Download • What is the Digestive System? • Chapter 3, Lesson 2 • The

• What is the Digestive System?
• Chapter 3, Lesson 2
• The digestive system breaks down food
to release nutrients.
• Your body uses nutrients for different
reasons.
• Digestion takes place in the digestive
system.
• The digestive system is a group of
organs that break down food into small
pieces the body can use.
• The digestive system also helps wastes
leave the body.
• The digestive system needs healthy
foods and lots of water each day to work
its best.
• Your body needs vitamins and nutrients
every day to stay healthy.
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• Digestion begins in the mouth.
• Chewing grinds the food into smaller
pieces, and your tongue mixes the food
with saliva.
• Saliva breaks down food. It contains
chemicals called enzymes.
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• Enzymes break down the starch in
foods like bread and potatoes.
• Starches break down further into
sugars.
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• Chewed food moves from the mouth to
the esophagus.
• The esophagus is a muscular tube that
pushes food toward the stomach.
• The stomach is a muscular organ that
mixes and stores food and turns in into
a soupy mixture.
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• The stomach squeezes the food and
mixes it with digestive fluids.
• The fluids contain strong enzymes and a
strong acid.
• Your food stays in your body for up to 3
hours. Then, it is on its way to becoming
nutrients for your cells.
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• Food leaves the stomach and enters the
small intestine.
• The small intestine is a long, coiled
organ where most of the digestion
happens.
• Chemicals here help break down the
food even more.
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• The nutrients get taken from the food
and spread to every cell in the body.
• Undigested food and waste go on to the
large intestine.
• The large intestine takes water and
minerals and puts them back into your
blood.