Digestive

System
We eat and enjoy food everyday. When we finish our food,
we wipe our mouth and go about our routine work and
forget what we had put in our stomach.
But the food that we eat is still there -- like some
science experiment that is happening inside our body.
Our digestive system stars working even before that first bite
enters our mouth, and it works on that food for next few
hours. This process is called digestion. It allows our body to
get the nutrients and energy to work and grow from the food
that we eat.
Digestion converts the comple food
substances into simpler forms
which supply nutrient that the body
needs to carry various functions.
When we chew food, saliva or spit
begins to form in our mouth which
makes food mushy and easy to
swallow. Partial digestion occurs in
the mouth through saliva. The
mushed up food called bolus is
further pushed by tongue to the
stomach.
The food reaches the stomach throught
the food pipe. Stomach releases gastric
juices which slowly breaks down the
food into the liquid mixture into the
small intestine. The digestion of food is
completed in small intestine. The
nutrients of the food enter the blood
stream through the thin walls of the
intestine. The undigested food goes into
the large intestine, from there it is
thrown out of the body through anus.
 Digestive Organs
There are a number of organs that perform the
function of digesting food and supply regular
energy to the body. The process starts with the
mouth and ends at the anus.

Mouth: You must have noticed that you have

different types of teeth in your mouth. Each one
has its own function. Salivary glands produce
saliva and the tongue mixes chewed up food
with saliva.
Teeth: There are four types of teeth in the
mouth.
 Incisors: The front four teeth each at the top and the
bottom are called incisors. They are like tiny chisels with flat
ands that are sharp. These teeth are used for cutting and
chopping food. When you bite into the skin of an apple or a
chocolate bar, these teeth are used.

Canines: The pointed teeth besides the incisors are called

canines. There are four of them -- tow at the top and two at
the bottom. They help to tear the food.
 Premolars: Next to the canines, are premolars. These are
8 in a number -- four at the upper jaw and four at the lower
jaw. These teeth are bigger, stronger and thick. These are
used for grinding food.

Molars: ext to the canines, are premolars. These are 8 in a

number -- four at the upper jaw and four at the lower jaw.
These teeth are bigger, stronger and thick. These are used for
grinding food. There are 12 in number ---- six at the top and
six at the bottom. The last pairs of molars both in uper and
lower jaw are called wisdom teeth. Molars teeth grind the
food to a fine paste and help the tongue to push the food
down the food pipe.
In an adult human being, there are 32 teeth.

8 + 4 + 8 + 12 + = 31
(Incisors) ( Canines) ( Premolars) (Molars)

ou know
d y ....
i The gastric acid in the
D

.?
stomach is so powerful
that it is able to eat
away an iron tablet in
5 minutes.
 Tongue: Tongue helps to taste,
chew and swallow. It mixes the food
with the saliva and pushes the food
down.

Salivary Glands: The food that we put in our mouth

gets softenes due to a liquid like mixture called saliva.
It is produced by salivary glands inside the mouth.
Salivary glands start working on seeing or sniffing our
favorite food: even before we put it in the mouth.
Food pipe: It is also called oesophagus. It
is a long muscular tube that connects the
mouth to the stomach. It is about 10
inches long. When we swallow food the
walls of food pipe squeeze to push the
food down.

Stomach: It is a strechy muscular sack

shaped J- letter like organ. It is involved
in mixing churning and mashing all the
food that comes down. Its walls
release gastric juices that digest the
food.
Stomach: It is a long, thin tube about 22 feet long. When food
reaches here it gets broken down with the help of the liver, the
pancreas and the gall bladder. The liver, the pancreas and the gall
bladder are the organs, associated with digestion but they are not
the parts of our digestive tract or alimentary canal.
These organs secrete different kinds of juices into the small
intestine to digest food and let the body absorb the nutrients. The
pancreas make juices that help the body to digest fats and protein.
The liver produces juices called bile that helps to absorb fats into
the blood stream. The gall bladder serves as a warehouse for bile,
storing it until the body needs it.
Large intestine: Now after spending
almost 4 hours in the small intestine,
the food becomes a watery mixture
and all the nutrients are absorbed by
the blood stream throught the thin
walls of the small intestine. The
leftover food goes into the large
intestine. It is about 5 feet long. The
walls of the large intestine absorb the
water and the waste product is stored
in the rectum and pushed out of the
body through anus.
Healthy Digestive System
We can care of our digestive system which performs
such important function of the body.

We should increase the intake of water and

healthy drinks.
We should eat more fruits, salads, sprouts,
fibre- rich foods.
We should chew the food properly.
So now when you sit to eat food: you know
where it is travelling and what it is turning
into.
Healthy Digestive System
Read and choose TRUE or FALSE

1.- We should chew the food twice. TRUE FALSE

2.-We should eat more fruits, salads.. TRUE FALSE

3.- We should eat a lot of junk food. TRUE FALSE
4.- We should increase the intake of water. TRUE FALSE
5.- We should drink a lot of soda. TRUE FALSE