The digestive process breaks down food to turn it to body fuel,
Before food gets to your mouth, sensing its presence will make you drool!
Mastication, or chewing, causes mechanical digestion,
All while your salivary enzymes cause chemical digestion!

Chewing increases surface area, it’s handled by pearly whites,
So enzymes like amylase, lingual lipase can attack all sites!
Mucus in saliva lubricates the product, now a bolus,
It’s swallowed by way of the pharynx into the esophagus!

In deglutition’s oral phase, food from the tongue’s back starts descent,
Soft palate rises, tongue rolls back, food into the pharynx is sent!
The pharynx phase! The epiglottis closes and choking it does prevent!

The upper esophageal sphincter, the esophagus’ door,
Closes once food is received so it doesn’t return up once more!
The esophageal phase is the final stage of deglutition.
The epiglottis now opens, you can resume respiration!

The bolus is now moved downward by waves known as peristalsis,
To the stomach through the LES end of the esophagus!

Stomachs have a cardia, fundus, body, antrum, pylorus!
The cardia’s the top, gas from digestion’s stored in the fundus!
The body mixes food! Till food can leave, in the antrum it’s stuck,
‘Cause the pylorus controls when and how it exits the stomach!

Stomach folds, called rugae, unfold when a large meal spurs expansion!
The bolus undergoes chemical, mechanical digestion!
Gastric juice kills microbes, starts protein digestion as it contains,
Pepsin and HCl, which a pH of 13 attains!

Muscle contractions, peristalsis, in the stomach churn content,
The result, chyme, slowly through the pyloric sphincter valve is sent!
This sphincter leads to the duodenum which absorbs nutrients present!

The alimentary canal runs from the mouth to the anus,
Accessory organs of digestion, the liver, pancreas,
As well as the gallbladder and salivary glands are known to,
Secrete or store substances that go into the GI tract’s brew!

The liver makes fatbreaking bile, which gets stored in the gallbladder!
Pancreatic enzymes put proteins, fats, and carbs through a blender!

Duodenum, jejunum, ileum, small intestine parts three,
The duodenum receives bile and pancreatic enzymes, see?
Which releases nutrients to be absorbed in the jejunum!
More nutrients are absorbed in the third section, the ileum!

The large intestine has the cecum with appendix then we get,
Ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid colon, and don’t forget,
The transverse colon has hepatic, splenic flexures, which are bends!
Finally there’s the rectum and anus, where poop leaves our rear ends!

The large intestine absorbs water, stores waste for defecation,
Digestive residue spreads on its walls by a churning motion,
The gastrocolic reflex twice or thrice a day sends stool toward excretion!

The gut microbiome is super crucial digestion support!
With trillions of microbes that live here and for duty report!
Foods you eat have a major impact on your microbiome health,
Sometimes needed, antibiotics send gut microbes to their death!

Besides aiding digestion, the microbiome helps immune cells,
Impacts your mental health, and at producing gas for farts excels!

Water absorbtion asset: https://videohive.net/item/2dsmokep...

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Music from "I am the very model of a modern major general"