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How does the food change in consistency and form?
The digestive process begins in the mouth. To make it easier to swallow, the food is crushed up by the teeth and moistened with saliva. Saliva also contains a particular chemical known as an enzyme, which begins the breakdown of carbs into sugars. Muscular contractions of the esophagus massage the ball of food down into the stomach after it has been swallowed. Food enters the stomach and mixes with gastric juices. The stomach is a then churns the food physically and chemically to help break it down into a watery mixture coined chyme.
Food enters the small intestine after passing through the stomach, where it is combined with pancreatic digesting enzymes and liver bile. The ileum absorbs nutrients and is covered with millions of finger-like projections called villi. Once all of the nutrients have been absorbed in the small intestine, the waste is sent to the large intestine, where the chyme solidifies (also known as feces) and is retained in the rectum while the water is evacuated. The food's overall consistency and form change from a solid, complex structure to a liquid (chyme), and lastly to a semi-solid referred to as feces, which is then defecated out of the body.
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How could the body absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat?
The act or process of absorbing or assimilating substances is referred to as absorption. Nutrient absorption refers to the assimilation of chemicals such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids into the circulation and cells, as well as throughout tissue and organs. The majority of nutritional absorption happens within the small intestine's wall. Nutrients from food and supplements normally flow past the small intestinal wall and into the blood vessels via diffusion or transport, where they are delivered through areas of the body that needs them.
REFERENCES
Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Digestive system. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/digestive-system
Lefever, M. (n.d.). Recipes and tips to increase nutrient absorption. Harrisburg Area YMCA. https://ymcaharrisburg.org/ways-increase-nutrient-absorption/#:~:text=Most%20nutrient%20absorption%20occurs%20inside,are%20carried%20elsewhere%20as%20needed.
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2017). Tortora’s Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. Wiley