Your digestive system is one of the most important systems in your body. Without the digestive system,your body would not be able to get nutrients from the food you eat
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into small molecules that cells absorb and use.
Mechanical digestion physically breaks food into smaller pieces. Chemical digestion breaks apart food on a molecular level through chemical reactions. Once food is digested, it's nutrients are absorbed into the body and carried to the cells
Both types of digestion start in the mouth. The teeth are responsible for mechanical digestion by grinding and chewing food to break it into smaller pieces. This makes it easier for chemical digestion to occur. Saliva in the mouth has special chemicals in it called enzymes. An enzyme is a type of protein that regulates nearly all chemical reactions in cell. Enzymes start breaking the food into simpler molecules the body can use.