How Your Body Uses Food

PicoBuddy2nd GradeExplanatory Article2 min read368 words
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Your body is like a busy machine. It needs fuel to run and play. Food is the fuel that gives you energy. Digestion is the way your body turns food into that energy. This long process starts as soon as you take a bite of your lunch. Your teeth crush the food into very small bits. Your spit makes the food wet and soft. Now the food is ready to travel down your body.

After you swallow, the food goes down a long tube. This tube is called the esophagus. It is like a soft slide for your food. The muscles in the tube squeeze and push the food down. It goes all the way from your throat to your stomach. This trip is very fast and easy. You do not even have to think about it. Your body does all the work for you.

The stomach is like a big, stretchy bag. It acts like a mixer for your food. The stomach uses special juices to mash the food into a thick liquid. This liquid looks a bit like a thick soup. The food stays in your stomach for a few hours. Your stomach walls move to mix everything together. This helps break the food down into even smaller parts. Then the food is ready for the next stop.

Glossary
Digestion:
The process where the body turns food into energy.
Esophagus:
A long tube that moves food from the throat to the stomach.
Nutrients:
The healthy parts of food that help the body grow and stay strong.
Waste:
The leftover parts of food that the body cannot use.
Intestine:
A tube in the belly that helps process food and move it through the body.

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Preview questions from this passageShow
  1. 1According to the passage, what is the body compared to?
  2. 2When does the process of digestion begin?

About this explanatory article passage for 2nd Grade

“How Your Body Uses Food” is a explanatory article reading passage about Digestive System, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (368 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.

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What reading level is “How Your Body Uses Food”?

It’s written for 2nd Grade — a explanatory article text about Digestive System, about a 2-minute read (368 words).

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An illustrated reading passage, a glossary of key terms, comprehension questions with an answer key, and an interactive quiz.

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