Describe the path that food takes from the time you ingest it until it is eliminated from the body?
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=digestive+process+humans
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
The path that food takes from the time you ingest it until it is eliminated from the body can be described as follows:
1. Ingestion: The process starts with chewing and swallowing the food. When you eat, your teeth break down the food into smaller pieces, and saliva in your mouth helps to moisten and soften it. Then, you swallow the food, and it travels down the esophagus.
2. Digestion: Once the food reaches the stomach, it goes through mechanical and chemical digestion. Mechanical digestion involves the churning and mixing of food by the stomach muscles. Chemical digestion occurs as enzymes and acids break down the food into smaller molecules that can be absorbed.
3. Absorption: From the stomach, the partially digested food enters the small intestine. The small intestine is where most of the absorption of nutrients takes place. The inner lining of the small intestine contains tiny finger-like projections called villi, which increase the surface area available for absorption. Nutrients from the food pass through the villi and into the bloodstream.
4. Circulation: Once absorbed, nutrients are transported through the bloodstream to various cells and tissues in the body. The bloodstream carries them to the liver, where they are further processed and distributed to the rest of the body.
5. Elimination: After the absorption of nutrients, the remaining waste material, known as feces, enters the large intestine. The main functions of the large intestine are to absorb water and electrolytes and to form solid waste. The feces then move through the colon and are eventually eliminated from the body through the rectum and anus.
In summary, the path of food from ingestion to elimination involves the processes of ingestion, digestion, absorption, circulation, and elimination.