Most animals have one of three main types of diets: they are
either Most humans fall into the last category. In humans,
herbivores are usually called vegetarians. Strict vegetarians
who consume no animal products, whatsoever, are called vegans.
Some people are lacto-ovo-vegetarians, meaning that they also
eat dairy products and eggs. Digestion is the process of
breaking down food into molecules small enough for the body to
absorb. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fat in our diets must be
broken down and later, reassembled in forms useful to our body.
The path of food through the human digestive system includes the
following organs and structures: (clipart edited from Corel
Presentations 8) - the mouth, which includes: - the teeth, which
grind food to increase the surface area - the saliva, which
includes mucin, a lubricant; buffers to neutralize acidic foods,
antibacterial agents, and which converts starch to maltose - the
tongue which tastes and manipulates the food which in humans,
leads to both the trachea and