Final answer:
The digestion process starts when you chew food in your mouth, where it's mixed with saliva. Through peristalsis, the food moves through your digestive tract, where it's broken down by stomach acids, then nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, and waste exits via the large intestine and anus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Digestive System
When you take a bite of nachos, the first step in the digestion process begins in the mouth. Here, your teeth chop the food into smaller chunks while saliva mixes with it to make it soft and easy to swallow. When you swallow, the food travels down your throat and into your stomach, a process made possible by peristalsis, which are wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract.
In the stomach, food is churned and mixed with digestive juices that break it down into even smaller bits. From there, it moves into the small intestine, where most of the nutrients are absorbed into your body. The leftover material, now mostly waste, makes its way to the large intestine, where water is absorbed and the remaining waste is eventually pushed out of your body through the anus.
It's important to know that different organs of the digestive system play specific roles in this process. For instance, the liver and pancreas add important enzymes to help in digestion not covered in the stomach. This entire journey from mouth to exit point involves a complex system working to turn your nachos into the energy and nutrients needed for life.