Food moves through your digestive tract through a process called peristalsis. This process involves a series of muscular contractions that propel food and liquids along the digestive system. Here's a breakdown of how food moves through each stage:

1. Mouth:
   • Chewing begins the mechanical breakdown of food.
   • Saliva starts the chemical breakdown of food.
   • The tongue pushes the food bolus (a soft mass of chewed food) into the pharynx (throat), triggering swallowing.
2. Esophagus:
   • Once the food bolus enters the esophagus, peristalsis begins.
   • The muscles in the esophageal walls contract and relax rhythmically, creating a wave-like motion that pushes the food down towards the stomach.
   • A sphincter (a muscular ring) at the end of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), relaxes to allow food into the stomach and then closes to prevent stomach acid from flowing back up into the esophagus.
3. Stomach:
   • The stomach churns and mixes the food with gastric juices, further breaking it down into a semi-liquid mixture called chyme.
   • Peristaltic waves in the stomach push the chyme towards the pyloric sphincter, which controls the flow of chyme into the small intestine.
4. Small Intestine:
   • Peristalsis continues in the small intestine, moving the chyme along its length.
   • Segmentation, another type of contraction, occurs in the small intestine. These contractions mix the chyme with digestive enzymes and bile, aiding in nutrient absorption.
5. Large Intestine:
   • The remaining undigested material moves into the large intestine.
   • Peristalsis continues, but it is slower than in the small intestine.
   • The large intestine absorbs water and electrolytes from the undigested material, forming feces.
   • Mass movements, strong peristaltic contractions that occur a few times a day, push the feces towards the rectum.
6. Rectum and Anus:
   • The rectum stores feces until a bowel movement occurs.
   • When the rectum becomes full, it triggers the urge to defecate.
   • During defecation, the anal sphincters relax, and peristaltic contractions in the rectum push the feces out through the anus.

Here is a diagram of the digestive system from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): NIDDK - The Digestive System: How it Works