this information is for educational purposes only it is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice and should not be interpreted to contain treatment recommendations your digestive system consists of all the organs involved in breaking down the food you eat absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste products when you take a bite of food your digestive system is activated automatically in the stomach the food is broken down into smaller pieces and digestive juices are added the now liquid food is passed on to the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed and digested in the large intestine also called the colon water and salts are absorbed causing the waste products to become firmer and turn into stool [Music] the stool is then pushed through the intestine towards the rectum by a series of muscle contractions known as peristalsis you have three to four major peristaltic movements each day the time it takes for food to pass through your digestive system is called the transit time [Music] the average transit time for females is two point four days and one point nine days for males when stool fills your rectum nerve endings register that your bowel wall becomes distended and a signal is sent to your brain telling you that it's time to find a toilet at the same time your internal sphincter relaxes by reflex and stool moves down towards the anus [Music] when you are ready you consciously allow the external sphincter to relax and stool is expelled in between going to the toilet both the internal and the external anal sphincter are contracted to keep your continent and to prevent leakage thank you for taking the time to view this module for additional ostomy education visit us at Kohler place us