Here’s a quick recap. The digestive process begins in the mouth. It receives the food and breaks it up into small, easy-to-swallow pieces. Enzymes from the saliva break down any starch and the food passes into a long tube called the oesophagus. It carries the food bolus along its length, and contracts (peristalsis) to move food down towards the stomach. The enzymes and acids in the stomach continue the process of breaking down food, before they are released into the small intestine. The small intestine receives food from the stomach and continues to break down the food while absorbing the majority of its nutrients. In the upper section of your small intestine (duodenum), digestion continues as chyme from the stomach mixes with a variety of digestive juices from your pancreas, liver and gallbladder.

The liver, one of the largest organs in your body and responsible for over 500 functions, is the essential filtration system that breaks down harmful substances in your blood as well as processing key nutrients. This organ helps filter toxins from the blood and produces bile, a solution that helps you digest fats. It’s located just beneath your rib cage on the right side of your body. If you could feel it, it would be rubbery to the touch.

In addition to its role as a chemical factory, the liver is also a fat factory. When fats are consumed, the liver breaks them down. It also creates bile, which converts excess carbohydrates and proteins and stores them for later use. Bile is highly important for digestion as it helps the body absorb fat into the bloodstream and helps to carry unusable waste products and toxins out of the body through the stool.