Sci-Lite: Journey of Food

Journey of Food

We usually wonder about our eating tasting and other habits related to food consumption. But we do not know that the food itself has to travel a long journey of 10 to 12 hours through our amazing digestive system. So I will throw some light on the topic.

The Journey of food starts with the opening of the elementary canal or the Mouth and the food pipe or esophagus and ends when we go to the toilet. Through the elementary canal food is attacked, churned and squeezed by various digestive organs and Juices. So, let us start from the first step

But before that, we should know that how do we get hungry? Interesting question right! Well, the answer to this very question is brain. The specific part of brain called hypothalamus makes us feel hungry and thirsty. And the other part of the brain namely medulla controls the automatic gut movements which are done by the involuntary muscles or unstrapped muscles. Now proceeding with the process-

Eating and chewing

The first step of food’s journey is to be crushed and meshed by our teeth and then simultaneously get mixed with the salivary enzyme such as amylase. The salivary enzymes break down starchy substances of the food into simpler substance. The saliva flows down more during an eating session rather than a normal time period and is produced by submandibular gland and sublingual gland in the mouth.

Swallowing and the epiglottis

When we swallow the food after chewing, it enters the food pipe or esophagus which is a tube surrounded by muscles that pushes down the food. But before entering the food pipe there are chances that it may enter the wind pipe, so to prevent this there is a flap like structure namely epiglottis that closes the wind pipe before the food enters it.

Acid Attack!

The food is sent by the esophagus to the stomach. Stomach is a muscular bag which squashes and mashes the food which it receives.

But the main digestion process is carried out with in the stomach. In the inner part of the stomach wall there are many folds and turns called rugae which allow the stomach to stretch. The inner most layer of the stomach wall is called the submucosa and above that the mucosa. These layers contain mucous producing cells the helps to prevent the hydrochloric acid produced by the hydrolytic cells to harm the wall. The hydrochloric acid help in digesting the hard component of food and killing bad microorganism. The hydrolytic cells are lined within the gastric pits in the mucosa with the slim producing cells. The last part of the stomach or the entrance of the small intestine is called Duodenum.