The Digestive System

Where do we get the nourishment we need? From the foods we eat and drink

Define Digestion Absorption The mechanical and chemical breakdown of foods Mechanical: Mashing and tearing of food Happens in the mouth with our teeth and in our stomach with muscles Chemical: Breaking food down with secretions Absorption The passage of digested food from the digestive tract to the cardiovascular system

Define Elimination The body’s expulsion of undigested food or body wastes

Uvula What is the purpose? This prevents food from entering the nasal passage

Epiglottis Prevents food from entering the respiratory system

The Esophagus The 10 inch muscular tube that food travels down to get to the stomach Peristalsis Is the muscular movement that the digestive system uses to move food/material down it’s tract

The Stomach Is a hollow muscular sac that helps process food. It has three important jobs 1. Mixing foods with gastric juices 2. Storing partially digested food and liquid 3. Moving food into the small intestine Chyme is food broken down in liquid form

Fluid from the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder mix to continue digestion. They secrete fluid to help break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates

The Small Intestine It is 20-23 feet in length and about 1 inch in diameter The main purpose is to: Complete the digestion process Absorb the nutrients The food that isn’t absorbed gets passed on to the large intestine

The Large Intestine It’s about 5-6 feet in length Main job is to absorb water, vitamins, salts, and to get rid of wastes

Things to do to keep your digestive system healthy Eat a variety of low-fat, high-fiber foods Wash your hands Eat slowly and chew your food well Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

Digestive System Disorder Activity! We will break up into small groups. Your group needs to create a skit to show us your digestive system disorder and what it’s symptoms are, how to prevent it, and how to treat it.