You just ate lunch and your stomach is making ridiculous noises. You may be thinking, “What is happening with my insides?”
We can tell you. Those scary sounds coming from your stomach are most likely related to digestion. Knowing the ins and outs of your digestive system can help you understand what to eat to better help your body digest foods, and maybe even stop your stomach from grumbling.
Digestion is the process by which your body breaks down food and liquids into smaller parts to build and nourish cells, and to provide energy. There is certain steps food and liquid must take before exiting your system.
Step 1: Mouth
To more easily absorb different foods, your saliva helps break down what you’re eating and turn it into chemicals called enzymes.
Step 2: Esophagus
Once your food is broken down from saliva and chewing, it moves through your esophagus, which is the pipe that connects your mouth to your stomach. A process called peristalsis – the tightening and relaxation of muscles in the intestine to transport food and waste products – allows food to move more smoothly through the digestive tract. This means that food can only travel in a single direction, so you could stand on your head while eating and food will continue to move through your esophagus to your stomach!
Step 3: Stomach
Your stomach is where food is stored and further broken down by acid and powerful enzymes. From there, food moves into the small intestine.
Step 4: Small Intestine
Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, where food is broken down even more by enzymes released from the pancreas and bile from the liver. Anything left in the small intestine moves into the large intestine, which is also known as the colon.
Step 5: Large Intestine, Colon, Rectum and Anus
The colon is a 5- to 7-foot long muscular tube that connects the small intestine to the rectum. It’s responsible for processing waste. On average, it takes about 36 hours for waste, or stool, to get through the colon and exit the rectum through the anus.
Gastroenterologist Michael Puff, MD, knows the ins and outs of your digestive system. “It’s amazing in its ability to break down and absorb nutrients, while simultaneously protecting us from bacteria and other potentially harmful substances,” he said.
Want to help your digestive system move things along? Stick to a healthy diet and drink lots of water.
Thanks for the good information
Thank u this really helped me with my homework
it helped me a lot with my hw
same
thank you so much this will impress my teacher with some of these fancy details!! maybe i will be shown in the class about my work …..and your work lol
Way to go Henry!!
It help me thanks
I am in fourth grade and this is very useful
Me too lol
Lol I am in 5th grade and this helped me sooooooooo much
It was awonderfull knowledge.which enzymes are produced in every step and products?
this is going to help me on my science
This helped with my science project. Thank you so much! I hope I get a 100%
Great graphic and good information.
GOOD, CLEAR, AND DESCRIPTIVE PRESENTATION AS WELL AS INTERESTING. GOOD REVIEW FOR ME~!
It would be helpful too if each stage was given an approximate chronology.
Needs way more on the large intestine other wise its fine
I think is a wonderful resource for elementary schoolers. I think if you haven’t you should make one of these on every system! 🙂
Bruh I’m doing this in 7th grade 😂😂😂😑
Im in 9th grade bio honors studying physio ii
im in year 5th
I’m in collage and learning this again is very helpful
Me too bro😊
Same. I’m doing this for homework
Me to
Dude same lol
I like ur username lol
lol i’m in 6th and doing this-
idk
same lol
lmao im in 6th grade
me 2 lol
What about the liver, it filters blood from the digestive track
Does it really filter blood?
I think 🤔,, that’s the work of kidney
it good
cool u’re a brilliant stude
I’m in fifth grade and learning this, this is amazing information! Thank you!
Dear Maya,
I am a 6th grader and I am wondering what school you go to because I have 1 sister and cousin in the same grade at Rosa Parks Elementry and was wondering if you knew them their names are Jordyn Counts and Jamie Pairan.
Where does the Gallbladder fit into this??
This helped me so much with my homework a big thank you so much. I really love how we get to learn about the digestive system it’s very interesting.
Glad we could help, Lillyz 🙂
This was a lot of information to take in. I did eventually. The only reason was because I read the infiormation for 45 minutes each day for 3 days now. And this website helped me with an assignment in science. We were learning about systems and organs within the systems. We also were learning about their funtion in the order that they happen. So thank you.
This was extremely helpful for my science homework (7th grade) I was confused before finding this but now I understand it!!- thanks
Wow! This really helped me with my science presentation. Thank you so much!
Thx helped for my homework
very vital information
Its needed to know and understand things like this at this point
really helped me with my homework, really clear to understand, thx!
It helped a lot
this helped me a lot for my assignment.
Glad to hear it! Thanks. 🙂
What will happen inIn liver and pancreas
This really helped with my project!
This is great information. And it really helped me understand.
I like your graphics and way of explaining it was very nice
Thank you so much for your answer
Thankyou so much for your help ..very interesting and we’ll understand the way how you were structurlize this process 😊😊
Really helped me in my essay thank you 😅💯
Wow this is amazing just the right information I was looking for THANK YOU so much
would be better if big
awesome bruh
it helped me a lot
thanks. it really helped
This helped SO SO much with my science project, and it was a great review of everything! I hope this doesn’t qualify as cheating. LOL
Thanks Abby Witham! this is really useful.
Lol I was having a online unit review and searched the answer
Yes I enjoy the story but I need a much smaller answer
Precise and to the point!
We need more articles like this!
Doing some work in IDLA online schooling, useful info. thanks, frfr </3
This helped me a lot. Thanks 🙂
This helped me a lot, I just had an assignment that I needed to do, which was an essay and we could pick any system in the human body and I chose the digestive system
Wait thanks very much Dr
It’s really of help to me
helped a lot thxx
(im only commenting because reading the comments is entertaining.. hehe)
Lol I’m with you on that one.
Same really good information im 13 and in 7th grade thanks guys
DEFINATLY AGREEE!
Same here
thank you this relley help me with my work
Wow this is really helpful it helped a lot with my homework
Thank you, this made my grade four lesson so easy.
Very good love the way you did it. very good JOB!!!!!
THIS WAS VERY USEFUL FOR MY YR8 DIGESTION ASSIGHNMENT THX SO MUCH! 😘
You helped me a lot in yr10 thank you
my brain was hrting all day and my teacher made me read out loud to class of 34 kids and ima kms now!!!!!!!!!
This helped a lot with a project I needed to complete, thanks!
This help a lot
Thanks alot. This has really helped me and now I won’t get bad grades in science quizzes.
This help me with project i really like it thanks
Thank you for helping me get an a in science
i have to read this and im in class and this and my class are boring
tq for the short explanation
Thanks this helped me so so much with my science work! It has great information about the digestive system. Thanks for all the help.
I LOVED THiS, LIke omg thanks
bile left over from the liver gets stored in the gallbladder referring to step 4 the gallbladder stores any fluid/ bile the liver makes