​Mechanical Digestion​​Mechanical digestion is the breaking, crushing, and mashing of

Question

food. Chewing is a type of mechanical digestion. Chewing creates
small pieces of food that are easier to swallow and digest than large
pieces are. Mechanical digestion increases the surface area of food
for the action of chemical digestion. ​​Chemical Digestion​​Chemical digestion is the process in which large molecules of
food are broken down into smaller molecules so that they can pass
into the bloodstream. An enzyme (EN•zym) is a chemical that the
body uses to break down large molecules into smaller molecules.
Enzymes act like chemical scissors. They “cut up” large molecules
into smaller pieces. Mechanical digestion breaks up food and
increases surface area so that enzymes can break nutrients into
smaller molecules. Without mechanical digestion, chemical
digestion would take days instead of hours!​​Visualize It!​
Categorize Decide whether each
of these steps in digestion is an
example of mechanical digestion
or chemical digestion. Then put a
check in the correct box.
​In your mouth, teeth grind food.​​mechanical​​chemical

Answer 1

In your mouth, teeth grind food.

This step is an example of:

✔ Mechanical Digestion
❏ Chemical Digestion

Grinding food with your teeth is a form of mechanical digestion as it physically breaks down the food into smaller pieces.