The Digestive System

Function

• Break down the food you eat into nutrients that your body can absorb

Digestive tract

• The path that food takes in your body

• Includes: mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus

Accessory organs

• Organs that aid in digestion, but are not included in the digestive tract

• Includes: salivary glands, liver, gall bladder, pancreas

Mechanical digestion

• The breaking, crushing, and mashing of food

Stomach

Chemical digestion

• Large molecules are broken down into nutrients

Enzymes

• The chemical scissors that break some nutrients into smaller pieces