The Stages of Food Breakdown
- Food taken into the body goes through several?different stages?during its passage through the?alimentary canal?(the gut):
- Ingestion
- Mechanical digestion
- Chemical digestion
- Absorption
- Assimilation
- Egestion
- Absorption is the?movement of small digested food molecules from the digestive system into the blood?(glucose and amino acids)?and lymph?(fatty acids and glycerol)
- Absorption of small soluble molecules occurs through?diffusion?and sometimes?active transport
- Water?is absorbed (by?osmosis)?primarily in the?small intestine,?but also in?the?colon
- After absorption, assimilation and egestion occurs
- Assimilation?is the movement of digested food molecules into the cells of the body where they are used, becoming part of the cells
- Egestion?is the passing out of food that has not been digested or absorbed (as faeces) through the anus
