All living organisms need nourishment to live, grow, and reproduce. In order for humans to thrive, food is essential. The chemical factory that is called the human digestive system must process a balanced diet. "Digestion and Nutrition" is part of the "Mechanics of Life" series, an introduction to human biology and physiology tailored to the middle-school audience. Humans and other vertebrates are the most prominent animals on earth. There is a great variety among them, but they share certain characteristics that have made them dominant. The vertebrate organism can be viewed as a machine that is the sum of a number of independent yet interacting systems and sub-systems. The "Mechanics of Life" video series describes and illuminates five of the principal systems.

Originally released by Phoenix Learning Group, 2007. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on April 07, 2015.

Balanced Diet (7:17); --Food Elements (2:38); -- Digestive Process (3:10);.