“Talking about unpleasant things during a meal is not good for digestion, not good for health.” – Betty Jamie Chung
Everyone has a digestive system, some healthier than others. It is a group of organs working together to create energy for our body. We use it everyday, while we are awake, and while we are sleeping. It starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. Here is a super quick guide about your mouth to your anus.
MOUTH
-We chew to break down food
-The epiglottis (small piece of tissue) prevents choking by being positioned over your windpipe, and to ease food into esophagus
ESOPHAGUS
– Uses rhythmic movement of organ walls to move food down to your stomach
-Your lower esophageal sphincter (ring-like muscle) relaxes before so that the food can enter your stomach
STOMACH
-Upper muscle in stomach relaxes to let food enter
-Lower muscles mixes food with the addition of stomach acid
-After the stomach mixes the food with stomach acid, it empties the contents, which is called chyme, into your small intestine
SMALL INTESTINE
-Uses the same movement as the esophagus to move food further down the digestive system
-Mixes food with digestive juices from your pancreas, liver, and intestine
-The walls of the small intestine absorb water and digested nutrients into your blood stream
PANCREAS
-Produces insulin
-Produces enzymes (that digest proteins, fats, and sugars) and hormones that help breakdown food
LIVER
-Filters blood that comes from your digestive tract, and out to the rest of your body
-Detox’s chemicals and metabolizes drugs
-Secretes bile (fluid which aids in digestion; stored in gallbladder)
LARGE INTESTINE
-Same movement as esophagus and small intestine
-Absorbs water
-Changes the waste from liquid to stool
RECTUM (ANUS)
-Stores stool, then pushes stool out of your anus during a bowel movement (BM)
There have been numerous studies linking digestive health, especially of your microbiome , to benefits far beyond the health of your digestive system. Hopefully this “Super Quick Guide” will help you understand more about how your food makes its way through the body.
RESOURCES
1)https://medlineplus.gov/ency/anatomyvideos/000097.htm
2)https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works
3)https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10011.php
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed belong solely to Thomas F. Pearce. Any and all information compiled has been collected for the sole purpose of educating and informing the public. Thomas F. Pearce does not provide any medical treatment and does not express the views of any of the outside entities involved.
