Sunday, February 26, 2012

For the love of Eating: The Digestive System

I did not major in biology but this one is my fave, I guess because I love to eat! Aside from that I was assigned to report this when I was in elementary (grade 5 or 6) and you know what I still remember every single word.

photo credit: teachpe.com

The digestive system starts with the food we take into our mouth. Food is then broken down to tiny pieces by chewing and salivary enzymes. Once it is small enough, it will pass through esophagus a long tube connected to the stomach by muscle contraction. At the stomach, the food is mixed with gastric acid and then travels to the small intestine. Here food is further digested with the help of bile, pancreatic and other digestive enzymes. On the inner surface of small intestine is called the villi where it absorbs the nutrients from the digested food and into the bloodstream. The remaining food will then be transferred to large intestine where the remaining liquid (mostly water) will be sucked out, while the solid will become feces stored in the rectum and discharged at the anus.

Imagine the tedious job our digestive system has to undergo just to process the food we eat. And we mostly eat junk foods or foods with not much nutritional content! What a waste! It all goes to waste or become feces.

Fats are not easily broken down therefore are stored as is and can be blamed for the bulges we have in our stomach, thighs, arms, etc

That’s why some recommends eating fruits and veggies since it is easier to digest with lots of nutrients. Others say it is better to eat unprocessed alternatives like brown rice, whole wheat products, etc. It will take longer time to process it making us feel full longer. I am confused too but I know that I have to be mindful of what I eat.