The Normal Anatomy and Digestive System
During normal digestion, after chewing and swallowing food, it moves down the esophagus and enters the stomach where gastric acid juices continue the digestive process. The stomach can hold a little over the size of a 2 liter soft drink bottle. As the food contents continue to proceed through the small intestines (small bowel), bile and pancreatic juice (released by the liver-gallbladder-pancreas), mix with the digested food contents to help speed up digestion and absorption of nutrients. Most of the calcium and iron in foods we eat is absorbed in the duodenum (first part of the small intestines). The remaining 20 feet of small intestines (called jejunum and ileum) absorb the majority of all the calories and nutrients. The food particles that cannot be digested in the small intestines are stored in the large intestine until eliminated (stool).
During normal digestion, after chewing and swallowing food, it moves down the esophagus and enters the stomach where gastric acid juices continue the digestive process. The stomach can hold a little over the size of a 2 liter soft drink bottle. As the food contents continue to proceed through the small intestines (small bowel), bile and pancreatic juice (released by the liver-gallbladder-pancreas), mix with the digested food contents to help speed up digestion and absorption of nutrients. Most of the calcium and iron in foods we eat is absorbed in the duodenum (first part of the small intestines). The remaining 20 feet of small intestines (called jejunum and ileum) absorb the majority of all the calories and nutrients. The food particles that cannot be digested in the small intestines are stored in the large intestine until eliminated (stool).
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