How food is digested

Do your stomach a favor by chewing food thoroughly before you push it down your throat. Our mouth is a food processor that chops and grinds food intake into small particles aided by digestives enzymes before sending down to the esophagus and entering the stomach.


Digestive process:

(1)  Carbohydrates


The term "sugar" is commonly associated with sweet treats or a white crystalline powder added to foods like bread, pastries and beverages. As a classification of carbohydrates, it takes on varying chemical structure form - in single units called monosaccharides (eg fresh fruits, milk), double units or disaccharides (eg table sugar, germinating grains and dairy), and multiple units known as oligosaccharides or polysaccharides (eg wheat bread, oatmeal). In any case, the body digests all sugars in a one step process.

-  Sugar: an enzyme in the mouth - amylase dissolves the simple sugar immediately. It travels down the esophagus to the stomach where digestive juices dilute it quickly and passes on to the small intestine. Other forms of sugar are broken down into the smallest possible sugar molecule with the help of digestive enzymes (carbohydrage) found in the stomach and the lining of the small intestine. Once sugar returns to single molecule form, or a monosaccharide, it is readily absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream as glucose.


-  Complex carbohydrates -  contain a high amount of indigestible fiber and thus prolong the digestion process and aid in stabilizing the sugar level.


Carbohydrate metabolism is the biochemical process that allows your body to form, breakdown and convert glucose. Three main hormones are involved in controlling the blood sugar concentrations namely glucagon, insulin and epinephrine (adrenaline).


-  When the concentration of glucose in your blood is too high, your pancreas secretes insulin to effect transfer of glucose into the cells to use as energy or store temporarily in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).


-  The process of glycogenesis or anabolism involves changing the glucose in your liver and muscles to store as glycogen. When your blood glucose levels are low, glucagon hormones are secreted to stimulate the conversion of glycogen into glucose as a source of energy through a process called glycogenolysis or catabolism.


-  In a state of emergency, released adrenaline causes the liver and muscles to break down glycogen into glucose in greater intensity for immediate use.


(2)  Protein

Since proteins are used by the body for creating hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters, repairing and building cells (including DNA and RNA), understanding how protein digestion and absorption work is essential.

A protein molecule comprises a string of linked amino acids, folded into a complex globular shape. Digesting the protein in the foods you eat involves unfolding the protein chain and then unlinking the amino acids it contains (catabolic). Upon absorption, they become incorporated into new proteins that the body synthesizes for growth and maintenance needs (anabolic). Complete protein contains the full range of essential amino acids (eg. tofu, soymilk) whilst the incomplete protein has some amino acids not present (eg. vegetables, grains, legumes).

The process begins with protein food being chewed and swallowed. Once it reaches the stomach, the hydrochloric acid in it unfolds the protein to access the bonds holding the individual amino acids together. A specific protein-degrading enzyme called pepsin cleaves the large, bulky, unfolded protein molecule into smaller pieces of protein known as peptides. The high acidity environment leaves little chance for microorganisms inadvertently consumed with your food to perish in the digestive process.


The pancreas secretes a bicarbonate-containing buffer called protease that serves to neutralize the gastric contents as they move out of your stomach. By now, the broken down amino acids are of very small dimensions and thus able to penetrate the intestinal lining. From here, they enter tiny bloodstream called capillaries and transport by liquid blood plasma and red blood cells to various tissues, depending on where cell structures need to be created or repaired. Excessive intake is stored in liver (fatty liver) and adipose (fat) cells lying around. On the contrary, any sharp deficit is to be recalled from the muscle. 


(3)  Fats (lipids)

Most lipids that you consume in your diet are fats which we digest and metabolize in the form of triglycerides. A small portion of digestion occurs in the mouth and the stomach, with most takes place in the small intestine. Bile is produced by the liver, stored and released in the gall bladder to emulsify fat globules into smaller droplets. Pancreatic lipase, an enzyme secreted by the pancreas, then splits triglycerides apart into smaller parts called diglycerides, monoglycerides and free fatty acids. About 20% of these smaller fatty acids go straight to the portal vein where they bind to the protein albumin and travel to the liver to be used for energy or turned into longer chains as and when required.

Larger fatty acids are reformed into triglycerides, then are packaged into lipoproteins called chylomicrons and released into the bloodstream for short term energy and some stored in adipose tissue throughout the body for long-term energy needs. All of your cells can use fatty acids for energy, except for those in your brain, red blood cells and eyes.
By now....  
 
Food particles with fat and protein contents would have stayed in the stomach for about 3 hours and hydrochloric acid is produced to break it down further into a soft liquid known as chime to enable easy absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.  


(4)  Vitamins


Vitamins which are passing through the small intestine are grouped based on how the body absorbed them. Water-soluble B-complex and C vitamins dissolve in water prior to absorption. As they are not easily stored, surplus amounts are excreted in your urine. The fat-soluble A, D, E and K require bile acids to dissolve in fat to be absorbed and stored in the liver for later use. Incidentally, this organ acts as a detoxifier and storage centre for essential components required for daily body functioning like blood, vitamins, glycogen, sugars, enzymes and to metabolise fats and proteins.


Moving on....

The journey down is a whopping 66 feet of intestines taking approximately 12-14 hours. The small intestine sees 95% of food processing completed, working in concerted effort with the other digestive organs like the liver, pancreas and gallbladder where enzymes and bile are secreted to dissolve the food particle as well. The remaining indigestible food passes into the first part of the large intestine where the food remnant remains 12-14 hours. Its main function is to hold water to be made available when the body is dehydrated. When water level runs low, food passes through tend to be hard and can cause damage to the inner lining of the intestines, leading to diverticulitis, hemorrhoids or cancer.

Upon exiting the rectum, it can tear and veins collapsed to form painful hemorrhoids. Food overstaying results in fermenting and rotting eventually. Danger of toxins being leaked and re-circulated from here into the bloodstream, thereby poisoning the cells is high for constipated individuals. Remember 80% of diseases arise from an unhealthy colon.


During the entire digestive process, enzymes play an important role in the proper absorption of nutrients, failing which disorders and symptoms occur. Some common ones are gastritis, bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, heartburn and indigestion, liver disease and gall bladder. Broadly speaking, they keep us well alive.

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Having understood the entire digestive process, does this statement makes sense: "The more you eat, the sooner you die. The lesser you eat, the longer you live?"

To see how eating habits affect lifespan, a professor from the Universtiy of Texas did an experiment on 100 mice....

+ For the first group, there is no food restriction;
+ The second group was fed only 60% full;
+ The third group enjoyed no food restriction but with protein servings halved.

After 2.5 years, guess how many mice were still alive out of 100?

* First group - only 13 mice survived;
* Second group - only 3 mice died.
* Third group - half still alive.

These are the interesting findings -

+ Eating too full is doing a big disfavour to your body.
+ Eat 60% full is the way to live longer and healthier.
+ Overloading of protein is harmful to your body.

Analogy

Given a small family car to be used for short travel between home and office, you use it for long distance travel between different cities daily. Instead of using it for an hour a day, you stretch it for 10 hours a day. Instead of driving at 70 km/h, you always speed up to 170 km/h, hitting engine's red line to get to the faraway spot as soon as possible.

You should be able to guess your car's life span and expect having various mechanical problems after a short time right?

On the same basis of comparison, eating too much is like driving your car at high speed for a long time. Your body is forced to work harder and harder at its red line.

Digestive process

Eating too full zaps up much of your body energy for digestion which otherwise may be used for other purposes such as enhancing your immunity. That is why you become very tired easily after a big meal as your body is working hard to digest all the food you take in.

For instance, when you eat an extra bowl of noodle, your pancreas has to produce extra insulin hormone to process the extra carbohydrates intake. Your liver, stomach and intestine also have to produce extra enzymes to digest and process specific nutrients from that bowl of noodle.

Again draw the analogy from your car.  Its engine burns fuel and produces exhaust smoke which is toxic. There is outlet fitted to disperse the smoke from your vehicle.

Our body cells burn nutrients from food like fats and carbohydrates for energy to survive. In the process, free radicals are being generated. Being harmful to the body, they have to be neutralized and expelled. In minute quantity, this process is carried out without our knowledge. However, the more you eat, the more free radicals your body produces. Without adequate control, these free radicals can easily attack your body cells and eventually cause all sort of chronic diseases eg. heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

How to avoid eating too much?

1. Always eat until 70% full only. This is when you feel slightly full.

2. Avoid having buffet style meal which makes it harder to control the food intake. Instead, finish the food you prepare in a plate and do not add anymore.

3. Leaving the dining table earlier may prevent you from picking some extra food to eat.

4. It is always a good idea to prepare lesser food in the first place. Do not be afraid of having not enough food to serve. In fact, lesser food is beneficial for everyone's health.

In an eating outlet, order in small amount first. You can always add in some extra order if necessary. We tend to overeat if there are much food on the table.

5. Avoid stuffing your fridge with sinful foods such as ice cream, chocolate or other dessert.

6. Do not feel obligated to finish food that is too big for your stomach. You can just put aside some food to another empty plate first. Someone can take up this share portion later.

7. When you get too hungry before your meal time, just take some fruits instead of heavy meal.

Our comments

Do we eat to survive or survive to eat? Think is time to go back to the basics and eat to survive if we want to survive well. Modern people are overeating the rich foods leading to various diseases, some unheard of in the past. Look at the monks around do they look strong and energetic?  Mind you they take only two simple meals a day.

Is sinful to eat excessive on most meals. Why not balance up with fasting on vegetable/fruit juices on some days to let the body rests and do a good detox. If your car needs maintenance after travelling certain mileage, your body should also need constant maintenance before servicing is required or worst overhauling a major system.


VIVA corner


+ VIVA Fibercleanse provides psyllium husk to help in promoting a healthy digestive system and bowel regularity.

+ VIVA Floraguard provides adequate amount of the friendly bacteria for improving the peristalsis movement and reducing the production of gas.

+ VIVA Nutrazyme provides the additional enzymes you need to help break down food into nutrients effectively for use.