1. DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION

2. DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION OVERVIEW
When you eat a food, it must be broken down into smaller compounds so it can be used by the body – this process is digestion
Once the food is broken down, it must be taken into the body so it can do its work – this process is absorption

3. THE DIGESTIVE TRACT
The digestive or gastrointestinal tract (GI)is a tube about 30 feet (9 m) long that runs from your mouth to your anus
It contains the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines and the anus

4. THE DIGESTION PHASES
As food is passing through our GI tract, there are two major actions that helps to break down and move our food
They are the:
THE MECHANICAL PHASE (machine like actions)
Our teeth are the first step in breaking down the food
Peristalsis contractions help the food move through our tract

5. THE CHEMICAL PHASE (chemicals that help to break down the food)
Saliva, which is found in our mouth, is the first chemical that food encounters
As food moves to the stomach and intestines, gastric juices, hydrochloric acid and enzymes are added, all to help break down food
Any food that is not broken down and absorbed,
leaves the body through the anus

6. THE ABSORPTION PROCESS
For food to be used it must move from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, a process called absorption
Our body can absorb water, alcohol and simple sugars directly from the stomach into the bloodstream
The majority of the absorption takes place in the small intestines
Once in the bloodstream, food is moved to all the cells in our body
The cells go through another chemical process called metabolism which allows the food to be used

8. THE DIGESTIVE TRACT Label your diagram by using the following parts
Stomach
Parotid gland
Salivary gland
Small intestine
Liver
Rectum
Appendix
Gall bladder
Esophagus
Large intestine
Anus
Pancreas