What are the parts of the digestive system and their functions?

Mouth - break down food mechanically and chemically

Salivary Glands - produce saliva that contains enzymes which chemically break down food

Esophagus - move food from mouth to stomach through a process called peristalsis

Stomach - chemically break down food with stomach acid, mechanically break down food with the contracting of stomach muscles

Liver - creates bile that helps with digestion, stores, distributes and breaks down nutrients

Gallbladder - temporarily stores bile and squeezes it into the small intestine to break down fat droplets

Pancreas - produces pancreatic juice that contains digestive enzymes and bicarbonate

Small Intestine - absorbs nutrients from chyme

Large Intestine - absorbs water and dries out food, turning it into waste

Rectum - stores waste before it leaves the body

Anus - an opening where waste exits the body