How does your body digest food from start to finish?

Digestion begins in the mouth, where teeth mechanically break down food and saliva adds enzymes like amylase to start breaking down carbohydrates. You swallow, and the food travels down the esophagus via muscular contractions called peristalsis into the stomach, where hydrochloric acid and enzymes like pepsin break down proteins, turning food into a liquid called chyme. Chyme moves into the small intestine, where the pancreas releases digestive enzymes and the liver contributes bile to break down fats. Nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream. The remaining material passes into the large intestine, where water and electrolytes are absorbed, gut bacteria ferment remaining matter, and waste is compacted and eventually eliminated through the rectum and anus.