ACTIVITY 1: The Food Journey
1. How the food changes consistency and form
We all know that the digestive system is primarily responsible for changing the food's consistency and form. It all happens when the chewed food moves through the GI tract and undergoes peristalsis. The organs in our GI tract contain a layer of muscle that enables their walls to move and this movement pushes and mixes the food and liquid within each organ. Food also mixes with digestive juices that cause large molecules of it to break down into smaller molecules. Other substances in the digestive system such as water, bile, enzymes, and mucus also contribute to changing the consistency and form of the food that we eat.
2. How the body was able to absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat.
Absorption starts the moment we chew our food because during this time, the enzymes in our saliva called salivary amylase, break down the food’s chemical structure. After this, food will undergo a process called churning wherein a powerful acid further disassembles it. What happens after that is that it will pass through the small intestine where nutrient absorption happens. This process is facilitated by the villi wherein its brush-like lining acts like a comb that grabs important nutrients from our digested food. These nutrients will go straight into our bloodstream and after that, carrier proteins will carry these nutrients into the cell.
References:
Sprouse, S. (2019, November 15). Your Guide to How Nutrients are Absorbed by the Body. Ask the Scientists. https://askthescientists.com/nutrient-absorption/
Digestive System: Function, Organs & Anatomy. (2022). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/7041-digestive-system
Your Digestive System & How it Works. (2022, November 26). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; NIDDK | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works