What do stomachs do

Like we mentioned, after most of the nutrients are removed from the food mixture there is waste left over — stuff your body can't use. This stuff needs to be passed out of the body. Can you guess where it ends up? Well, here's a hint: It goes out with a flush. Before it goes, it passes through the part of the large intestine called the colon say: CO-lun , which is where the body gets its last chance to absorb the water and some minerals into the blood.

As the water leaves the waste product, what's left gets harder and harder as it keeps moving along, until it becomes a solid. Yep, it's poop also called stool or a bowel movement. The large intestine pushes the poop into the rectum say: REK-tum , the very last stop on the digestive tract. The solid waste stays here until you are ready to go to the bathroom.

When you go to the bathroom, you are getting rid of this solid waste by pushing it through the anus say: AY-nus. There's the flush we were talking about! You can help your digestive system by drinking water and eating a healthy diet that includes foods rich in fiber. High-fiber foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, make it easier for poop to pass through your system. The digestive system is a pretty important part of your body.

Without it, you couldn't get the nutrients you need to grow properly and stay healthy. And next time you sit down to lunch, you'll know where your food goes — from start to finish!

Reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. See You in the Stomach Your stomach, which is attached to the end of the esophagus, is a stretchy sack shaped like the letter J. It has three important jobs: to store the food you've eaten to break down the food into a liquidy mixture to slowly empty that liquidy mixture into the small intestine The stomach is like a mixer, churning and mashing together all the small balls of food that came down the esophagus into smaller and smaller pieces.

Onward to the small intestine! Love Your Liver The nutrient-rich blood comes directly to the liver for processing. That's One Large Intestine At 3 or 4 inches around about 7 to 10 centimeters , the large intestine is fatter than the small intestine and it's almost the last stop on the digestive tract.

Dig That Digestive System You can help your digestive system by drinking water and eating a healthy diet that includes foods rich in fiber. During the digestive process, the sphincter relaxes and lets food pass into your stomach. Food goes through a significant part of the digestive process inside your stomach.

You may think of your stomach as a simple pouch. For example, the digestive juices and enzymes that your stomach makes to break down food could literally dissolve most of the other organs in your body. Your stomach contains a thick mucous lining that prevents these strong juices from eating through its walls. The stomach is also very flexible. When your most recent meal first enters your stomach, the upper part relaxes and expands. This lets your stomach hold and process a large amount of food and liquid.

During digestion, muscles push food from the upper part of your stomach to the lower part. This is where the real action begins. This is where digestive juices and enzymes break down the food that you chewed and swallowed.

It prepares it to provide your body with energy. The stomach makes several digestive juices and enzymes that mix with food. This process takes longer for some types of foods than others. The chyme mixes with digestive enzymes and bile in the duodenum, which consists of the first cm of the small intestine and is where nutrient absorption begins.

It has three main functions: Stores ingested food and releases it into the small intestine at a rate that is optimal for digestion and absorption. Secretes hydrochloric acid, which kills most of the microorganisms ingested with food, and secretes enzymes that begin protein digestion. Mechanically breaks down food and mixes it with gastric secretions to produce a thick, liquid mixture known as chyme. Esophagus The esophagus is a muscular tube that links the throat to the stomach.

Lower Esophageal Sphincter A specialized ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter LES opens to allow food to pass into the stomach and then quickly closes to prevent stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. Fundus The fundus stores gas produced during digestion. Antrum Strong wave-like muscle movements peristaltic contractions mix food with gastric secretions in the antrum, producing chyme.

Pyloric Sphincter The strength of the peristaltic contractions determines how much chyme is pushed through the pyloric sphincter each cycle usually only a few mL.

Duodenum The chyme mixes with digestive enzymes and bile in the duodenum, which consists of the first cm of the small intestine and is where nutrient absorption begins. Interesting Facts About the Stomach: Just thinking about tasting, smelling, chewing, and swallowing food increases gastric secretions before you even eat anything!

Amazingly, the stomach secretes 2L of gastric juice every day. Stomach acid is very acidic and contains enzymes that break down proteins, so at least every three days a new protective layer of mucus covering the stomach lining forms.