THE DIGESTION PROCESSOur digestive process requires the cooperation of many different organs throughout our body to do it's job effectively. It's main function is to convert the foods we eat into nutrients and energy that our bodies need to absorb and also to rid our body of excess wastes.
The digestive tract as you see from the image above consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intensitne, large intestine, rectum and anal canal. Then we have our accessory organs like the teeth, tongue, and our salivary glands, liver, pancreas and gall bladder. What does our digestion do? It breaks down the food that put in our mouths so the body can use it as nutrients that turn into energy for the body to use in growht and cell repair.
The Mechanical Aspect of Digestion
There are two aspects of digestion mechanical and chemical. The mechanical aspect starts at the beginning with your mouth and our accessory organs such our teeth that assist in chewing our food, which inturn begins to break these nutrients into carbohydrates, proteins, fates and vitamins. You can get simple carbs from foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products and the more complex starches and fibers can be found in the foods like whole-grains,, starchy vegetables like corn, and legumes. Proteins can be found in meats, beans, and eggs.
The first aspect is important as it tears the food into smaller portion sizes for easy digestion and then is pushed through the esophogus to the stomach where the chemical process begins. The mechanical aspect helps churn the food while the chemical aspect breaks the food down.
The Chemical Aspect of Digestion
The chemical aspect starts the saliva secretion which helps soften the food to be digested and broke down. This process begins with the acids, bases, and enzyme release to start the reaction with the food. The chemical aspect mixes the bolus with the juices that are released from the stomachs lining and release the hormones to help regulate the process. This process can take hours in the stomach and secretion of sodium bicarbonate helps control the acidity.
Our digestive syste feeds our whole body and is designed to deliver nutrients to all of the body's cells (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).
The Stomach and Small Intestine
The stomach is a sac-like organ with strong muscular walls. In addition to holding food, it serves as the mixer and grinder of food. The stomach secretes acid and powerful enzymes that continue the process of breaking the food down and changing it to a consistency of liquid or paste. While food is in the small intestine, nutrients are absorbed through the walls and into the bloodstream. The small intestine is known as the "work horse" and where most of the nutrients are abosrbed (WebMD, 2012).
The Colon, Rectum and Anus
The colon connects to the small intestine to the rectum, The large intestine is responsible for processing waste so that secretion of waste is easy and convenient. When anything (gas or stool) comes into the rectum, sensors send a message to the brain. The brain then decides if the rectal contents can be released or not and anus is the last part of the digestive tract. It consists of the muscles that line the pelvis and two other muscles called anal sphincters. The anal sphincters provide fine control of any waste or stool (WebMD, 2012).
Reference
Digestive System. YouTube (2010). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEKdLqEB7gE
Sizer, F. and Whitney, E. (2012). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.) Mason OH: Cengatge Learning
WebMD, Digestive Disorders Health Center (2012), The Digestive System Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-system?page=3
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