Digestion of Food

for Class 4
By Isaac Akasiniku
In this chapter, Digestion of Food,
Class 4, we learn will learn about
how the food we eat are digested
by our body and how the digested
food gives us energy to do work.
We will also learn about different
organs inside our body which
helps to digest the food.
What is Digestion?
Our body needs energy to
perform our daily activities.
We need energy to work, to
play, to dance, to study or
to perform any other
activities.
From where do we get this
energy?
The foot we eat such as fufu, rice, banku,
vegetables, milk, fruits and vegetables, etc. is
broken down into smaller and simpler forms.
This process of breaking down of food into simpler
forms inside our body is called digestion. This
digested food is then taken to all parts of our body
by the blood.
What is a Digestive System?
Digestion in our body takes place in a number of
steps. Several internal organs of our body helps in
digestion of food. These organs together make up
our digestive system.
Look at the image given below. It marks all the organs that
make up the digestive system.
Digestion in the Mouth
Saliva is a digestive juice produced by the salivary gland
in the mouth. When we chew food, our teeth break the
food into smaller pieces.
Our tongue mixes the smaller pieces of food with saliva.
This makes the food soft so that it can be swallowed
easily. Our tongue then helps to push the food into a thin
and long tube called the food pipe.
Digestion in the Stomach
From the food pipe the food passes into the stomach. In
the stomach the food mixes up with more digestive juices.
These juices start to break down proteins and fats into
simpler substances. In the stomach, the food remains for
up to three hours.
Digestion in the Small Intestine
From the stomach, the food passes into the small
intestine. The shape of small intestine is like a long, coiled
tube. The inner walls of the small intestine produce certain
juices.
Other organs such as the liver and pancreas also produce
juices which are poured into the small intestine. The food
mixes with these juices and is completely digested.
The digested food is now in a simple, soluble form. It is
absorbed into the blood through the walls of the small
intestine.
The blood then carries the digested food to all parts of the
body. This digested food is used to produce energy.
What happens to the undigested food?
Some parts of the food are not digested by the body.
They pass into a pipe-like organ called the large
intestine. Water from the undigested food is absorbed
by the large intestine. The solid waste that remains
passes out of the body through the opening called the
anus.
Good Eating Habits
We can also play a part in proper digestion of food by
our body. We must follow the rules as mentioned
below:
· We should eat our food at fixed time.
· We should chew our food properly before swallowing
it. We should not eat in a hurry. Properly chewed food
helps in faster digestion of the food.
· After having meal we should rinse our
mouth thoroughly.
· Water helps in digestion of food. We
should drink sufficient quantity of water
every day.
· We should eat lots of vegetables and
fruits. They gives us nutrients to keep
our body healthy. We should also eat
food that give us roughage or fibre. Our
body cannot digest fibre but fibre helps
to remove waster from our body.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.