Question

An acquaintance remarks to you that you should not eat different kinds of foods at the same time. she tells you that she has read that the digestive system cannot digest both proteins and carbohydrates at the same time. on the basis of what you have learned in this lesson, formulate a response that includes describing the pathway that the food travels through the body and how food is absorbed in the small intestine.

Answer 1

Digestion is the vital procedure that starts right in the mouth. The mechanical digestion begins right from the mouth with chewing of the food. Moreover, the chemical digestion of the carbohydrates also begins in the mouth by the salivary amylases. The pepsin released in the stomach helps in the digestion of the proteins present in the food. The churning of the stomach walls, mix the food with the stomach acid, which will aid in its digestion. From the stomach, the food passes to the small intestine, where the pancreatic juice, and the bile juice helps in the digestion of the carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The absorption of the digested food also starts in the small intestine. It is absorbed through the surface of the villi present on the small intestine inner wall, which increases the surface area for absorption. The food continues to move towards the large intestine, and the water and salt are absorbed here.