The Digestive Process
Digestion begins once food is broken down by the teeth, tongue and saliva and passes through the esophagus to the stomach. Once food enters the Understanding Digestionstomach the break down continues. Slight amounts of chemical processes occur while food is being broken down in the stomach, most pertaining to protein, by the enzymes in the stomach. Once food has been broken down in the stomach it passes to the small intestine where further breakdown occurs by specialized enzymes and helpful bacteria. In the small intestine the useful particles are then absorbed into the bloodstream where they are used by the body, while the remaining elements are ultimately expelled as waste.