Science Common Sense

947 - How does the body convert food into energy?

The body converts food into energy in three main steps:

1. Digestion: When we eat, our body breaks down the food into tiny parts like sugars, proteins, and fats. This happens in our mouth, stomach, and intestines.
2. Absorption: The broken-down food is then absorbed into our bloodstream, like a special delivery to our cells.
3. Cellular respiration: The cells use the nutrients from the food to make energy, which is like a special fuel called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This fuel powers our body to move, grow, and do all sorts of things.

Think of it like a car: food is the gasoline, digestion is like putting the gas in the car, absorption is like the gas flowing through the engine, and cellular respiration is like the car moving and running on the gas.