The human digestive system consists of a series of hollow organs that are joined in a long, twisting pipe from the mouth to the anus. The pipe is line with a thin layer of tissue called the mucosa. The job of the mucosa is to use its small glands to excrete juices that digest food.

The liver and the pancreas also excrete juices that flow into the intestine through small tubes to aid the digestive process. Blood and nerves also play an important part in the digestion of food.

The Importance of Digestion

When we eat, food is not in a form that will nourish our body. Both food and drink have to be broken down into minuscule molecules before they can be absorbed by the blood and carried to body cells. The process of breaking down food and drink into these molecules is called digestion. Nourishment is then used by our body to build and nourish cells, which provide our body with energy.

Food Digestion

Digestion is the mixing of food, the breaking down of the large molecules into minute molecules and the movement through the digestive system. As soon as we chew and swallow food, the process of digestion begins and is later completed in the small intestine. The chemical process of digestion varies slightly for different types of food.

Through the Digestive System

The hollow organs found in the digestive tract include muscles that allow the walls to expand and contract. This propels the food and liquid that we ingest through the digestive tract. Movement of the stomach, intestines and esophagus is called peristalsis. This process is very similar to the action of an ocean wave. The muscle of the organ contracts and propels digested food through the organ.

The first important muscle movement occurs when we swallow. Though we can initiate swallowing, it then becomes a voluntary action and is controlled by nerves. The swallowed food or liquid travels to the esophagus and into the stomach through a ring-shaped valve, which opens when food or liquid approaches. Once food or liquid is passed into the stomach, the valve voluntarily closes. If it doesn’t a condition known as Acid Reflux Syndrome is present and must be cared for by a health care professional.