Digital Learning Commons: Body Systems: Digestive

Digestive System Diagram

Illustration from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center

Digestive System Vocabulary

digestive system : organ system that breaks down food and extracts nutrients from the food for use by the entire body

alimentary canal : the long tube in the body through which food passes after it is eaten

bile : a digestive juice secreted by the liver

carbohydrate : an essential component of living cells and source of energy

esophagus : the tube that leads from the mouth through the throat to the stomach

feces : solid wastes in the large intestine that are expelled from the body

gall bladder : the organ in the body in which bile from the liver is stored

liver : a large organ of the body that produces bile and cleans the blood

pancreas : a large gland of the body that is near the stomach and that produces insulin and other substances that help the body digest food

peristalsis : regular muscular contractions that move food through the digestive tract

salivary glands : a small organ that produces saliva in the mouth

small intestine : the long, narrow upper part of the intestine in which food is digested after it leaves the stomach

sphincter : a ring of muscle that aids in the one-way passage of food through the digestive tract

stomach : the sac-like organ in the body where food begins to be digested after eating

teeth : the set of hard, bony enamel-coated structures in the mouth used for biting and chewing

tongue : the soft, movable part in the mouth that is used for tasting and eating food and in human beings for speaking

Adapted from Human Body Systems by the National Science Resource Center, Vocabulary.com Systems of the Human Body by Tina S. and digestive system by Julie W., Body System Vocabulary Quizlet by tblaschke, and LearnersDictionary.com

How the food you eat affects your gut - Shilpa Ravella

How your digestive system works - Emma Bryce

What does the liver do? - Emma Bryce

What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce

Digestive System Books

The Digestive System/The Urinary System by World Book
Call Number: 612.3 DIG
Contents: What is digestion? -- Teeth and tongue -- From mouth to stomach -- Peristalsis -- The stomach -- The small intestine -- The pancreas -- Digestion chemicals -- The liver -- Cleaning the blood -- The large intestine -- The kidneys -- The urinary tract -- Food for growth -- Food for energy -- Kilojoules and calories -- Vitamins and minerals -- A balanced diet -- Food poisoning -- Digestive illnesses -- Healthy digestion -- Glossary.
Digestion by Steve Parker
Call Number: 612.3 PAR
This book explains how the human body takes in food and breaks it down, absorbs the useful parts from it, and then gets rid of the waste. We will look at digestive problems and consider what makes up a healthy diet. We will discover how properly balanced nutrition can benefit all the systems of the body.
Eating for Good Health by Shirley W. Gray
Call Number: 613.2 GRA
Describes the basics of how to eat correctly in order to maintain a healthy body. Photographs and sidebars further describe more complex issues and concepts.
Food by Laura Buller
Call Number: 641.3 BUL
Food complements the new look of the Eyewitness series by exploring the myriad ways in which food affects our lives.
Guts: Our Digestive System by Seymour Simon
Seymour Simon explains how the digestive system works twenty-four hours a day, turning pizza, sandwiches, milk, and other food into energy and nutrients and waste. Striking photographs on every spread show how major organs including the stomach and intestines move food through your body, and how, eventually, waste is eliminated. Guts takes the mystery out of something that happens to everyone, every day, while at the same time sharing a sense of wonder about the human body.