How do the stomach and

intestines work?
Stomach
Stomach
 is a large organ that is lined with layers of
muscles where food is broken down into
smaller particles. As the muscles contract
and relax, food is squeezed, twisted and
churned.
Small Intestine
 is about 2.5 cm wide and 7m long coiled
tube where food is finally digested and
absorbed. Digestive enzymes and juices are
produced in the small intestine to
completely break the food into nutrients.
The nutrients are then absorbed by the
small intestine then go into the blood
stream.
Large Intestine
 is about 1.5 m long which the undigested
food particles are absorbed and eliminated
out of the body.
How does digestion works?
 The food we eat gives energy needed by our
body to function. Before our body can make use
of the food eaten, it must be broken down into
nutrients through a process known as
digestion.
 Digestion takes place as soon as we start to
chew food. The teeth break it down into small
bits or pieces. The salivary gland produces
saliva which mixes with the food to soften it.
The saliva also kills bacteria and breaks down
starches into simple sugars, thus digestion of
starches starts in the mouth. Moist chewed
food from the mouth goes down to stomach.

 The process of digestion is both mechanical
and chemical. The mechanical part breaks down
food into small bits by the chewing of food in
the mouth and squeezing and churning of food
in the stomach. The chemical part of digestion
is the mixing of food particles with chemicals
and enzymes in the saliva and stomach which
changes it into nutrients that can be absorbed
by the body. Food stays in the stomach for
about four hours until it turns into a thick
liquid. It then goes into the small intestine.
 The linings of the small intestine function like
a filter. Digested nutrients needed by the
body are absorbed by the linings of the small
intestine just like water that passed through
the filter. Undigested food particles (like
seeds, tough fruit pulp and not properly
chewed meat) are passed to the large
intestine to be passed out of the body during
defecation.