Chapter 2
NUTRITION
The Long Route of Your Digestive System
As a human being, you know how important your digestive system is and how quickly it works. All the individual organs have their tasks but also work together in harmony to make up your entire digestive system.
When I speak at a conference, I like to ask attendees this question: where do you think that digestion begins? Most people will say the mouth. While that is true in part, it primarily begins in your brain first (specifically your hypothalamus). When you see a succulent and gorgeous chocolate cake, the hypothalamus in your brain will stimulate your appetite, thus causing your mouth to produce saliva.
The main organs involved in digestion are your mouth, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, and colon. If you want to optimize your health, you really must take care of your digestive system. It’s the key! All your organs work together to convert food into energy and basic nutrients that feed your entire body. Don’t forget that your organs are also a group of cells, which are nourished from the digestive system. Your organs also need nourishment. It’s logical! Your incredible digestive system also includes nerves, hormones, bacteria, and blood, yet everything must work in synergy. Here’s an example of how it all works together to nourish our bodies.
When you see a delicious chocolate cake, your brain sends signals to your mouth, so you start salivating. The saliva in your mouth mixes with food and begins to break it down to a form that is more easily absorbed, known as the food bowl. When you swallow, your food bowl is pushed into the esophagus and goes down to the stomach. In your mouth, it’s important to break down the food into easily digested pieces. In your saliva, you also have enzymes that help to break down your food as you chew. You must chew something 30 to 40 times for each bit to be mixed well with the enzymes. It’s one of the keys involved in your digestion.
The next organ is your stomach, which is a storage tank for food. Your stomach transforms the food bowl into chyme by using gastric juices, which contain digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid (HCL), and mucus. Your stomach is like a mixer and grinder during this process.
But keep in mind that your stomach does not have teeth! Therefore, you need to chew well to maximize the digestion of your food during this process. Consider chewing your food at least 30 times. This process makes it easier for your stomach to do its job. Eventually, the semifluid mass or chyme is sent to your small intestine. If your stomach isn’t doing the job right, your small intestine will have to work even harder.
What could be contributing to your stomach not doing its job? It could be stomach issues due to missing digestive enzymes, and/or you may not have enough HCL.
Now, let’s discuss another critical part of the digestive system, which is the liver. It is the second largest organ in your body. Its primary function is to produce the bile released into your small intestine. This bile emulsifies fats, transforming fat into fat droplets. Your liver will also cleanse and purify your blood. In fact, all the blood in your body passes through the liver. As a result, everything that you eat, breathe, and put on your skin will eventually end up passing through your liver.
This organ breaks down and stores amino acids, as well as synthesizing and metabolizing fats and cholesterol, plus storing glucose. Your liver can also store iron and B12. If you have a deficiency in this mineral and this vitamin, check your liver function.
After you absorb approximately 90% of the nutrients in your small intestines, those nutrients enter your bloodstream and are sent to your liver for filtering and detoxification. If you want to support your liver, eat organic foods and avoid the toxic ones. Be careful, especially with meat and dairy products, because of the amount of antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, and other chemicals stored in the meat due to the diet of the cows and other animals.
Fermented foods also support the liver and gall bladder, such as apple cider vinegar, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, goat’s milk, and goat’s yogurt. Turmeric is also beneficial in detoxifying the liver. So many benefits are available with this extraordinary spice. We can’t forget the herb, milk thistle. According to University of Maryland Medical Center, several scientific studies suggest that substances in milk thistle (especially a flavonoid called silymarin) protect the liver from toxins, including certain drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) that if taken in high doses can cause liver damage. Silymarin also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Also, it may help the liver to repair itself by growing new cells.
The partner organ of your liver is your gall bladder. It’s a very small, pear-shaped organ that is used to store and recycle excess bile from your liver. The gallbladder stores bile between meals and plays a key role in the breakdown of fat. See your liver and gallbladder as essentially one symbiotic organ. Many people have their gallbladder removed, and the result is a larger issue regarding their ability to digest and process fats. As a result, you may also need lipase, the enzyme that breaks down fat. It could be a good idea to take digestive enzymes that contains lipase, especially if you have had your gallbladder removed.
If you have liver and gall bladder issues, you should take certain fats like coconut oil, because your body must work less to digest this kind of fat than it does with other fats. I will explain its many benefits later.
Your pancreas is also very important to the digestive process. It secretes digestive enzymes (lipase, amylase, protease, etc) and bicarbonates ions that it pours into your duodenum. It also secretes hormones, such as insulin and glucagon, which are essential for controlling the amount of sugar in your blood.
If you have a blood sugar issue, such as diabetes, it typically indicates there is a problem in the pancreas. Your pancreas plays a role in creating and producing enzymes and hormones, which are necessary for your body and systems to function properly.
Your pancreatic juice joins the common duct, which allows bile to help break down fat before it reaches your small intestine. If your body isn’t producing enough enzymes, it will affect the breakdown of all your food (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins).
Every step in your digestive tract is important, but there is one that is more important than all the others.
Your Second Brain
Have you ever heard about the second brain? This second brain is your intestines because such a large portion of your nervous system is located here. Your digestive system interacts with other systems within your body in a similar fashion to your nervous system and endocrine system, which is so important for hormone balance. There is also a tie to your immune system. Do you know that 70– 80% of your immune system relies on your gut?
Your small intestine is crucial to the digestive process. This 20-foot-long passageway moves food from the acidic environment of the stomach to the more alkaline environment of the small intestine. You have protrusions, or villi, for increasing the overall surface area, which helps to keep food moving toward your colon. You have enzymes on your villi that assist in the further breakdown of nutrients into a readily absorbable form. It also helps to prevent leaky gut, a discovery and a new term used to explain damage to the bowel lining or small intestine lining.
It can happen if your organs aren’t functioning well due to a poor and inflammatory diet, fungal infections, parasite infections, toxins in your system, medications, and undigested food, and the list could go on.
According to research published in the International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2006, intestinal permeability (leaky gut) has been linked to autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and dermatitis.
All the folds in the small intestines are meant to maximize the digestion of food and nutrient absorption. Each part of the small intestine plays a critical role in the digestive process.
The leftovers from the small intestine travel to your colon or large intestine, which is about 5 feet long. Although 90 % of the nutrient absorption occurs inside the small intestine, a lot of fat and soluble vitamins, as well as some minerals, can also be absorbed in the colon. You also have gut bacteria, called flora or probiotics, which continue to help the digestion. They’re really important for detoxifying.
Your stool is formed by food debris, toxins, bacteria, and fibers. You need plenty of colon probiotics and healthy fats. As I discussed in the last chapter, probiotics nourish your colon.
NEW DISCOVERY : Your Microbioma
Did you hear about the microbioma? It’s a new discovery. Research has found that we are made of bacteria and cells. Some scientists talk about a ratio of up to 10:1; there can be ten times more bacteria than cells. Of course, all these researchers are not in agreement. For the moment, the only thing that we can say is that the two worlds work together.
Have you heard about the fecal transplant? It involves transferring stool from a healthy person to the intestine of an unhealthy or sick person. It is similar to an organ transplant. They have found that a microbiota that lives in the intestines is...