Download How Food is Digested

How Food is Digested
1. ___________ & ___________________
Begins the digestive process by seeing or smelling the food thus
stimulating salivary glands into producing saliva in the mouth.
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2. _________________ _______________________________
Teeth bite into food and begin chewing and the tongue keeps moving it
around (mechanical process) to break food down into smaller pieces.
These smaller pieces mix with saliva which contains enzymes. The
enzyme ptyalin begins to break down starch (chemical process).
Chewed food forms a ball called a bolus.
3. __________________________
In a process called peristalsis (mechanical process) muscles push
the bolus down through the esophagus into your stomach.
4. _____________________________
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The stomach gets food ready for the intestine to absorb nutrients.
Peristaltic waves (mechanical) and gastric juices (chemical) break foods down
into tiny particles. The enzyme pepsin begins to break down protein. Food
is broken down chemically and mechanically until a thick liquid called
chyme is produced.
5. _____________________________
After the stomach empties the food and juice mixture into the small intestine, the juices of two other digestive
organs mix with the food (chemical) (see below). With the bile and enzymes, the small intestine completes the
digestion of food into nutrients the body can use by breaking the chyme down into the following; Protein = amino
acids, Carbohydrates = Glucose, Fats = Fatty Acids and Glycerol and the various Vitamins & Minerals as well as
water. As peristaltic waves move the chyme through the small intestine, villi absorb the nutrients to be used or
stored.
6. ____________________ , 7. _____________________ , 8. _________________________
The liver produces bile, and between meals the gallbladder stores it (it is released when you eat). The
pancreas, produces a juice that contains a wide array of enzymes to break down the carbohydrate, fat, and protein
in food.These all mix with food to help break it down into smaller particles so it can be used be the body.
9. ____________________________________ 10. ____________________________________
The second-to-last part of the digestive system. Large intestine absorbs water from the remaining indigestible food
and sends it to the kidneys to be eliminated and the rectum stores solid waste products until they are eliminated.
11. ____________________________________
The opening where waste is eliminated from your body (mechanical).
___________________________: Mechanical and chemical process through which nutrients found in
food are broken down into liquid form then carried by the bloodstream to cells in the body.
___________________________: The chemical process that takes place in the cells after the nutrients
have been absorbed by the body. The use of the nutrients depends on the body’s need. (ex. Carbs used
for energy or stored as fat.
When and Where Does It Happen?
On the smaller line, number the processes 1-8, on the large line write down where the action occurs.
________ _____________________ peristaltic waves and gastric juices break down foods chemically
and physical breakdown continues until a thick liquid called chyme
is produced.
________ _____________________ the smell or sight of food causes saliva to flow into the mouth
________ _____________________ Chyme is broken down; proteins into amino acids, carbs into
glucose, fat into fatty acids and glycerol with bile and enzymes
________ _____________________ solid waste is stored until it is ready to be eliminated
________ _____________________ peristalsis forces the bolus to move to the stomach
________ _____________________ teeth break food into smaller pieces, tongue moves food around
________ _____________________ water is absorbed from the remaining undigested food
________ _____________________ solid waste is eliminated from the body
Not All Nutrients Travel at the Same Speed!
Different nutrients pass through the stomach in different lengths of time. Water moves through first,
carbohydrates pass through second, proteins are third and fats remain in the stomach the longest. A wellbalanced meal should move through the stomach in approximately four hours. Be sure to provide your
body with a regular supply of nutrients throughout the day!
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
½ Lb. ground beef
¼ C onion, finely diced
½ green pepper , diced
1 can (398 mL) tomato sauce
½ can (185 mL) tomato paste
1 ½ C water
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. each dried oregano and basil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 C. cooked spaghetti
Grated parmesan to top
1. Cook and stir ground beef, onion and green pepper on medium until the meat is brown and the onion is
tender.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti and cheese. Cover and simmer for a minimum 20 minutes
(max. 1 ½ hours), stirring occasionally. If sauce is too liquidy, remove cover and continue cooking.
3. Serve meat sauce over hot spaghetti. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.