Topic 5: Digestive System

CORE CONTENT:

Healthy diet

• a healthy diet (eating plan) requires different components including proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals, fibre and water

• disorders of the digestive system can be related to inappropriate eating plans

The alimentary canal and digestion

• the alimentary canal is composed of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus

• digestion is the breakdown of food into a usable dissolved form There are two types of digestion:

-- mechanical digestion involves the physical breaking, crushing and mashing of food

-- chemical digestion involves the mixing food with digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid [no detail of the enzymes required]

• the structure of each part of the alimentary canal is adapted to its function [no detail required]