The Large Intestine

Near the End!

Not all that we eat can be digested.

The large intestine is fatter than the small intestine. It is 3 to 4 inches around, and like the the small intestine it is packed into the body, and if it were stretched out it would be 5 feet long.

Even though almost all the nutrients from the food you eat has been absorbed in the small intestine, there will still be parts of the food that your body can't use. This leftover waste moves into the large intestine to begin its long journey out of your body.

On its way, it goes into the colon, the part of the large intestine where most of the water that is left in the liquid mix is absorbed into the blood. As the water leaves the mix, the waste that's left gets harder and harder as it keeps moving along, until it becomes a solid.

When this solid waste reaches the end of the large intestine, it's been there for anywhere from 10 hours up to several days! The amount of time that the waste spends in the large intestine depends on the kind of food that was eaten and how a person's body works.

The solid waste stays here until you are ready to go to the bathroom. Now click on the link labeled The End.