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Digestive System

Introduction

What are the steps in the digestive process?

There are five major steps in the process of digestion.

  1. Ingestion: the eating of any food

  2. Peristalsis: the involuntary muscle contractions that move the ingested food through the digestive tract

  3. Digestion: the conversion of the food molecules into nutrients that can then be used by the body

  4. Absorption: the passage of the nutrients into the bloodstream and/or lymphatic system to be used by the body’s cells

  5. Defecation: the elimination of the undigested and unabsorbed ingested materials

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