Digestive System PDF

Name: ________________________ 17 Curriculum Connection B2.1, B2.2 What is the Digestive System? The digestive system has the important job of breaking down food and extracting the nutrients from it so that our body can have the energy it needs to survive. From start to finish, the digestive system...

Name: ________________________ 17 Curriculum Connection B2.1, B2.2 What is the Digestive System? The digestive system has the important job of breaking down food and extracting the nutrients from it so that our body can have the energy it needs to survive. From start to finish, the digestive system has organs that allow us to eat food, get nutrients from the food, break down the food so that we can get rid of the food that as waste. Major Stages of Digestion Steps 1 - Chewing 2 - Swallowing 3 – Stomach What is Happening When we chew food, we break up big pieces into little pieces that are easier to digest and swallow. The saliva in our mouth helps as well. Saliva has special enzymes that act like acids to break down food. When we swallow, our tongue first pushes the food into the back of our throat. From there, our pharynx (throat) muscles carry the food to our esophagus. The esophagus is a long tube that leads to our stomach. The stomach has more enzymes (acids) that break down things like proteins that our bodies can use. The food in the stomach usually sits for around four hours before being ready for the small intestine. 4 – Small Intestine The small intestine gets acids from the liver and pancreas to break down food even further. As food travels through the intestine, its nutrients are absorbed by the intestine and our blood takes these nutrients to the cells in our bodies. 5 – Large Intestine Any food that has no nutrients left needs to be disposed of by the body. Our large intestine takes this leftover food (waste) and sends it through the intestine and out of our bodies. Helping Your Digestive System Check out the tips below to learn more about how to help your digestive system. 1. Drinking lots of water will help the digestion system as the water we drink softens foods. 2. Chewing your food more makes it easier for the digestion process as you have done some of the work for it. Experts say we should chew around 32 times before swallowing. 3. Eat healthy foods with a lot of nutrients. Our bodies need nutrients and our digestive system wants to spread the nutrients to the rest of the body. 4. Eat food that is high in fibre. Fibre helps clean our digestive system and makes it easier for us to get rid of waste. Fibre rich foods include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. © Super Simple Sheets supersimplesheets.com