Page 41 - FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE; EXPLORING GOD’S UNIVERSE

Science Y6 – Marvellous Me – lesson 14 – information on digestive system

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Do you know how many metres the food you eat has to travel through your body?

When you chew and swallow food it begins a journey through your
body that is 6-9 metres long! Food contains nutrients such as
proteins, carbohydrates and fat that our body can use as fuel. Many
things happen to the food you eat before it becomes fuel for your
body. The digestive process begins as soon as you put food into
your mouth.

The Mouth

Your teeth begin the digestive process by chewing the food and breaking it
down into smaller pieces. But your salivary glands help out by producing
saliva, or spit, to help your teeth make food soft and mushy and easier to
swallow. Once you swallow it the food travels down the oesophagus.

Oesophagus

Oesophagus

The oesophagus is like a pipe that is about 25 cm long. Once food has
oesophagus
entered the oesophagus, it doesn't just drop right into your stomach.
Instead, muscles in the walls of the oesophagus move in a wavy way to

slowly squeeze the food through the oesophagus and into your stomach.

The Stomach

Food spends two to three hours in the stomach mixing with all sorts of acid and
digestive juices. These juices break down the food into smaller pieces that the

body can use. The walls of the stomach contain a thick layer of mucous that
protects it from the hydrochloric acids inside. When the food is the consistency
of porridge the stomach gradually releases it into the small intestine, where
digestion is completed.

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