Dear Union of Uranus,

From the way you signed your letter, your question is most likely directed to the discharge of food from the colon and "your anus." Yet, Alice feels it necessary to start from the beginning.

Initially, food is chewed, lubricated, and partially digested by saliva in the mouth and then moved back in the throat by the tongue. This process takes about one minute to complete. The food is then swallowed through the pharynx into the esophagus, wher e it takes ten seconds to propel the food down to the stomach. The stomach is a hollow, elastic sac where food is churned and mixed thoroughly with digestive juices secreted by the stomach lining. This process takes about two to four hours to complete, depending on the type of food and the amount of food eaten. The processed food is then released gradually into the small intestine. In the small intestine, digestive juices produced in the liver and pancreas convert carbohydrates, proteins, and fats int o chemical mixtures used by the body. The broken down mixtures then pass through the wall of the small intestine into the bloodstream, or lymph system if it is fat. This process takes around three to ten hours to complete. Water and undigested food are then passed into the large intestine, where the water can be absorbed. It takes between seven to sixteen hours for this process to be completed. The solid waste from the large intestine is then stored in the rectum for a period of time between twelve t o fourteen hours. The muscles then push the solid waste out of the anus as feces.

So, as you can see, there is a range of time: from around twenty-four to forty-four hours.

By the way, who won the debate?

Alice

Related Q&As

Help - My stomach rumbles and grumbles to no end