The digestive system is divided into regions that specialize in the process of digestion. The tract is primarily composed of a layer of cells, that secrete digestive juices and mucous as well as absorb nutrients, surrounded by muscle. It includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. We'll describe the digestive process in detail.
When we eat such things as bread, meat, and vegetables, they are not in a form that the body can use as nourishment. Our food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before they can be absorbed into the blood and carried to cells throughout the body.
Digestion is the process by which food and drink are broken down into their smallest parts so that the body can use them to build and nourish cells and to provide energy. Moving constantly and slowly, the digestive tract and it's accessory organs of digestion (the liver, gallbladder and pancreas) are faced with the task of converting all the foods we eat (from apples to zuchinni) into energy that supports and supplies the brain, the heart and the entire body. Impressively, the digestive tract can digest and absorb about 95 percent of nutrients, water, and electrolytes eaten (that is if we eat foods that don't harm it's environment).
In many senses, the digestive system resembles our car's gas tank. The food we eat is the fuel or gas that the digestive system (or fuel tank), converts into combustible power and energy needed to make our muscles move, carry out bodily functions, and repair and rebuild tissue. The digestive tract also functions as an immune organ, serving as a protective barrier to ingested toxins, allergens, and pathogens (bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi) that could otherwise cause disease.
