The main function of the digestive system it to break up food and to take it in as energy. It first starts at the mouth where the teeth mechanically digest the food by breaking it down into smaller pieces and the saliva in the mouth containing enzymes break down the food chemically. When you swallow the food, your mouth forces the food from your mouth into your esophagus, which is a muscular tube that moves it down your stomach. Peristalsis is a series of muscles that contract along the walls to push it down. Three is a flat called the epiglottis that closes the tube down to the lungs so the food doesn’t go down the wrong way.
After the esophagus it goes into the stomach where it churns and breaks down the food mechanically and the stomach acid and enzymes break down the food chemically. After the food is in the stomach for about two to four hours it is pushed down into the small intestine where there are small hairs like thins called villa that absorb nutrition. They are also two structures that help break down the food. One of them is the pancreas that is a soft gland that helps break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats with enzymes. The second one in the liver, which creates biles, which is a chemical that helps break down fats, the biles are stored inside the gallbladder.
After the small intestine there is the large intestine that absorbs water and makes protein, after the large intestine it goes into the rectum and out of the body.
