Mouth to Esophagus -- Digestive System

Cell — Basic building block of living things

Tissue — A group of cells that work together to perform a job (muscle tissue, eyes)

Organ — A group of tissues that work together to perform a specific function 

Body System — A group of organs that work together to perform a specific function


4 main jobs of digestive system:

  1.   Ingestion (eating)

  2.   Digestion (breaking down foods)

  3.   Absorption (nutrients)

  4.   Excretion (defecation)


Bolus — this is what a mashed up ball of food in your mouth is called - ready for swallowing

Esophagus — the tube connecting your mouth to your stomach

Epiglottis — Covers the opening to the trachea (airway) when you swallow so food does not go down your airway (leads to your lungs)

Peristalsis — series of muscle contractions that move food through digestive tract, occurs in esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines.

Mechanical digestion — Breaking down food by teeth, tongue, saliva, peristalsis

Chemical digestion — Breaking down molecules in food using enzymes

Carbohydrates — Your cells preferred energy source (glucose) Found in bread, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables. The two main carbs we’re focusing on are sugars and starch.

The 6 essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, water

Sugar — Simple carbohydrate, needed for cells for energy

Starch — Complex carbohydrate, long chain of sugars, needs to be broken down into sugars

Benedict’s Solution — A chemical indicator – tests for the presence of sugar

Lugol’s Solution – A chemical indicator – tests for the presence of starch

Enzyme — A molecule that breaks down other molecules in food. An example of this is salivary amylase.

Salivary amylase — An enzyme that breaks down molecules of starch into molecules of sugars, this enzyme is in your saliva and starts working in your mouth

Upper esophageal sphincter — a muscular valve located at the top of the esophagus, only opens when swallowing, prevents air from getting into esophagus

Lower esophageal sphincter — a muscular valve located at the bottom of the esophagus and top of the stomach, regulates the passage of food and prevents stomach acid from entering esophagus