There are five major steps in the process of digestion.

1. Ingestion: the eating of any food

2. Peristalsis: the involuntary muscle contractions that move the ingested food through the digestive tract

3. Digestion: the conversion of the food molecules into nutrients that can then be used by the body

4. Absorption: the passage of the nutrients into the bloodstream and/or lymphatic system to be used by the body’s cells

5. Defecation: the elimination of the undigested and unabsorbed ingested materials