| A | B |
|---|
| Nutrition | the process of obtaining raw materials from food |
| Ingestion | the act of eating food or drinking |
| Digestion | mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into molecules small enough for absorption |
| Absorption | uptake of small nutrient molecules |
| elimination | passage of undigested material from the digestive tract |
| saliva | liquid secreted into the mouth that contains digestive enzymes |
| pharynx | upper portion of the throat |
| esophagus | muscle-encased tube that transports food from the pharynx to the stomach |
| peristalsis | series of smooth muscle contractions that push food through the alimentary canal |
| stomach | elastic, muscular sac where chemical and mechanical digestion takes place |
| small intestine | long, narrow tube where digestion is completed and most absorption occurs |
| liver | largest organ in the body; produces bile |
| gall bladder | organ that stores bile from the liver and releases it into the small intestine |
| pancreas | gland that makes digestive enzymes and secretes them into the small intestine |
| villi | fingerlike projection of the small intestine that functions in absorbing nutrients |
| large intestine | portion of the alimentary canal from which water is reabsorbed into the body |
| malnutrition | condition caused by a diet lacking essential nutrients |
| obesity | condition of being significantly overweight |
