The digestive system is obviously where food is digested but how much about this complicated process do you know? 

(There are several bad food related puns, see if you can spot them all.)

Starting at the mouth, chewing helps for later digestion, but did you know that your saliva also has digestive enzymes in it which immediately helps to break down starches?  Starches are simple sugars, easy to digest and the body gets started on those right away.  Masticating or chewing also helps to break food down into smaller pieces so that the stomach doesn’t have such a difficult job.  If you have tummy troubles after eating, pay attention to how well you are chewing your food, give your tummy a break and do some of the work for it! If you need more ideas on how to support digestion, reach out!

The food then travels down into the stomach where digestion really gets going.  The stomach releases gastric juices, digestive enzyme pepsin (which breaks down protein), and mucous which turn and mix to break down foods into microscopic particles.  Then it is sent to the small intestine where the digestive process continues.  But the stomach doesn’t do all the work, accessory organs like the pancreas,gallbladder and liver also chip in.  Many people struggle with issues like indigestion, and the dreaded reflux.  But did you know that most people get heartburn from not enough stomach acid?  Unfortunately the common medical treatment for heartburn is protein pump inhibitors (PPI’s) or antacids, which only makes the problem more spicy? Fear not, your trusty holistic consultant can assist in many ways and has things to try to nail down the underlying issues. 

The pancreas is a heterocrine gland which means that it has endocrine (into the bloodstream) and exocrine (into body cavity) abilities.  It releases helpful digesting enzymes into the stomach to assist with the breakdown of all three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat). 

The liver helps digestion through the release of post-digestion enzymes and is also a heterocrine gland.  One of the main roles of the liver during digestion is to help with the nutrients absorbed from the small intestine.  It also helps, like the pancreas, to process all three macronutrients.  More on the pancreas and liver another time, too much information to digest.

The gallbladder stores bile which is created by the liver and concentrates it by removing almost all of the water.  The breakdown of fats from food is assisted by bile.  People who have their gallbladder removed can find it more difficult to break down fatty foods, but don’t worry your local holistic consultant can suggest ways to help you out.

Onward and downward…the small intestine is small but mighty.  10 feet long and taking up most of your abdominal cavity creating maximum space for digestion and absorption.  The small intestine is so amazing that by the time the digested food is finished there 90% of all nutrients have been removed. 

The large intestine is only about 5 feet long.  The cecum which takes the mostly digested food products and removes most of the salts and liquids and starts creating the fecal matter and combining it with mucous which is used as lubrication.  Then this partially created fecal matter moves to the colon where there are 4 types of colon, ascending, transverse, and descending colon, then the sigmoid is the final piece.  During the first three stages the bacteria in the colon help to further breakdown and compress the fecal matter.  This is where that buzz word microbiome is present.  

If you are having troubles with nutrient absorption, bloating, flatulence, dysregulated bowel movements, or energy levels, an imbalanced gut microbiome could be contributing.  Reach out if you have these types of concerns, I can help you get to the meat of the situation. 

The colon has glands, muscles, and helps lubricate fecal matter by releasing mucus.  At the last stop of the colon there is the sigmoid colon; this is where your body makes one last attempt to gather as many nutrients, water and vitamins as it can.

The rectum is the final step for digestion, as the fecal matter collects the bands of muscle expand sending signals to your brain that you should be thinking about taking your lunch break early-it’s time to poop.  These muscles then push to the anus where internal and external sphincter muscles control the elimination to the final destination, your toilet.  Assuming you have been eating a well balanced diet with regular fluid intake this should be a piece of cake.

 If you are struggling with your BM’s, reach out for a consultation or check the other resources for more about these topics coming soon.