<human>:  How does the digestive system work?
<bot>: The digestive system is responsible for breaking down the food we consume into essential nutrients and removing any waste that is not needed. It begins with the mouth, where food is chewed up and mixed with saliva, which helps break the food down. From there, the food is passed down the esophagus and into the stomach, where it is further broken down, and acidic digestive juices are released to help with the process. The food then moves into the small intestine, where most of the nutrients are absorbed into the body. The waste material then passes through the large intestine and eventually ends up in the rectum, where it is eliminated from the body.