The digestive system describes the alimentary canal its accessory organs and a variety of digestive processes that prepare food eaten in the diet for absorption In this assessment I will be explaining the purpose of digestion the several mechanisms for moving food along the GI tract Also explain the chemical digestion of protein carbohydrates and lipids Digestion is defined as the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller parts to a form that can be absorbed into the bloodstream The end of the digestive process is defecation The food enters the mouth is chewed by the teeth and broken down by the saliva from the salivary glands It travels down the oesophagus and into the stomach where acid breaks down most of the food The remainder goes through the small intestine then through the large intestine or bowel and comes out as waste through the anus The purpose of the digestive tract is to break down our food into absorbable nutrients Our food consists of carbohydrates proteins and fats which need to be broken down into sugars amino acids and fatty acids If our digestive system can t break down our food adequately our body could absorb macromolecules which could include bacteria This could lead to infection irritation to the intestine intestinal toxaemia or other diseases In other words without adequate digestion there is no possible good health The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal GI tract also called the digestive tract