Digestion

The process of digestion starts with the intake of food through the mouth. In the mouth, the teeth and tongue help to grind and mix the food with saliva and other digestive enzymes produced by the various glands present. The food is then swallowed and carried to the stomach through a hollow, muscular, pipe known as the food pipe or esophagus. In the stomach, the food is further churned and broken and mixed with various acids and enzymes. The Hydrochloric acid and the mucus lining present in the stomach kills any bacteria and prevents any damage that could happen to the system through the food. The food is then transported to the small intestine. Inside the small intestine, there are small finger-like structures enriched with blood vessels, called villi. They absorb all the nutrients from the food that was broken down by the stomach. It proceeds towards the large intestine where water is re-absorbed. It is stored in the rectum and is ejected out through the anus from time to time.