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Let’s say we are eating a grilled cheese
sandwich. Our sandwich is made up of
bread, butter, and cheese, which means we have carbohydrates, fiber, fat, a
small amount of protein, and some vitamins and calcium. We take a bite and it enters our mouth. (Side note My mouth has just started watering thinking about this cheesy goodness). When we start chewing the sandwich is mixed
with saliva and it is turned into a paste.
The amylase enzymes turn the starch found in the bread into glucose. Glucose is used by our cells to give
energy. Different foods need different
enzymes to break it down. Then we
swallow, and the paste enters the esophagus and goes into the stomach. In the stomach hydrochloric acid starts to
break down the sandwich even further.
Protease enzymes break down the proteins into peptides, and then into
amino acids, which are used to build and repair muscles. The stomach also has a second job which is to
mix all the food, paste and acids into a mushy substance. This is stored for a bit and then moves into
the small intestine. Protease and
amylase enzymes work at breaking down the food again until all the glucose and
fatty acids are small enough to travel through the villi. It is through the villi that they enter the
bloodstream. The small intestine is made
up of three parts, the duodenum, this is where iron is absorbed, the jejunum,
where the amino acids are absorbed, and the ileum, where vitamin B12 and bile
salts are absorbed. After the small
intestine is done, it pushes the leftovers into the large intestine. It is here that any excess water is
extracted, and passed through as feces.
In humans, food is
digested by not only the mechanical process, which is the movement of the food
through the digestive track, but also by chemical process, which is the mixing
of the food with different enzymes to break it down into its nutritional
parts. The food is broken down to get
the different nutrients out of it, and then it is absorbed into the body and
used as it is needed (Hiroyuki, Yuki, Mitsutoshi, Marcos, Kunihiko, Seigo,
& Sosaku, 2014). Different organs through the body secrete
different special juices that perform the chemical process of digestion (Sizer,
& Whitney, 2017). For instance,
sugars and starches are mixed with saliva to begin the break down and a
salivary enzyme starts the starch digestion.
This digestion continues in the stomach where hydrochloric acid and an
enzyme in the stomach’s juices end the starch digestion. In the small intestine lining, a starch
digesting enzyme that was produced by the pancreas, aids in the absorption of
the sugars.
In the mouth, teeth crush fiber and it
mixes with saliva to soften it. It is
then swallowed and goes to the stomach where nothing happens. In the small intestine it mixes with
cholesterol and some minerals. In the
large intestine some fiber is digested by bacteria, but most is excreted as
feces.
Fats are mixed with saliva in the
mouth. The tongue produces a small
amount of fat digesting enzymes, some break down is accomplished with this
enzymes especially in milk fats. In the
stomach fat tends to rise and float on top of the stomach fluid and food. A very small amount is digested. Fat is also the last to leave the stomach.
The liver secretes bile and the gallbladder stores and releases it into the
small intestine where it blends the fat and makes it ready for the enzyme to
digest and absorb it.
Proteins are mixed with
saliva in the mouth, and then send to the stomach where it is mixed with
hydrochloric acid and it breaks it down into amino acids. In the small intestine it is mixed with
enzymes from the pancreas and is broken down smaller and most is absorbed into
the body. What little is left in the
large intestine is then excreted as feces.
Before I started taking this class, I had never really thought about my digestive system, until it started acting up. Reading the letter from your digestive tract in our textbook really made things make sense to me, and I can say that I have paid more attention to what I do. I am going to add the letter here, because I feel it is really a good thing to remember. So I am going to quote from the textbook
Nutrition:
Concepts and controversies (14th ed.).
"To My Owner,
You and I are so close; I hope that I can speak frankly without offending you. I know that sometimes I do offend with my gurgling noises and belching at quiet times and, oh yes, the gas. But when you chew gum, drink carbonated beverages, or eat hastily, you gulp air with each swallow. I can’t help making some noise as I move the air along my length or release it upward in a noisy belch. And if you eat or drink too fast, I can’t help getting hiccups. Please sit and relax while you dine. You will ease my task, and we’ll both be happier.
Also, when someone offers you a new food, you gobble away, trusting me to do my job. I try. It would make my life easier, and yours less gassy, if you would start with small amounts of new foods, especially those high in fiber. The breakdown of fiber by bacteria produces gas, so introduce fiber-rich foods slowly. But, please, if you do notice more gas than normal from a specific food, avoid it. If the gas becomes excessive, check with a physician. The problem could be something simple—or serious.
When you eat or drink too much, it just burns me up. Overeating causes heartburn because the acidic juice from my stomach backs up into my esophagus. Acid poses no problem to my healthy stomach, whose walls are coated with thick mucus to protect them. But when my too-full stomach squeezes some of its contents back up into the esophagus, the acid burns its unprotected surface. Also, those tight jeans you wear constrict my stomach, squeezing the contents up into the esophagus. Just leaning over or lying down after a meal may do the same thing because the muscular sphincter separating the two spaces is much looser than other sphincters. And if we need to lose a few pounds, let’s get at it—excess body fat can squeeze my stomach, too. When heartburn is a problem, do me a favor: try to eat smaller meals; drink liquids an hour before or after, but not during, meals; wear reasonably loose clothing; and relax after eating, but sit up (don’t lie down). Don’t smoke, and go easy on the alcohol and carbonated beverages, too—they all make heartburn likely.
Sometimes your food choices irritate me. Specifically, chemical irritants in foods, such as the “hot” component of chili peppers and the chemicals in coffee, as well as fat, chocolate, carbonated soft drinks, and alcohol, may worsen heartburn in some people. Avoid the ones that cause trouble. Above all, do not smoke. Smoking makes my heartburn worse—and you should hear your lungs bellyache about it.
By the way, I can tell you’ve been taking heartburn medicines again. You need to know that antacids are designed only to temporarily relieve pain caused by heart- burn by neutralizing stomach acid for a while. But when the antacids reduce my normal stomach acidity, I respond by producing more acid to restore the normal acid condition. Also, the ingredients in antacids can interfere with my ability to absorb nutrients. Please check with our doctor if heartburn occurs more than just occasion- ally and certainly before you decide that we need to take the heavily advertised acid reducers; these restrict my normal ability to produce acid so much that my job of digesting food becomes harder.
Given a chance, my powerful stomach acid helps to fight off many bacterial infections—most disease-causing bacteria won’t survive a bath in my caustic juices. Acid-reducing drugs reduce acid (I’ll bet you knew that), so they allow more bacteria to pass through. And, even worse, self-prescribed heartburn medicine can mask he symptoms of ulcer, hernia, or the destructive form of chronic heartburn known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This can be serious; the bacterium H. pylori that causes most ulcers responds to antibiotic drugs, but some ulcers have other causes, such as frequent use of certain painkillers—the cause of the ulcer must be treated, as well as its symptoms. A hernia can cause food to back up into the esophagus, so it can feel like heartburn, but many times hernias require corrective treatment by a physician, not antacids. GERD can feel like heartburn, too, but requires the correct drug therapy to prevent respiratory problems or damage to the esophagus that can lead to cancer.So please don’t wait too long to get medical help for chronic or severe heartburn—it may not be simple indigestion.
When you eat too quickly, I worry about choking. Please take time to cut your food into small pieces and chew it until it is crushed and moistened with saliva. Also, refrain from talking or laughing before swallowing, and never attempt to eat when you are breathing hard. Also, for our sake and the sake of others, learn first aid for choking.
When I’m suffering, you suffer, too, and when constipation or diarrhea strikes, neither of us is having fun. Slow, hard, dry bowel movements can be painful, and failing to have a movement for too long brings on headaches, backaches, stomachaches, and other ills; if chronic, constipation may cause hemorrhoids. Most people suffer occasional harmless constipation, and laxatives may help, but too frequent use of laxatives and enemas can lead to dependency; can upset our fluid, salt, and mineral balances; and, in the case of mineral oil laxatives, can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. (Mineral oil, which is not absorbed, dissolves the vitamins and carries them out of the body with it.)
Instead of relying on laxatives, listen carefully for my signal that it is time to defecate, and make time for it even if you are busy. The longer you ignore my signal, the more time the colon has to extract water from the feces, hardening them. Also, please choose foods that provide enough fiber. Fiber attracts water, creating softer, bulkier stools that stimulate my muscles to contract, pushing the contents along. Fiber helps my muscles to stay fit, too, making elimination easier. Be sure to drink enough water because dehydration causes the colon to absorb all the water it can get from the feces. And please make time to be physically active; exercise strengthens not just the muscles of arms, legs, and torso but those of the colon, too.
When I have the opposite problem, diarrhea, my system will rob you of water and salts. In diarrhea, my intestinal contents have moved too quickly, drawing water and minerals from your tissues into the contents. When this happens, please rest a while and drink fluids (I prefer clear juices and broths). However, if diarrhea is bloody, or if it worsens or persists, call our doctor—severe diarrhea can be life-threatening.
To avoid diarrhea, try not to change my diet too drastically or quickly. I’m willing to work with you and learn to digest new foods, but if you suddenly change your diet, we’re both in for it. I hate even to think of it, but one likely cause of diarrhea is foodborne illness. Also, if diarrhea lasts longer than a day or two or if it alternates with constipation, it may be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and you should see a physician. In IBS, strong contractions speed up the intestinal contents, causing gas, bloating, diarrhea, and frequent or severe abdominal pain. Weakened and slowed contractions may then follow, causing constipation. When you’re stressed out, so am I, and stress may con- tribute to IBS. Try eating smaller meals, avoiding onions or other irritating foods, and using relaxation techniques or exercise to relieve mental stress. If those don’t work, by all means, call our doctor—IBS often responds to exercise, antibiotics, antispasmodic drugs, or even peppermint oil taken under medical supervision. By the way, I trust you not to believe false claims that health troubles can be solved by washing the colon with a powerful enema machine—in fact, this “colonic irrigation” is unnecessary and has caused illness and even some deaths from equipment contamination, electrolyte depletion, and intestinal perforation.
Thank you for listening. I know we’ll both benefit from communicating like this because you and I are in this together for the long haul.
Affectionately,
Your Digestive Tract(Sizer & Whitney 2017, pgs. 92-96).
The reason I decided to share this, is because it really opened my eyes to some issues I was having with my own digestive tract. I want to be able to refer back to this letter, and made changes where needed in my life. Something to really remember though is that our bodies speak to us all the time in different ways. The information in this letter itself, speaks volumes, and I know I can not be the only one that has had issues like some of the things mentioned. One thing that really struck me was to not drink while eating. All my life, when dining, I have had a glass of some sort of beverage with my meal. Drinking after the meal makes much more sense.
Hiroyuki, K., Yuki, N., Mitsutoshi, N., Marcos A., N.,
Kunihiko, U., Seigo, S., & ... Sosaku, I. (2014). Development of a Human
Gastric Digestion Simulator Equipped with Peristalsis Function for the Direct
Observation and Analysis of the Food Digestion Process. Food Science &
Technology Research, 20(2), 225. doi:10.3136/fstr.20.225
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2017). Nutrition: Concepts and
controversies (14th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
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