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Author: Michelle Schoffro Cook, DAc, CNC, CITP |
Digestion tips
that aren't hard to swallow
"You are what you eat" according to the old adage. But, I think "you are what you digest" is an important addition to the saying. After all, what you eat and digest will become the building blocks of every cell in your body.
Digestion 101
Digestion begins in the mouth. The act of chewing stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, both in the mouth as well as lower in the digestive tract. The saliva in the mouth contains an enzyme called amylase that starts the digestion of starchy foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, or bread. Your mother may have told you to "chew your food well", she was right. Foods need time to mingle with this enzyme to be properly broken down. If you gulp your food down quickly you are missing a vital stage of the digestion process.
Once you swallow, the food travels down a tube known as the esophagus to the stomach. The stomach secretes a powerful acid that starts the digestion of protein-based foods like meat, fish, legumes, dairy products, nuts and seeds. This acid is so powerful that it would burn a hole through your skin if it were located anywhere but the stomach. The stomach contains a thick coat of mucus that acts as a barrier.
After food leaves the stomach, it passes into the small intestine, where other digestive enzymes help break it down further. The pancreas secretes many enzymes into the small intestine to aid in the digestive process. The gall bladder secretes bile (a digestive juice produced by the liver) into the small intestines to assist with fat digestion, allowing most nutrients to be absorbed through the lining of the small intestine.
Then, the remaining food is passed down to the large intestine. At this point, the waste matter is mostly liquid. The water passes through the wall of the large intestine to be absorbed by the body. The remaining waste product of the food is then eliminated.
The food molecules that are absorbed through the intestinal walls are transferred to the liver by the bloodstream. There, some food molecules are broken down further while others are converted into fuel that can be stored by the body.
Causes of poor digestion here
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By courtesy of Sheila Waters, Nutritional Consultant & Manager
Sangster's Health Centres
418-500 Country Hills Blvd NE, Calgary - Canada
Phone: (403)226-5910 Fax: (403)226-5912 www.sangsters.com | | | |
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