QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Teacher Education

Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
Name of Student: Year/Section:

Week No.
HETLE 104 – FOOD AND NUTRITION Date:
2

FOOD BECOMING NUTRIENTS: DIGESTION, ABSORPTION, AND METABOLISM

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME

• Demonstrate broad and coherent, meaningful knowledge and skills in
technology and livelihood education.
• Apply with minimal supervision specialized knowledge and skills in any of the
specific fields in technical teacher education
• Demonstrate higher level literacy, communication, numeracy, critical thinking,
learning skills needed for higher learning.
• Manifest a deep and principled understanding of the learning processes and
the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in their students
• Show a deep and principled understanding of how educational processes relate
to larger historical, social, cultural, and political processes.
• Apply a wide range of teaching process skills (including curriculum
development, lesson planning, materials development, educational
assessment, and teaching approaches)
• Reflect on the relationships among the teaching process skills, the learning
processing in the students, the nature of the content/subject matter, and other
factors affecting educational processes in order to constantly improve their
teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

KEYWORDS OR CONCEPTS
1. Metabolism
2. Stomach
3. Small Intestines
4. Protein
5. Digestion
6. Denature
7. Fat
8. Absorption
9. Functional foods

REFERENCES
1. DOST-FNRI, Food Exchange List
2. Marcus, Jacqueline B.2013.Culinary Nutrition: The Science and Practice of
Healthy Cooking. Elsevier.
3. Mudambi, S.R. and Rajagopal, M.V.5th ed, (©2007) Fundamentals of Foods,
Nutrition and Diet Therapy. New Age International Limited, Publishers.
4. Ruiz, A.J. and Claudio, V.S. 2010. Basic Nutrition for Filipinos. 6th ed. Merriam
& Webster Bookstore, Inc.

CONTENT

DIGESTION is the process by which food and beverages are physically and
chemically broken down into smaller components by the human body; components
are then absorbed and metabolized or stored for future use; most foods and beverages
undergo some form of digestion before they can be absorbed and used.

Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

Page 1 of 6
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
Each stage of the digestive process is designed to break down carbohydrates, lipids
and proteins into smaller parts and move them along for absorption and metabolism.
Much depends on the nutrients that are contained in foods and beverages. A beverage
may be digested faster than a piece of whole-grain bread, which may be digested faster
than a chicken breast, which may be digested faster than a pat of butter. The more
difficult a food or beverage is to digest, the longer the digestive process may be.
Digestion may take 24 to 72 hours depending on food composition.

Digestion starts before a food or beverage ever comes close to the mouth. The
appearance, aroma and sounds of foods and beverages arouse the senses and start
the “digestive juices flowing.” Very appealing foods and beverages stimulate the
central nervous system to anticipate what may follow. The brain and stomach
communicate the deliciousness of foods and beverages through a maze of chemical
transmitters. This triggers salivation and readies the body for digestion.

Digestion then occurs in the mouth, stomach, and small and large intestines.
Carbohydrates take the shortest amount of time before they are digested—sugars
(especially liquids) as little as 30 minutes and starches around 2 to 3 hours. Protein
takes longer—as much as 6 hours. Lipids take the longest—sometimes up to 9 to 12
hours. In total, foods take 24 to 36 hours to fully pass through the gastrointestinal
tract. This process is illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Figure: Human Digestive System

Digestion in the Mouth

Two types of digestion that take place in the mouth are chemical digestion,
occurs when enzymes are released by the salivary glands, and physical digestion,
occurs when food is chewed and moved to the back of the mouth with the help of the
tongue. It is important to chew food well and let it mix with saliva. People with eating
and swallowing problems and those who do not produce sufficient saliva due to
medical conditions might compromise the digestive process at this point.

Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
The enzyme that breaks down foods and beverages inside of the mouth is called
salivary amylase. (The suffix“-ase” indicates that it is an enzyme that is involved in
a chemical reaction but stays intact.) Salivary amylase is then returned to its intact
form to handle more foods and beverages.

As foods are chewed and mixed with saliva, they form a bolus, or ball, that is moved
toward the back of the throat to be swallowed into the esophagus. There is a cartilage
flap that controls the bolus’s passage and prevents the bolus from entering the
trachea, or the windpipe that leads to the lungs. It is called the epiglottis.

When people choke on foods or beverages, it may be due to food accidentally

entering the trachea instead of the esophagus. This may be due to speaking or
laughing while there is food in the mouth, putting too much food in the mouth at one
time, or not chewing food well. Choking may require the Heimlich maneuver, a series
of under-abdominal thrusts to remove food quickly and prevent choking.

Once the bolus is correctly swallowed, it is propelled by the esophagus, which is a

short tube that leads to the stomach. Think of the esophagus as a band of strong
muscles that pump and propel foods and beverages after they leave the mouth.

The esophagus is lined with saliva for moisture and protection. At the end of the
esophagus is a muscle called the diaphragm that controls the movement of the bolus
into the stomach and a valve, called the cardiac sphincter, which shuts the opening
once the bolus has passed into the stomach. If the cardiac sphincter does not function
properly, food from the stomach may move back into the esophagus. This is called
acid reflux, which may be reduced by dietary changes, such as consuming smaller
meals, medications or surgery.

Digestion in the Stomach

Not all, foods and beverages are digested in the stomach, a pouch at the end of
the esophagus. The stomach is filled with hydrochloric acid, a strong acid that can
digest protein foods and mucous and enzymes that break down other foods and
beverages. These substances, along with muscular contractions, help to turn the
bolus in the stomach into chyme, a semisolid mixture of partially digested food and
gastric fluids, so it can be ready for its next passage.

Next route for digestion depends on whether foods or beverages are comprised of
carbohydrate, lipids or proteins. The stomach does very little to digest carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates mainly move into the small intestine for additional digestion.

Proteins are broken down by digestive fluids in the stomach, especially

hydrochloric acid and the enzyme gastric protease. Little happens to lipids in the
stomach. Instead, lipids head to the small intestine for additional digestion.

Digestion in the Small Intestine

The small intestine is not small; it is about 20 to 23 feet long and coiled inside the
body. It is called the small intestine because its diameter is small. There are three
sections in the small intestine: the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. The liver,
gallbladder and pancreas are organs that secrete substances into the small
Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
intestine to further digest the chyme. By the time the chyme passes through the
duodenum, jejunum and ileum, most of the nutrients are digested.

The Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas

The liver is an essential organ for breaking down and processing nutrients. It is
responsible for almost 500 critical functions in the human body. One of these
functions is storage: the liver stores carbohydrates, lipids, minerals and vitamins.
Because the liver processes alcohol and drugs, eliminates or transforms certain
foreign substances that filter into our food supply, and restores new cells, it sustains
a tremendous burden.

The liver also produces bile, a substance that helps to digest fat, which is stored
in the gallbladder, it is essential in handling all the foods and beverages that are
consumed.

The gallbladder is a nonessential organ, which means that a person can live
without it. The gallbladder serves to secrete bile into the small intestine for fat
digestion.

Bile is comprised of cholesterol, a type of lipid, and other substances including

bile salts, cholesterol, fats, inorganic salts, mucus, pigments and water. The formation
of gallstones, which are made mostly of cholesterol, may prevent the normal
functioning of the gallbladder. Both gallstones and the gallbladder can be removed by
surgery. If the gallbladder is removed, then a person needs to reduce his intake of fat
and cholesterol, since there is no longer a place to store bile for fat management.

The pancreas is another vital organ in nutrient breakdown. Like the liver and
gallbladder, the pancreas also secretes substances into the small intestine for
digestion. The chyme that passes into the small intestine is acidic, thanks to the
action of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Secretions by the pancreas serve to
neutralize this acid.

The pancreas also produces enzymes that further digest carbohydrates, lipids and
proteins. One of these enzymes is pancreatic amylase. The pancreas also produces
two important hormones, insulin and glucagon, that are critical in the management
of carbohydrates by the body.

Insulin and glucagon help to maintain the level of blood glucose (sugar) in the
body. Insulin is secretedby the beta cells of the pancreas in response to high blood
glucose. In contrast, glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas when
blood glucose is low (between meals and during exercise).

Digestion in the Large Intestine

The large intestine is only five feet in length and larger in diameter than the small
intestine. Like the small intestine, the large intestine has three sections: the cecum,
the colon and the rectum. What is not absorbed by the small intestine passes into
the large intestine and mixes with water and minerals. While the large intestine is
essentially the holding and exiting site for foods, there also is some vitamin absorption
from the bacteria that resides inside it. Strong muscles propel the release of the food
residue.

Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
ABSORPTION

Digested food is ready for absorption. Absorption is the movement of nutrients

and other substances into the cells or tissues. Since most digestion is completed in
the small intestine, the nutrients, which have already been digested into smaller
substances, are now ready to move into the bloodstream and lymph throughout the
body. Lymph carries body fluids that transport the by-products of fat digestion to the
heart and back into the bloodstream. The other nutrients are carried by the
bloodstream.

Absorption in the Small Intestine

Digested carbohydrates into their building blocks of simple sugars, lipids are
digested into their building blocks of fatty acids, and proteins are digested into their
building blocks of amino acids, they are ready to be absorbed. These building blocks
of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins then join minerals, vitamins and water in the
small intestine to move out and throughout the body. This movement is accomplished
with the help of villi, little projectiles throughout the lining of the small intestine.
Lined with muscles, these villi use wave-like motions to propel nutrients into the blood
and lymph system.
Then the portal system, which includes the liver, takes over. The word portal
means “port” or “entryway.” Simple sugars, amino acids, water-soluble vitamins, and
water are transported by the portal system. Fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins are
transported through the lymphatic system.

Lipid (fat) Absorption

Once dietary fats and oils, such as butter and olive oil, are digested into fatty acids,
then the smallest fatty acids can pass into the cells that line the small intestine. They
are fairly water soluble, so they can pass right into the bloodstream through the
capillaries. These fatty acids then head to the liver, as does glycerol, a type of alcohol
that is another product of lipid breakdown.
The larger fatty acids require their own means of transport. Since fat and water do
not mix (think about vinegar and oil salad dressing), the fatty acids need a “package”
to help them travel through the bloodstream (which is mostly water). Protein that is
supplied by dietary proteins encapsulates the fatty acids. This package of lipids and
protein is called a lipoprotein. The interior of the package also contains the lipids
cholesterol and triglycerides.

Lipoproteins are delivered to the cells as they require energy. Excess lipoproteins
are sent to the liver, which breaks them down and reformulates them. Some of the
lipoproteins carry more lipids; some carry more protein. The lipoproteins with more
protein are called high-density lipoprotein or HDL. High-density lipoproteins tend
to be better for cardiovascular health than the lipoproteins that carry more lipids,
which are called low-density lipoproteins or LDL.

METABOLISM

Once the nutrients are sent to the cells, they need to be converted into energy for
the many body functions. Metabolism is the sum of all of the physical and chemical
processes by which energy is created and made available to the body. This energy can

Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence
be used for such purposes as to build new body structures, including cells; heat the
body; maintain or repair it; and provide energy for everyday activities and exercise.

Simple sugars, fatty acids and amino acids, the building blocks of carbohydrates,
lipids, and proteins, may also be combined into bigger and different compounds for
the body to use. This process is called anabolism (as in anabolic steroids that are
used to build muscles). Catabolism is the opposite process—when compounds break
down, as in severe muscle wasting that might occur during certain diseases or eating
disorders.

ACTIVITY NUMBER 4

Arrange the jumbled words/terms pertaining to concepts in digestion, absorption

and metabolism. Write all your answers in the answer sheet.
1. ptiAbsnoro is the movement of nutrients and other substances into the cells
or tissues.
2. etMalibosm is the sum of all of the physical and chemical processes by
which energy is created and made available to the body.
3. Smtohac, a pouch at the end of the esophagus
4. The enzyme that breaks down foods and beverages inside of the mouth is
called lsarivay masylea
5. Dstiiogen is the process by which food and beverages are physically and
chemically broken down into smaller components by the human body.
6. The liver also produces ilbe, a substance that helps to digest fat.
7. The stomach is filled with rihocydrhloc adci, a strong acid that can digest
protein foods and mucous and enzymes that break down other foods and
beverages.
8. llvii, little projectiles throughout the lining of the small intestine.
9. The velir is an essential organ for breaking down and processing nutrients.
10. Chyarbodresat take the shortest amount of time before they are digested

ANSWER

1 6

2 7

3 8

4 9

5 10

Developed by: QUIRINO STATE College of Teacher

BTLED FOOD AND NUTRITION

GEROME B. TAGUIAM, MSPH, RND
UNIVERSITY
10/10/21
Education

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