Digestive System For Kids - How does the Digestive System Work?

What is digestion?

When you eat, your food begins a long journey through your body.
Most of your food is broken down into lots of tiny, simple pieces so that your body can use it.
This breaking- down process starts in your mouth and is called digestion. 
The various substances that aid in digestion are known as digestive juices.
Your body uses food to acquire energy. Food contains special chemicals that provide energy in your body’s cells.
Energy keeps all the different parts of your body working.
Without energy, all your muscles and every other part of you would stop working.
Food also helps your body grow and repair parts that have become worn out or damaged.

Food to keep you healthy

Food contains many different substances that work together to keep you going.
Food substances that give you energy are called carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are found in foods like potatoes, rice, and bread. Milk, butter, and cheese are fatty foods.
The parts of your food that help your body grow and mend itself are called proteins. These are mainly found in meat, milk, eggs, nuts, and grain.
Your food also contains vitamins and minerals, which help you stay healthy. They make the chemicals in your body work properly.
Food also contains tough parts called fiber. Fiber helps to keep your intestines in good working order.
We take in water from our food, as well as water from what we drink.
Your blood needs a great deal of water to carry all these substances around your body.

Food Digestion Process

1. Your food is mixed and mashed as it passes through your body.
First of all, you chew it with your teeth. Then you mix it in your mouth with a liquid called saliva. At the back of the mouth is a leaf-shaped flap of muscle, called the epiglottis. 
As you swallow, this covers your trachea and stops food from entering your lungs.

2. After you have swallowed the food, it passes into your stomach, where a strong acid breaks it down.

This process is helped by special chemicals called enzymes. There are lots of muscles in the stomach wall that mix the food up with digestive juices. The stomach acid also helps to kill germs in your food.

3. From your stomach, food passes into the small intestine. This is where digestion mostly takes place. Muscles keep the food mixture moving around. The useful food substances pass through the wall of the small intestine and into your bloodstream. Your blood then carries them to where they are needed.