When the food has been put into soluble form it enters the circulation and is distributed as needed to the various tissues throughout the body. The greatest amount of absorption takes place in the small intestine, though some of the mineral salts and the simpler proteins are absorbed from the stomach, and some food can be used by the body from the larger intestine, as is proved by the ability to keep a patient alive when rectal feeding alone has to be relied upon. Only such foods can be used for rectal feeding, however, as are predigested, since there are no enzymes present in the large intestines.