The digestive process begins in . Food is partly broken down by the process of chewing and by the chemical action of salivary enzymes (these enzymes are produced by the and break down starches into smaller molecules). After being chewed and swallowed, the food enters , which is a long tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach. It uses rhythmic, wave-like muscle movements (called peristalsis) to force food from the throat into the stomach. is a large, sack-like organ that churns the food and bathes it in a very strong acid (gastric acid). After being in the stomach, food enters , the fi rst part of the small intestine. It then enters and then (the fi nal part of the small intestine). After passing through the small intestine, food passes into , where some of the water and electrolytes (chemicals like sodium) are removed from the food. Many microbes (bacteria like Bacteroides, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella) in the large intestine help in the digestion process. The first part of the large intestine is called . Food then travels upward in the . The food travels across the abdomen in the , goes back down the other side of the body in the ., and then through the . At the end of the process, solid waste is then stored in until it is excreted via .