The food goes into the mouth where chemical and mechanical digestion starts. Saliva from the glands in the bottom and the back of the jaw is added for chemical digestion. Your teeth and tongue start the mechanical digestion by crushing and tearing the food apart. The mashed food is then passed through the stomach, via peristalsis, and into the stomach. The sphincter, at the bottom of the esophagus, stops food from re-entering the esophagus and regurgitating. In the stomach several acids and enzymes, made in the walls of the stomach, are added to break down proteins, carbohydrates, etc. The lining is surrounded by mucus to protect the smooth muscle that mechanically stirs the stew. Once the food has been broken down enough it is called chyme, a thick soup. At this stage the chyme passes out of the stomach and into the duodenum, the first 35 centimeters of the stomach. Here, in the small intestine, pancreatic juices from the pancreas and bile from the liver collect in the gall bladder. This mixture is the passed through the bile duct and out the pancreatic duct into the small intestine. These chemicals break food down even further so it can be absorbed by the minute capillaries in the tiny villi that line the small intestine. Nutrients and minerals are taken by the blood stream throughout the body for nourishment, repair, etc. All of the left over water, fruit skins and minerals is now passed into the large intestine, the final step in digestion. Here water and all other absorbable nutrients are taken away. If too much water is absorbed you can become constipated, too little and you could have diarrhea. The remaining feces are taken into the rectum and passed out of the anus, leaving the body.