
You see something. You think it’s yummy (or you say, “this is healthy for me!” Thumbs up.) You put it in your mouth. It disappears. Now what happens? Let’s follow some food down the rabbit hole.
The digestive system starts in the mouth, the place where ingestion (you putting your food in your mouth for it to enter your body) takes place. The first thing that happens is the secretion of saliva. Saliva is actually pretty amazing: It lines and protects the inside of the mouth from superficial damage, makes the food easier to swallow, and has chemicals that help neutralize acid and prevent tooth decay, as well as antibacterial agents that get rid of many of the bad guys that come in with food. Probably the most known action of saliva is that it contains amylase, an enzyme that digests carbohydrates. So, of all the macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) the carbs (sugars and starches) are what gets digested first chemically, starting in your mouth. Physical digestion (the actual breaking down of foods into physically smaller pieces by a force exerted on them) is what your teeth are for. Chewing is a crucial part of digestion, so spend some time there and chew your food well, because food has to be in very tiny molecules before it can be used by your body. After your food has been partially chemically digested and you have chewed and physically broken it down, your tongue helps shape it into a bolus, and then pushes this bolus (ball) down the pharynx. Read More…
