Describe the structure, location, and function of the esophagus.

II. PARTS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT

A. ORAL CAVITY

Describe how food is mechanically digested in the oral cavity.

Your answer

B. PHARYNX and ESOPHAGUS

1. Discuss the events that occur during swallowing.

Your answer

2. Which portions of the pharynx does food pass through when swallowing?

Your answer

3. Describe the structure, location, and function of the esophagus.

Your answer

ETC.

Trace a Meal through the Digestive Tract – QUESTIONS:

I. FOODS AND THEIR NUTRIENTS

A. List all of the foods in your meal and the nutrients they contain.

Using information provided in the nutrition labels for the foods you ate, list the nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and/or fats) each food item contains.  For carbohydrate-containing food(s), note whether fiber is present.  For lipid-containing food(s), note whether cholesterol is present.

B. Briefly describe how each food item was prepared. For example, was food item X steamed, baked, grilled, fried, or raw?

C. Discuss how different food preparation techniques affect the nutritional value of foods. Example: How would a battered, fried chicken breast differ in nutrient composition compared to baking a chicken breast? Would boiling broccoli (versus eating it raw) change the nutrients it contains?

II.  PARTS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT

A. ORAL CAVITY

After ingestion, the physical breakdown of solid foods (mechanical digestion) begins in the oral cavity (mouth). Describe how food is mechanically digested in the oral cavity. Include a discussion of how the teeth, tongue, and saliva work together to convert solid food into a moist, semi-solid mass of food called a bolus. Example: think of how a hard, dry saltine cracker is converted into a moist ball (bolus) in the mouth.