Science Behind: Digestion

What did you have for dinner last night? What about the night before that? Well, whatever it is, that food has already passed through what is known as your GI tract, or the gastrointestinal tract which is made up by your gallbladder, pancreas, liver, mouth, intestines, stomach, and esophagus. 

When you eat, your gastrointestinal tract breaks nutrients (such as fats and carbs) down into smaller pieces so your body can absorb them through continuous movements and digestive juices going on in the GI tract. 

Basically, you chew, swallow, and that food moves into your stomach where proteins get broken down. Then, the food moves through the small intestine, pancreas, liver, and then the large intestine. This happens through a process named peristalsis, which is a continuous cycle of the relaxing and squeezing of those GI tract muscles. At large, the process is automatic from the moment you swallow food until it comes out the other end (except for the nutrients).

So, try not to think about this too much the next time you sit down to eat. But, if you’re curious, it’s all I’m going to be able to think about now.