The Stomach

Your stomach is a stretchy pouch that sits in your belly. When you eat food, it travels down to your stomach. The stomach mixes the food with special juices. These juices help break the food into tiny pieces. This way, your body can use the food for energy.

How It Works

The stomach has strong muscles in its walls. These muscles squeeze and squish the food to mash it up. At the same time, special acids help dissolve the food. This turns the food into a soupy mix. Then the mix slowly moves into the next part of your body called the small intestine.

Taking Care of Your Stomach

Eating slowly can help your stomach do its job. Drinking water with meals is a good idea. Too much junk food can upset your stomach. If you feel sick after eating, try to rest. Washing your hands before meals also keeps germs out of your stomach.

Fun Facts

• Your stomach can stretch to hold about four cups of food.
• The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve metal.
• Your stomach makes a new lining every few days so the acid will not hurt it.

Did You Know?

The growling sound your stomach makes is called borborygmi, and it happens when air and juices move around inside.