1. How does the food change in consistency and form?
Food changes in consistency and form starting from when we intake food in the mouth. Inside the mouth, food undergoes chewing or physical breakdown and hydrolysis or enzymatic breakdown to create a sphere of digested food called the bolus which can be swallowed towards the esophagus then the stomach. Inside the stomach, churning and hydrolysis occurs to melt down the bolus and turn it into a fluid type of substance called chyme which is passed on to the intestines where nutrients (simpler forms glucose, fatty acids, glycerol, amino acids, and nucleic acids) are absorbed until it reaches the rectum. Inside the rectum, the processed food is stored until it is ready for expulsion through the anus in the form of feces.
2. How could the body absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat?
Our body absorbs 90% water and nutrients from the food we eat starting from the small intestine. Inside the small intestine hydrolysis occurs which helps in nutrient absorption. Excess nutrients will be sent to another place where further absorption occurs— inside the large intestine where water and ions are absorbed. Digested products from GI tract will then be directed to the blood and lymphs and will circulate to the cells of the body.