Describe the Process of Digestion, Essay Example

Digestion begins in the mouth. If I were to consume a turkey sandwich, physical digestion would occur as a consequence of mastication using the teeth. At this point, the salivary gland would activate and chemical digestion would occur simultaneously by making the food moist, preparing it for the additional digestion steps. At this point, the food would travel down the throat also called the pharynx. It then travels down the esophagus where it is brought to the stomach through peristalsis. The food will not be sent back up the esophagus due to influence from the esophageal sphincter. When the food reaches the stomach, chemical digestion will continue as the food is broken down by enzymes released by the stomach acid. Specifically, pepsin will break proteins into peptides, indicating that this is where the turkey will be digested. At this point, the food will be churned to maximally ensure the food break down.

Next, the food travels to the small intestine. At this point, the food is further broken down using enzymes that are let out of the pancreas and bile from the liver. Pancreatic amylase breaks down starch into sugars, so the bread is digested at this point. Bile digests fat and eliminates waste from the blood, so this would help break down the cheese. As the nutrients are being processed, they are passed to the duodenum to continue to break down the food while the jejunum and ileum help these nutrients absorb into the bloodstream. Next, the food travels to the large intestine. The food enters the cecum, which is at the beginning of the large intestine and travels through it to the rectum. At this point, stool is released through the anus. Since the lettuce from the sandwich cannot fully be broken down, it will be released in this manner.

References

Enzyme Stuff. (n.d.). Which Enzymes to Use with Which Foods. Retrieved from http://www.enzymestuff.com/basicswhichenzyme.htm

Lampert L. (2015). Do Enzymes Break Down Carbohydrates, Fats & Proteins for Digestion? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/495838-do-enzymes-break-down-carbohydrates-fats-proteins-for-digestion/

WedMD. (n.d.). Your Digestive System. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/your-digestive-system?page=2