Digestion: process and prevention of digestive problems

Digestive problems are a challenge that many people have to deal with without you noticing it or they would talk about it. While a scratch on the face or a broken Arm is obvious to everyone and the person concerned can talk about it without any problems, our use of the toilet today is an intimate matter that we often do not even talk about with our Partner. The following Text will help you to understand the processes of digestion.

The four steps of digestion

When we eat something, we carry it through the mouth into our body, but strictly speaking it is still outside the organism. Similar to the way a cream is applied to the skin, but still has to be absorbed afterwards, we feed food to our digestive system, which, however, has to be absorbed in order not to end up in the toilet.

In simple terms ,we can distinguish between four steps of digestion, which should be briefly discussed. At the very beginning, the mouth is to be considered. With the help of teeth there is a mechanical crushing of the meal, which in particular helps the stomach to do its work. You can imagine this as with a Steak and a meat grinder. When the Steak is processed into minced meat, the outer surface of the meat mass increases many times.

In addition, the saliva helps break down complex carbohydrate compounds. To really feel this effect, however, we have to chew on a bite for a very long time. Some may still know the self-test if you should chew a piece of bread at school until it tastes sweetish. In most cases, so much saliva is produced in the course of this experiment that the food porridge slides down the neck almost by itself, even before one can perceive the change.

From the mouth, the food gets further into the stomach, in which the gastric acid is known to be released. In combination with the movement of the stomach, the food is now crushed so much that it enters the small intestine through an opening. This opening is called a gatekeeper and is about the size of a pinhead. Theoretically, this means that larger pieces of food cannot get out of the stomach. In practice, however, one or the other may have already noticed that in individual cases even badly chewed peas or pieces of corn can find their way into the wider digestive area. On the whole, however, we can assume a corresponding comminution of the food.

In the small intestine, most of the nutrients are absorbed. While a small amount of carbohydrates can already be absorbed in the oral cavity if it has long enough contact with the oral mucosa, and even a few amino and fatty acids find their way into the human body in the stomach, these are all so small amounts that they are often neglected in the literature. The small intestine is therefore the decisive Station when it comes to digestion or nutrient absorption.

When splitting food, the body supports not only gastric acid, but also a number of enzymes or bile. If, for example, too little is produced by the enzyme lactase, lactose is not completely split and not absorbed.

In addition, the body has certain limits on how much it can absorb from one nutrient at a time. These limits can be very different, which is also limited by the individual length of our small intestine. How well the porridge gets through our small intestine also depends on factors such as nutrient density, water balance of the body, health of the small intestine or our daily exercise. A variety of factors, which at this point should only make clear that our digestion is complex and one should not make the mistake of focusing on only one point in case of problems. Nevertheless, this much has to be revealed, typical problems are to be named a little further down and possible solutions are to be presented.

What is not absorbed by the body in the small intestine enters the large intestine. There live our bacteria, whose composition is as individual as a fingerprint. Thus, each human being has its own composition, whereby it is currently assumed that breast milk in particular has a major influence on early childhood colonization and conditions as an adult. However, we also influence our colon bacteria with our diet and behavior, and prolonged misconduct can lead to problems such as diarrhea, a bloated lower abdomen, or even flu symptoms.

Everything that our colon bacteria do not use ends up in the toilet sooner or later. Our bowel movement therefore consists of undigested food remains that contain carbohydrates, protein and fat, but also micronutrients and cannot be used by the body. The digestion itself is in reality even more complex, but for a basic understanding this presentation is quite sufficient for us. So let's look at a few basic points that everyone who wants to avoid digestive problems should consider.

How to avoid digestive problems

The cause of digestive problems can be varied and in particular the individual case cannot be discussed in detail in the context of a single article. However, there are a number of tips that every person should implement, but which are neglected by many people at the same time. Let us proceed in the same order as the food passes through our digestive tract.

The well-known bread experiment has already been addressed and thus clarified a first tip, which is often neglected nowadays: chew enough! If you look at the literature, you will find some concrete figures, but let's be honest: we don't want to start counting the movements of our jaws while chewing. A simple solution for the practice is that you chew for so long that the food through the saliva practically automatically slips into the esophagus without you having to swallow it consciously. This procedure ensures that you give your body the opportunity to develop a feeling of satiety. In addition, the food is so badly crushed that the stomach has to do less work or can do its work more easily.

The second tip refers to the stomach and is somewhat more complex. Those who are struggling with excessive acid production and heartburn should check their acid-base balance. This is achieved by means of simple test strips, which can be purchased cheaply in the pharmacy or on the Internet. While a certain acidic value is acceptable in the morning, the urine should take basic values, especially after meals. At this point, this short description should primarily indicate where to start with this Problem. The solution is to increase (significantly) the consumption of vegetables and fruits or to resort (or supplement) to a high - quality base powder, which is nothing else than a mixture of different salts in the chemical sense.

We can support the small intestine in various ways, although the problems can also be manifold. One point that is not sufficiently implemented by many people is exercise. Those who move as often as possible on foot not only increase their calorie consumption and can eat more, but also support their small intestine during the digestive process, because the food porridge must pass through the five to six Meter long Organ, so that different nutrients can be absorbed in the individual sections.

If you have digestive problems due to a damaged intestinal mucosa, you should resort to glutamine and take ten to 15 grams on an empty stomach in the morning. The cells of the small intestine prefer to use them for energy production, which should not be misunderstood as a waste. Finally, only a healthy small intestine, supplied with sufficient energy, can ensure optimum nutrient absorption.

The colon bacteria, on the other hand, are "fed"with fiber. About 15 grams of fiber per 1,000 kcal should be added daily, which even people who actually eat healthy do not always manage, because not every vegetable is rich in fiber. Two teaspoons of psyllium per day is an easy Trick on how to increase your fiber intake.

Fitness enthusiasts, however, can easily kill two birds with one stone: those who pre-cook rice or potatoes and store them overnight in the refrigerator automatically increase their fiber intake. The preparation and subsequent cooling produces so-called resistant starch. This is not absorbed in the small intestine - so you save a few calories - but digested by the large intestine bacteria.

The 80-20 rule as the basis of a healthy digestion

The last point showed us that pre-cooking not only saves time but also stress and in particular a good stress management is an important point for a healthy digestion. In addition, the tips mentioned are just a few examples of how to avoid digestive problems. It is important in this context that they should be based on a healthy foundation. In practice, this is easiest to implement with the help of the 80-20 rule. About 80 percent of the food you eat should be as unprocessed as possible, whereas the remaining 20 percent serves to ensure that we can treat ourselves to a treat. A healthy digestive system tolerates this just as a sporty active person consumes one or the other extra calorie without a Problem. Pre-cooking saves time, calories and helps digestion!

Cooking can take a lot of time during the week, so many people like to grab Snacks or food from the order service. Fitness enthusiasts who pay more attention to their diet, on the other hand, often cook their food for one or more days before, thus saving not only time, but even calories and doing something good for their digestion.

Anyone who cooks potatoes, pasta or rice and then stores them overnight in the refrigerator, ensures that so-called resistant starch forms. The process takes up to 12 hours, so that timely pre-cooking actually makes a difference. The resistant starch formed during this time is not absorbed during digestion in the small intestine, even if the carbohydrate source is reheated before eating. This way you save a few calories, but that's not all:

The resistant starch is used as food in the colon by the bacteria living there, so that precooking has positive effects on our digestive system at the same time. The bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids from the resistant starch, which in turn are used by the intestine for energy supply. This prevents inflammation and supports a healthy intestinal flora. In addition, resistant strength increases saturation. A little Trick with great effect, which every fitness enthusiast can make use of.

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