How does the human body separate nutrients and food waste?
Intro
When you eat food it gets digested and becomes a liquid called chyme, which is basically liquid poo.
Stomach
The stomach is a stretchy muscular bag that's the size of a tennis ball when empty and when full it is football sized. The stomach also releases digestive juices and hydrochloric acid (HCL) to break down food and kill bacteria. Also the stomach muscles squeeze food into a liquid called chyme which then goes into the small intestine.
Small intestine
The inside of the small intestine is covered with villi to help absorb nutrients. The nutrients get sucked out of the food that was eaten and then the leftover waste gets passed into the large intestine. Then when you go to the bathroom, the waste get pushed out.
Gallbladder
The gallbladder stores bile, a liquid that aids in digestion.
Pancreas
The pancreas sits just behind the stomach and makes chemicals called enzymes which help extract nutrients from food. It also makes insulin, a hormone which helps control your blood sugar levels.
Parts of the digestive system
Diagram of the stomach
This picture and the video below shows how hydrochloric acid starts to dissolve a McDonald's cheeseburger.
Visit these sources to find more information:
Websites about Human Digestion:
Fun Facts:
Fun fact #1: Cells along the inner wall of the stomach secrete 2 liters of HCL a day.
Fun fact #2: Humans make 1 to 3 pints of saliva a day. Saliva is a lubricant so food can go down.
Fun fact #3: An adult's stomach can hold 1.5 liters of food material.
Fun fact #4: Food stays in your stomach for 3 to 4 hours.
Fun fact #5: When you eat a pineapple, it's actually eating you because it has an enzyme that has a taste for human tissue. Stomach acid destroys the enzyme.
