DIGESTIVE SYSTEMWEDNESDAY, 12/5/2012

DIGESTIVE SYSTEMBreaks down the food you eat

Before you eat, when you smell a tasty food, see it or even think about it……what happens?

When you eat, saliva helps break down chemicals in the food

ESOPHAGUSTONGUE pushes food to back of the throat

into the ESOPHAGUS.10 in. long and moves food to stomach

– Muscles in the walls help food to move by squeezing it through the esophagus

– Attached to the end of the esophagus is the STOMACH

STOMACHShaped like a “J”

Stores foodBreaks down food into a liquidy mixtureSlowly empties mixture into SMALL INTESTINE(sort of like a mixer mashing food together with the help of gastric juices which helps to kill bacteria)

SMALL INTESTINE1.5 – 2 in. around; at least 22 feet longPacked inside of your stomach

Breaks down the food mixture so your body can absorb all vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats

Food spends as long as 4 hours in small intestine….with the help of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder

THE BUDDIESPANCREAS – makes juices that help the

body digest fats and proteinsJuice from the LIVER called bile helps

absorb fats into the bloodstreamGALLBLADDER serves as the warehouse

for the bile

LIVERNutrient-rich blood goes here for processing

Filters out harmful substances or wastesHelps figure out how many nutrients will

go to the rest of the body

LARGE INTESTINE¾ in. around, 5 feet longPacked inside your bodyHas a tiny tube at the end called the

appendixAfter most nutrients are removed from the

food mixture…..there is leftover ‘waste’This ‘waste’ passes through the part of the

large intestine called the COLON.

LARGE INTESTINEThis is where the body gets its last chance to

absorb the water and minerals into the bloodAs the water leaves, waste gets harder &

harder as it moves. It then becomes a solid called……..

The large intestine pushes it into its very last stop before being extracted.

Drink water, healthy diet, fiber (fruits, veggies, whole grains)

URINARY SYSTEM

*KIDNEYS – filters waste from the blood and produces urine (IF THEY DO NOT, TOXINS BUILD UP) *URETERS – two thin tubes that take urine from the kidney to the bladder*BLADDER – a sac that holds urine until time to use the restroom*URETHRA – tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body