What happens to our food after we eat it? Step 1: Mouth Mechanical digestion starts when we bite and chew our food Chemical digestion starts as saliva (enzymes) start to break down the food further Step 2: Stomach After you swallow, the food travels down the pharynx and esophagus to the stomach. Mechanical digestion happens as the stomach muscles contract and squeeze the food Chemical digestion happens as stomach acid further breaks down the food into nutrients Step 3: Small Intestine The liquefied food (chyme) moves from the stomach into the small intestine. It mixes with chemicals from the pancreas that make it less acidic. Beginning of small intestine/ pancreas Nutrients absorbed The nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine (villi). Step 4: Large Intestine The water is absorbed by the large intestine This creates solid wastefeces Problems with the large intestine Diarrhea: When the large intestine does not remove enough water from the waste Constipation: When the large intestine removes too much water from the waste