Indigestion is an issue suffered by millions of people and is why the antacid industry is booming. Marketing surveys have shown that 50% of Americans have used antacids and over 90% have indicated that they have suffered from digestive upset. We all love food but why doesn’t food love us back? Well…there are lots of reasons but the number one reason is our food choices. Processed foods, packaged foods, fried foods, fast food are hard to digest in the body. These foods make your body work overtime trying to process the foods and pull out any nutrition for the body. In the end for it’s effort the body walks away with barely any nutrients and lots of effort expended. It would be like working a full days work and then owing your employer money. The whole process puts your body in the negative. Staying in the negative long term can lead to chronic disease and illness. Fruits and vegetables for the most part will always love you back. So the first step in improving your digestion is to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet while also decreasing the amount of fried,fast, processed and packaged food.

Most people don’t give much thought to what happens after food is consumed unless there is an issue such as digestion, food poisoning or diarrhea. Then we are listing out each item of food consumed to find the culprit to our discomfort. Most days however, we eat and eliminate daily without much thought to the amazing process which is taking place and which will determine your life expectancy and quality of life over your lifetime. I know that I never gave much thought to any of the foods or drinks that I put into my body, and as a result my health declined in my early 20’s. At a time when I should have been at the peak of well-being, I was suffering from a multitude of health issues including exhaustion, foggy brain, eczema, and acne. As well as emotional issues with fluctuation of hormonal function. This was mostly due to my food and drink choices and the complete lack of nutrients in the foods that I chose. At 20 I had my first endoscopy in which the doctors could not offer a single solution as to why I was bleeding when I eliminated from my bowels. I also had a myriad of other smaller issues which I continually ignored. It was many years before I fully recuperated and learned the tools to providing nutrients to my body that would enable me to function better throughout the day. Pregnancy was the catalyst for my health journey. At that time, I became responsible for myself as well as another life which led me to examine my lifestyle and food choices. The pregnancy also made me acutely aware of my body in way I had not before. Prior to this time, I felt a distinct difference between mind and body.  The whole process brought me back together with myself and opened my eyes to what my poor choices were doing to my body. It was the first step in a long journey that continues today.

When you think of Digestion thoughts of the stomach and intestines may be conjured up but the truth is that digestion starts before your food arrives in your stomach. Digestion begins in the mouth. Chewing is the first and arguably one of the most important steps in digestion however I like to take a step just before eating. I like to start each meal by taking three deep breaths. Other people like to pray before a meal but regardless taking a few minutes to calm you body is a great way to help your body begin the process of digestion. It’s also a great way to help you slow down the process of eating your food.  Your teeth, tongue and salivary glands work together to begin digesting your food. Teeth grind down the food, working in conjunction with the tongue to move the food around in your mouth so that it becomes further ground down. Simultaneously your saliva which is excreted during the chewing process contains digestive enzymes which work on the food to help break it down further. Your saliva contains antibodies that destroy micro-organisms in food. Proper chewing sets up the entire digestive process for success. This might sound problematic at first however, it is suggested to chew each bite 32 times. At first you will need to count in your head but as you begin to get used to the process you will see the consistency of the food becoming more liquid and you will learn when you have chewed enough and can move on to swallowing. Countless people could stop their digestive complaints simply by chewing their food thoroughly.

Once your food is chewed and you swallow, the food enters the esophagus which is a muscular tube connecting the throat to the stomach. The esophagus contracts, a process known as peristalsis as it moves food down towards the stomach but first it must pass through the lower esophageal sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter is like a doorway which only opens and closes at the right time during the digestive process. It is located just before the opening of the stomach and it opens to let food pass into the stomach and closes so that food does not pass back up the esophagus.  Once the food has reached the stomach the stomach produces hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, and gastrin. Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and it mixes with the food to break down the fibers. After an hour inside the stomach the pyloric sphincter opens up and through further peristalsis the food moves into the small intestine. At this point the food is in a semi liquid semi solid state.

The small intestine is the champion of the digestive system, as this is where the magic happens! The small intestine is a long hollow tube which produces three digestive enzymes: lactase, maltase, and sucrase. It is about 20 feet long and an inch in diameter and most importantly is the location where nutrient absorption takes place. The primary function of the small intestine is to absorb nutrients and minerals found in food. The digested nutrients pass into the blood vessels in the wall of the intestines through the process called diffusion. The small intestine is not working alone as it gets help from the Liver and the Gall bladder. The liver is mostly known for being a detoxification system for your body with chemicals and drugs. While this job is critical to the body the liver has other important functions as it relates to digestion. The liver continuously produces bile which flows to the gall bladder and then to the small intestine but more specifically to the duodenum part of the small intestine. The 20 feet of small intestine is broken into 3 parts: the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. The duodenum is the first piece which connects the stomach to the jejunum.  The bile contains sodium and water which neutralize the stomach acid. It also contains bile acids which are important in the process of digestion and the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Bile salt and Enzyme insufficiency are two other areas which can lead to malabsorption of nutrients through the digestive system. Next the pancreas releases additional enzymes based on what the body needs and what you have digested. Your body analyzes what you have eaten and send signals that the body will require certain enzymes to help break down your food. These enzymes digest proteins, sugars, starches and lipids. The Pancreas is located behind your stomach and attached to both the gall bladder and the small intestine. The next section of the small intestine is the Jejunum. In this area digested molecules of food will be absorbed except for carbohydrates which require further digestion. “Digested food molecules are taken through the epithelial cell lining of the small intestine in the bloodstream and through the portal vein to the liver where they are filtered. From the blood stream they pass to the cells” (Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipsky) This is also a location where Leaky gut or intestinal wall permeability can occur. The job of the small intestine is to allow food and nutrients to pass and block foreign substances. Sometimes the foods we eat irritates the intestinal walls and it can lose the ability to discern between nutrients and foreign substances. The ileum is the final section of the small intestine where absorption also take place It mainly absorbs B12, bile salts and whatever products of digestion where not absorbed in the Jejunum section.

Next when everything has been absorbed water, bacteria, and fiber move through the ileocecal valve from the small intestines to the large intestine. This is another doorway like the one I mentioned towards the beginning of digestion. These doorways are important because at each phase food needs to move forward and not be allowed to move back as this can cause issues with nutrient absorption if the valves are not working correctly. The large intestine contains the cecum, colon, rectum, and anus. The main job in this section is to absorb water and the remaining nutrients and form stool. This water absorption dries out the feces. If the food moves too quickly through this area it can result in diarrhea, conversely if the stool sits too long it can lead to constipation. The stool moves along and when it is well formed gets pushed into the rectum where it is held until there is enough to have a bowel movement. This quantity of stool in your rectum sends a signal to your body that it’s time to move your bowels and release. The digestive process is amazing and complex and calls on several organs to facilitate complete digestion.

The final step to healthy digestion is elimination. Elimination takes place when undigested materials and water are eliminated from the body in a solid waste form known as feces or stool. Transit time and the number of bowel movements you have daily, weekly, and monthly is an excellent indicator of health. When you do not have regular soft bowel movement’s it can be due to decreased peristalsis, a lack of fiber, water, exercise or because of drug use. Long term constipation can lead to more severe issues. When your body is working properly your body will digest, absorb, and eliminate DAILY. I have read that western medicine considers it normal to eliminate anywhere from three times per day to three time per week and I emphatically disagree. If you are not having at least one bowel movement per day you are constipated.  Daily elimination is important to your bowel and colon health. When the digested food stays too long in your colon it begins to putrefy inside your body. The rotting feces and toxins from the feces can be reabsorbed back into your body. This can cause full body systemic issues. Transit time is the time it takes from the time you eat food until you eliminate via bowel movement. Twelve to Twenty-four hours is the best outcome. If you are eliminating in less than twelve hours this could mean you are not fully absorbing nutrients through the digestive process described above. If you are eliminating in more than twenty-four hours the feces are sitting in your colon too long putrefying inside your body. An excellent way to improve your transit time is through an increase in fiber in your diet.

As you can see your whole body is involved in the process of digestion this is why after thanksgiving dinner you feel so tired. Your body cannot do anything else but digest food so it goes into sleep mode. Your body’s cells need nutrients in order to thrive and stave of illness and disease. We as a society eat ourselves sick and then we take medication to help us with our illnesses which then causes additional side effects which require additional medication. The vicious circle goes around and around and we teach this way of living to our children and pass on this detrimental way of life. This does not need to be your story. You can decide what is really important today. You have the power to decide with your actions how you will take your health into your own hands and begin to live a life full or energy and without chronic disease. We are all unique and there is not a one size fits all solution that works for all of us so enjoy the journey of discovery and appreciate your own uniqueness.  Nature has provided you with everything you need to live a long and healthy life, all you need to do is eat it.