Health Blog | I Give You Health

Article by Cindy Papp

Good digestion is important for good health. Digestion affects your metabolism, your hormonal system and your nervous system. If you don’t take good care of this area, problems arise from ulcers to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In some cases, digestion can even be shut down.

Your gut area, including the stomach, small and large intestine, are known as the “enteric nervous system,” or second brain. Nearly every brain-regulating chemical is made in this area, including hormones and neurotransmitters. When your digestion is out of balance, the manufacture of these chemicals may be affected, which in turn can affect your emotional state.

Besides taking expensive digestive enzymes, there are some things that you can do to help your body and digestion naturally. Here are four tips to get you started.

Tip Number 1: Chew your food well, because good digestion starts in the mouth. Many people believe if they don’t chew enough, then it will simply take longer to digest in the stomach. Unfortunately not only is this not true, but could lead to problems.

Chewing your food serves two purposes. First, to break down the food into softer substance. This makes it easier for the stomach to break down and to swallow. Secondly, chewing starts the digestive process. Your saliva contains enzymes that break down the sugars in carbohydrates and enzymes that start the breakdown of fats. If you don’t start this process in your mouth, then the food cannot be broken down in the stomach or intestine.

Thoroughly chewing your food is actually more difficult than it sounds. Many people chew a few times then swallow. This may be because of habit or being short on time. But your digestion and your health will thank you if you take your time and chew until all the food is broken down before you swallow.

Tip Number 2: To help your body achieve good digestion, be aware of the portions of food you eat, and don’t over eat. Your body can only break down so much food at one time. If you eat too much, your body will not digest it later. It may even just sit in the digestive tract and contribute to excess, built-up waste in your body – otherwise known as gaining weight.

To start with, when eating proteins, make sure your serving is about the size of your palm. This will help to give you an idea of a portion that is good for your body without having to weight and measure.

Overeating proteins is one of the biggest contributors to excess weight gain, and makes sense since your body can only digest small amounts of protein at a time. If not digested shortly after it is eaten, it can easily get stored and even cause added fat in your body – no matter how lean the protein is.

In addition to controlling your protein serving, be cautious of the amount of starches you eat. These types of foods can easily cause an unwanted spike in blood sugar. Too much can interfere with your body’s protein digestion and contribute to weight gain. Stick to about one-half to one cup per meal. Look for the easier to digest starches such as quinoa or basmati rice.

Tip Number 3: Be sure your intestinal bacteria is in check. Bacteria, both good and bad, is found in your digestive tract including your small intestine and colon. Good bacteria is imperative for good digestion.

Good bacteria are responsible for killing bad guys such as harmful bacteria (including e.coli) and other pathogens that can wreak havoc in your system. They also can help reduce gas and stomach bloat, help break down soluble fibers which help prevent bad cholesterol build-up and reduce inflammation.

Keep your good bacteria in check by eating plenty of whole, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, and whole, unprocessed grains. These are the building blocks your body needs to manufacture good bacteria. In addition, eat foods that include good bacteria such as yogurt and kifir.

Tip Number 4: Cleanse your colon and your body. Good digestion can never happen if the digestive tract is blocked or weighed down with excess waste. Build-up can happen in these tubes just as build-up occurs in your bloodstream even though your blood continuously flows.

Be sure to consume natural fibers that can help clear this area, such as those found in whole fruits and vegetables. A fiber supplement can help as long as it doesn’t clog your body. For more intensive cleansing, a colon cleansing program may help your body remove excess waste.

Your food choices and lifestyle will be more important than anything else you will do to help your digestion. Help your body stay healthy and take the steps you need to improve your health with good digestion.

About the Author

Cindy Papp is a Nutritional Counselor and has been actively working in the holistic health field for 14 years. Learn more about good digestion at http://www.springclean-cleanse.com/digestion.html and help your body help itself.

Educational video about ruminant digestion
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Yoga for Abdomen & Digestion – www.kalakendra.com Yoga is an ancient practice that helps to create a sense of union in body, mind & spirit. The three components of yoga are breathing, concentration and physical postures called Asanas . Unlike the other exercises that exhaust the body, diligent practice of Yogasanas calms the mind and refreshes the body. Yogasanas are wonderful for creating a toned, flexible & strong body, reducing stress & tension and improving concentration & creativity. Asanas improve respiration, energy, vitality and stability of mind. They promote cardio and circulatory health. Acidity, caused by excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach when prolonged, can cause indigestion, arthritis, ulcers and other abdominal disorders. Yogasanas increase blood flow to the digestive tract and stimulate the intestinal action to make digestion more efficient. Yogasanas featured in this DVD are effective in calming and relaxing the digestive system and help more effective elimination of toxins. Dr. Sujatha-Director of Power Management Consultancy & Patanjali Yoga Vidhya Kendram-Chennai, is the first Indian to get a Doctorate in Yoga. Her unique style of teaching traditional Yogasanas, Breathing Techniques & Meditation are easy to follow & naturally develop fitness, discipline, confidence, stability & self-awareness. She has successfully trained 20000 people including Corporate, Government bodies.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

How digestive enzyme supplements work A plant-based, vegetarian digestive enzyme supplement helps our bodies break down the fat, protein fiber and carbohydrates in our foods. The high-potency digestive enzymes from Enzymes, Inc., contain several types of enzymes that focus on breaking down every component of the foods we eat. For example, protease breaks down protein and lipase breaks down fat. Digestive enzyme supplements help our bodies properly digest and absorb essential nutrients from our foods, helping support the immune system and overall health. In particular, enzymes might also provide relief from digestive problems such as indigestion, bloating and gas. Unfortunately, most over-the-counter products for indigestion simply mask the problem. Digestive enzymes, on the other hand, aid digestion before symptoms occur. Digestive enzyme supplements from Enzymes, Inc., are recommended with every meal or snack. An enzyme supplement taken immediately before a meal can help the body properly break down cooked and processed foods, which contain no naturally occurring enzymes. If you currently use a digestive enzyme supplement, or if youre considering one, its important to visualize how the supplements work in our bodies. To see firsthand how an enzyme supplement safely and effectively breaks down food, well demonstrate how an enzyme blend from Enzymes, Inc., helps digest oatmeal. As you can see in this bowl, we have one serving of maple-and-brown-sugar-flavored oatmeal. The …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

A Story about Bill, Ted, Jack, Peggy Sue, and their friend the lemur, who get shrunken and eaten by a hoboman. Made for a project in my Physio class LYRICS WRITTEN BY LELA ROY: This is the story of Bill, Ted, and Peggy Sue And a kid named Jack and his friend the lemur too Well Jack and his friends were driving in his car The car had just been fixed and they hadn’t gotten far Jack said “guys I’ll turn the radio on I think,” But he pressed the wrong button and the car began to shrink -All around the engines sound The car began to spin around But looking out no one was found Of Jack and his friends -The were such a frightened clan And fell into a garbage can, Were eaten by a hobo-man Poor Jack and his friends! Inside the mouth Jack and his friends stayed seated While the hobo-man chewed, and saliva was secreated The enzyme amylase was released and they turned into a bolus, As they started down the pharynx shouting “Jack you really owe us!” They passed a flap of tissue called the epiglottis Which quickly closed the windpipe and forced them toward the esophagus The esophagus was fun, Ted asked “what are these actions?” “Peralisis,” said the lemur, “known as muscle contractions,” -Everywhere they watched and stared Peggy wet her underware (BILL) “Hey look guys what’s that up there?” (LEMUR) “It’s the sphincter you fool” – (SOMEONE) “I don’t like the look of this, The car smells just like Peggy’s piss (LEMUR) “We’ve passed the sphincter stomach’s next” Then Jack lost his cool …

The Pathway To Supporting The Digestive System and Feeling Great Again

The human digestive system plays a vital role in a person’s overall health and wellbeing. It’s the place where foods are broken down and absorbed into the body. It is the place where nutrition occurs, where the foods we consume are taken in and used by the body. Elements of those foods we need in order to operate efficiently, effectively and optimally. Getting them in is one element of the journey, but once they are in, in a lot of cases it becomes really challenging to then use the nutrients that we provide because the body has fewer resources to be able break them down and absorb them.

How Did We Get There?

It seems that over time and in the modern world that we live in, there are foods that we consume that are less than good for our health and wellbeing. The one area most affected is our digestive health, which ultimately leads to every other system of the body working less efficiently. Unless we can break down the food we eat into the basic components, such as sugars, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fats then we can suffer from malnutrition, which can show up in many different forms. This becomes a downward spiral because as the digestive fire of an individual decreases they then choose to eat the foods that are processed and easy to digest and avoid the foods that are high in nutrition and tougher to digest. The heavily processed foods are generally dead and lifeless; they contain no live enzymes and mostly provide us with very little life force. Enzymes are a critical element in digestion and if they are not present in the food we eat then the body has to supply the enzymes to break down the food. Fortunately for us our body is able to readily supply those enzymes. Over time though this can have a detrimental effect on our energy levels as the body becomes exhausted from draining its enzymatic resources.

What Form Does This Take?

As these essential digestive enzymes become less and less it becomes harder for food to digest and commonly the symptom’s that start to occur are acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, gas, fatigue and heartburn. Commonly, in our heavily influenced pharmaceutical society we are trained that we need to get rid of the acid. So we reaching for the chalky ant-acid tablets, which are alkaline based, this neutralises the acid in the digestive tract that is working to break down those foods. These formulas may provide immediate relief, but long term it MUST NOT BE A SOLUTION TO YOUR CURRENT PROBLEM. Why? Because

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1. It kills what enzymes we have left and forces part digested foods into the lower intestinal tract.

2. Most importantly, it does not allow us to absorb the foods, proteins, nutrients, minerals and vitamins that we need to live optimally.

So What Are The LONG TERM Solutions?

Ultimately, overtime we need to find ways to strengthen our ability to digest the foods we eat. So how do we do that? You maybe shocked the simplicity of the answers, but most people don’t do this.

1. Take some good strong diaphragmatic breathes before you eat. You may or may not know that the most important fuel we need is oxygen. When breathing we also relax and really get a grasp on what we need over what we want. We also become relaxed which is a state that guarantees efficient digestion.

2. Drink some fresh (ideally SPRING) water. About ½ to 1 litre before you eat. Surprisingly most of the time we are actually thirsty and chronically dehydrated. Often hunger can be mistaken for dehydration.

3. Eat whole foods ideally raw foods that have a high water content as well as all its live enzymes that will help digestion. The fact that they have a lot of water inside the food will help you to digest better. Try a cucumber or an avocado.

4. Combine foods appropriately. Most of the time we consume fast foods. These time efficient foods are actually inefficient and probably cost you more time because of the energy that goes into digesting them or not as the case maybe. So why? The basic principle is that with proteins the stomach produces an acidic enzyme to break it down. With carbohydrates the stomach produces an alkaline enzyme. Eating them both together neutralises the digestive process, which makes the food sit in the stomach, which then leads to fermentation. So here are some things to try out to see how it can improve your digestion.

· A) Don’t Eat Carbohydrates and Proteins together

· B) Don’t Eat Proteins and Fats together

· C) Don’t Eat Proteins and Fruits together

· D) Don’t Eat more than one type of Protein

· E) Don’t Eat Desserts after a Big Meal

5. Chew your food. Because we are all in such a hurry throwing foods down our throat is common. What we don’t break down in our mouth must be broken down in the stomach.

6. Avoid overeating. Ask yourself before going for seconds if you really do need more or not.

7. Eat your salads with Apple Cider Vinegar dressings.

8. The best product to support you in the short term would be Betaine HCL. This is literally stomach acid in a capsule and it provides your stomach with the Hydrochloric Acid it needs to digest the food more efficiently. You can take one just before each meal and then you will find that digestion is easier.

9. A long-term solution is to get a Mineral analysis done. Why? Because in order for the body to produce Hydrochloric Acid, naturally it needs the appropriate minerals to do so. This does make it a catch 22 situation because we need gastric acid to break down the food to absorb the minerals, but we also need minerals because they are how the body generates the Hydrochloric Acid that we need to digest. The good news is with the right minerals supplements we can build up the strength of the digestive system, but we need to get a true diagnostic as to which ones we need.

Solutions are available and we now know more now than ever before, but long term often we need to look a bit deeper than the surface level problem to discover a solution that can really help us achieve an incredible level of health, not only to bring years to our life but life to our years.

Related Digestive Articles

Digestion is an important process and key to excellent health. Good digestion can help speed metabolism while poor digestion causes a sluggish metabolism and weight gain. You can help your body to strengthen this process with a little effort.

These tips are called secrets because they are not what you would normally read about to help you strengthen your own digestion. Many people want to sell plant and other kinds of enzymes. While some of these may help, using them for your entire life can prove inconvenient and expensive. Try these secret tips to help your body manufacture more of its own enzymes, which will naturally lead to excellent digestion.

Tip 1 – Don’t overeat. Overeating is a main cause of digestive problems. The body can only digest a certain amount of protein at one time. What isn’t digested gets stored as waste and creates toxins. In addition, your body can only digest a few types of food in one sitting. Too many different types food will require more enzymes than your body can produce at one time. This will lead to digestive problems.

Tip 2 – Always chew your food until it is completely dissolved. This really sounds easier than it is. Most of us eat on the run, only partially chewing our food. This can cause heartburn, stomach upset and bloating, among other things. Paying attention to chewing your food can have numerous health benefits.

Digestion starts in the mouth. In fact, chewing is the first stage of digestion. Most people think if you don’t finish chewing your food, it will just take longer to digest in the stomach. This is not true. If you don’t complete the chewing process – your stomach enzymes cannot do their job. This makes it almost impossible for the intestinal enzymes to break down the food when it finally gets there.

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Your teeth must break down the food into a substance that your stomach and intestinal enzymes can then break down. Add to this the fact that your saliva is full of digestive enzymes. These enzymes start the digestion of starches. One step must be completed before the other steps can work.

There are other benefits of thoroughly chewing your food. People who take time to eat have less risk of heartburn than those who eat too fast. And – studies prove that extended chewing actually strengthens the immune system! So slow down, chew your food and enjoy.

Tip 3 – Relax before eating. This might sound like a new-age thing, but there is scientific evidence that relaxing helps strengthen digestion. Studies in Japan show that the saliva of a relaxed person is thinner and full of enzymes. This makes for stronger digestion.

The same studies show that saliva of a stressed or hurried person is thick and devoid of enzymes. This may be one reason why stress can interfere with digestive health.

Tip 4 – You can strengthen your natural digestion and help your body produce more of its own natural digestive enzymes. How can you do this without taking external enzymes?

Eat according to digestive cycles. Your body has natural, circadian rhythms like the sleeping cycle and hormonal cycle. Digestion is also a rhythm, or cycle, that is stronger at some points of the day than others. Here’s how it works…

The morning is your body’s natural cleansing, or flushing time. This is when your liver is supposed to dump toxins and fat for release. This should stimulate your intestines and colon to work. To work with this part of the cycle, eat fruits which are natural cleansers of the body.

Mid-day is the time when your digestive enzymes peak and are at their strongest. This is the best time to eat raw vegetables which are more difficult for most people to digest. Eating a large, raw vegetable salad with protein will strengthen your natural enzymes over a short period of time. As your body begins to expect your daily salad, it gets more enzymes ready to digest the raw veggies. Be sure to chew your salad well.

Evening is when your natural digestive enzymes are slowing down. To strengthen digestion, start your meal with a small, green salad. This will get your enzymes revving. Then complete your meal with steamed veggies and a protein serving. This is an easier food combination for your body to digest. It will not interfere with your natural enzymes, but work with them.

Tip 5 – Eat yogurt for the good bacteria. Good bacteria must thrive throughout your digestive system. It keeps the bad bacteria and other pathogens in check, which in turn strengthens not only your digestion, but your immune system as well. Be sure to eat yogurt that lists the available probiotics on the label.

It might seem like a difficult cycle when trying to correct poor digestion. You need proteins and raw veggies to add enzymes and to stimulate and create your own enzymes. But it might be difficult to break down these proteins and raw veggies if your digestion is out of whack. Try these simple tips for starters.

If you are taking digestive enzymes and prefer not to, don’t just stop taking them, wean off slowly to ensure balance. The key to any natural healing process is slow, steady and consistent. Working like this can help you take control of your health.

4 Things You Must Know If You Want Good Digestion

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Home Page > Health > 4 Things You Must Know If You Want Good Digestion

4 Things You Must Know If You Want Good Digestion

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4 Things You Must Know If You Want Good Digestion

By: Cindy Papp

About the Author

Cindy Papp is a Nutritional Counselor and has been actively working in the holistic health field for 14 years. Learn more about good digestion and how a colon cleanse may help before you spend money on products that won’t work.

(ArticlesBase SC #779544)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – 4 Things You Must Know If You Want Good Digestion

Good digestion is important for good health. Digestion affects your metabolism, your hormonal system and your nervous system. If you don’t take good care of this area, problems arise from ulcers to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In some cases, digestion can even be shut down.

Your gut area, including the stomach, small and large intestine, are known as the “enteric nervous system,” or second brain. Nearly every brain-regulating chemical is made in this area, including hormones and neurotransmitters. When your digestion is out of balance, the manufacture of these chemicals may be affected, which in turn can affect your emotional state.

Besides taking expensive digestive enzymes, there are some things that you can do to help your body and digestion naturally. Here are four tips to get you started.

Tip Number 1: Chew your food well, because good digestion starts in the mouth. Many people believe if they don’t chew enough, then it will simply take longer to digest in the stomach. Unfortunately not only is this not true, but could lead to problems.

Chewing your food serves two purposes. First, to break down the food into softer substance. This makes it easier for the stomach to break down and to swallow. Secondly, chewing starts the digestive process. Your saliva contains enzymes that break down the sugars in carbohydrates and enzymes that start the breakdown of fats. If you don’t start this process in your mouth, then the food cannot be broken down in the stomach or intestine.

Thoroughly chewing your food is actually more difficult than it sounds. Many people chew a few times then swallow. This may be because of habit or being short on time. But your digestion and your health will thank you if you take your time and chew until all the food is broken down before you swallow.

Tip Number 2: To help your body achieve good digestion, be aware of the portions of food you eat, and don’t over eat. Your body can only break down so much food at one time. If you eat too much, your body will not digest it later. It may even just sit in the digestive tract and contribute to excess, built-up waste in your body – otherwise known as gaining weight.

To start with, when eating proteins, make sure your serving is about the size of your palm. This will help to give you an idea of a portion that is good for your body without having to weight and measure.  Overeating proteins is one of the biggest contributors to excess weight gain, and makes sense since your body can only digest small amounts of protein at a time. If not digested shortly after it is eaten, it can easily get stored and even cause added fat in your body – no matter how lean the protein is.

In addition to controlling your protein serving, be cautious of the amount of starches you eat. These types of foods can easily cause an unwanted spike in blood sugar. Too much can interfere with your body’s protein digestion and contribute to weight gain. Stick to about one-half to one cup per meal. Look for the easier to digest starches such as quinoa or basmati rice.

Tip Number 3: Be sure your intestinal bacteria is in check. Bacteria, both good and bad, is found in your digestive tract including your small intestine and colon. Good bacteria is imperative for good digestion. Good bacteria are responsible for killing bad guys such as harmful bacteria (including e.coli) and other pathogens that can wreak havoc in your system. They also can help reduce gas and stomach bloat, help break down soluble fibers which help prevent bad cholesterol build-up and reduce inflammation.

Keep your good bacteria in check by eating plenty of whole, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, and whole, unprocessed grains. These are the building blocks your body needs to manufacture good bacteria. In addition, eat foods that include good bacteria such as yogurt and kifir.

Tip Number 4: Cleanse your colon and your body. Good digestion can never happen if the digestive tract is blocked or weighed down with excess waste. Build-up can happen in these tubes just as build-up occurs in your bloodstream even though your blood continuously flows. Be sure to consume natural fibers that can help clear this area, such as those found in whole fruits and vegetables. A fiber supplement can help as long as it doesn’t clog your body. For more intensive cleansing, a colon cleansing program may help your body remove excess waste.

Your food choices and lifestyle will be more important than anything else you will do to help your digestion. Help your body stay healthy and take the steps you need to improve your health with good digestion.

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Cindy Papp -
About the Author:

Cindy Papp is a Nutritional Counselor and has been actively working in the holistic health field for 14 years. Learn more about good digestion and how a colon cleanse may help before you spend money on products that won’t work.

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Be sure your whole body cleanse is complete by following these steps.

By:
Cindy Pappl

Health>
Alternative Medicinel
Nov 18, 2009
lViews: 169

Three Step Whole Body Cleanse

Be sure your whole body cleanse is complete by following these steps.

By:
Cindy Pappl

Health>
Alternative Medicinel
Nov 18, 2009

The Best Colon Cleanse Gets Better

The best colon cleanse is now being proven to work by nutritional science. See how it can work for you!

By:
Cindy Pappl

Health>
Nutritionl
Jul 10, 2009

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A healthy digestive system is very vital to ensure an individual’s overall well being. And in order to achieve this, one must make just basic changes in their daily life. This will be a great improvement in the quality of their digestive health. So here are some tips on how to improve digestion.

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Make it a point to eat fresh and organic food instead of just eating canned or boxed foods which contain harsh preservatives and very little nutrients or vitamins. Take note that vital enzymes are essential for proper digestion so make sure to combine cooked and raw foods such as a fresh salad and steamed carrots.

One of the basic ways on how to improve digestion is to chew your food slowly and thoroughly with care and consideration to each bite. Take note that the first and most important step to proper digestion and improved digestive health begins in your mouth. It is also a good idea to eat your meals with chopsticks, although this may seem to be frustrating at first. Eating with chopsticks enable you to control your eating pace and bite size and makes you eat with more attention.

Taking digestive enzymes with every meal, as previously mentioned, is very essential to your digestive health. These enzymes are able to enhance the extraction of nutrients from the food you eat and help in the prevention of bloating, gas and digestive stress. Including ground flaxseed in your meals is also a good idea to enhance your digestion since it is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as an excellent source of dietary fiber.

Another effective way on how to improve digestion is by exercising. You need to exercise daily in order to increase movement within your bowel and enhance digestive health. Take note that daily activity improves the natural rhythm of your digestive system and greatly help in moving food thorough your digestive system.

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The gastrointestinal system, a complex network of organs and glands which extracts nutrients and water from the food that we eat so that they can be used by the body, processes the food in six phases. First, it mentally prepares the stomach for the meal that we are about to eat. Then, it takes food into the body, followed by moving that food through the GI tract. Next, it breaks down the food with both mechanical and chemical processes and then absorbs the digestive food into the vascular and lymphatic systems for distribution to the cells. Finally, the indigestible substances and waste products are eliminated from the body. Digestion itself is divided into two categories, those being mechanical and chemical. Mechanical digestion is the physical movement that assists chemical digestion. After the initial breakdown by chewing, food is churned by the smooth muscles of the stomach and small intestine, allowing it to mix with the enzymes that start the chemical reactions. Chemical digestion, on the other hand, is a series of chemical reactions that break down large carbohydrate, lipid, and protein molecules into smaller molecules that can enter blood vessels. In order for optimal digestion to occur, all of these processes must work together. If any part of the system under or over-performs, physical problems will most likely occur.

Enzymes are extremely important to digestion because without them digestion could not take place and the food we eat could not be absorbed into our bodies to be utilized. Enzymes, which are complex proteins that are produced by living cells and can be found in digestive juices, start chemical reactions in the body. They act on food by breaking it down into simpler components that can be used by the body for energy. If digestive enzymes don’t work adequately, inadequate digestion will result which is thought to be a significant cause of food allergies. When food is not digested completely it can initiate allergic reactions in the body, causing inflammation and immune sensitivity and lead to chronic inflammatory conditions and certain types of arthritis.

There are many enzymes that are part of the digestion process. However, there are three main enzymes that are involved in digestion. These are amylase, protease, and lipase. Other enzymes, including sucrase, lactase, and maltase are very important for secondary function in digestion. Amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates, can be found in saliva and pancreatic secretions. It initiates digestion of dietary starches and breaks down starch into several simpler molecules. Disaccharides including lactose, maltose, and sucrose, are broken down into simple sugars by lactase, maltase, and sucrase. These simple sugars can be absorbed through the small intestine to help with energy production. Proteases, which break down protein, cause protein digestion to begin in the stomach. The stomach’s acidic environment activates the protease pepsin, which is deactivated in the alkaline environment of the intestine. Proteins are further broken down by pancreatic enzymes into amino acids in the intestine. Lipases break down fat into essential fatty acids. Fat digestion speeds up in the second part of the small intestine with the help of the pancreatic lipases. These lipase enzymes are responsible for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Animal enzymes, especially those that are derived from pig enzymes are very similar to human digestive enzymes. Animal enzymes are much more sensitive to pH extremes; therefore many animal enzyme formulas sold as dietary supplements contain bicarbonates to protect the enzymes from stomach acid. Plant derived enzymes, on the other hand; come from fungal and botanical sources. They are able to survive a broad range of pH differences and provide a larger range of activity in the gastrointestinal tract. Plant enzymes are often preferred by those who wish to avoid animal-derived products.

Along with these, there are many other dietary supplements that are effective in supporting digestive health, specifically probiotic supplements, which offer numerous health benefits. Probiotics are non-toxic, live bacteria that are necessary for life and do not cause disease. The most commonly studied probiotics are those from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium group. Because these two probiotic groups have the ability to break down lactose, they are known as lactic acid bacteria. These probiotics can be found in many foods and dietary supplements. In our intestines we have colonies of bacteria called microflora, which is associated with good health when they are normal. However, changes in intestinal health are often associated with a weakened immune function and an imbalance in the natural microflora is often linked with various diseases such as yeast infections and colon cancer. By orally ingesting probiotic bacteria, we help to support the composition and metabolic activities of the microflora found in the large intestine. These microflora help the digestive process through fermentation, protection against disease-causing bacteria, and stimulation of certain immune system components. Probiotic bacteria have also demonstrated anti-cancer properties in many studies. Results have shown that people taking L. acidophilus fermented milk have a much larger number of intestinal Lactobacilli, which in turn decreases the risk factors associated with colon cancer.

Lactose is an important sugar that is converted to lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria. Many people have lactose intolerance as a result of genetics, gastrointestinal disease, or a decline in the amount of intestinal lactase levels that are associated with aging. Lactose intolerance is caused by an inability to digest lactose because of a failure of small intestine cells to produce lactase (the enzyme needed to digest lactose). Those who are deficient in lactase accumulate non-absorbed lactose in the GI tract, drawing water and electrolytes into the gut. This leads to bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and malabsorption of nutrients. Lactic acid bacteria support the breakdown of lactose by enhancing the activity of lactase, therefore improving digestion and tolerance. Although probiotic bacteria usually survive passage through the stomach, they do not permanently colonize in the body. Therefore, to ensure optimal support of the digestive system, these probiotic bacteria need to be replenished. To do so, they should be ingested regularly in order for their health-promoting effects to continue. Digestive enzymes and probiotics can be found at your friendly online vitamin store.

Digestion is the process by which the food we eat is broken down into smaller substances that can be absorbed through our gastrointestinal tract. Proper digestion is extremely important for our health, and when digestion is impaired in any way, disease can develop.

The food we eat (besides vitamins and minerals) consists of three basic groups: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins need to be broken down into small enough chunks that can be absorbed by the body. Digestion is a combination of mechanical and chemical processes that allows food to be absorbed by our body.

Digestion of Carbohydrates

Human food contains only three sources of carbohydrates: sugar or sucrose, which is a disaccharide derived from cane, lactose which is a disaccharide in milk and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) which are found in most grains and potatoes. Cellulose is technically also a polysaccharide, but cannot be digested by the human GI tract. Digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth where food is mixed with saliva, which contains the enzyme alpha-amylase that breaks down carbohydrates into disaccharides such as maltose. The acid secretion of the stomach will inhibit further digestion of complex carbohydrates, so any polysaccharide that has not been digested at that time, will be digested when the pancreas secretes alpha-amylase enzyme. Maltose, lactose, sucrose and other small disaccharides are further broken down into monosaccharides by enzymes present in the intestinal lining. Monosaccharides are then quickly absorbed into the blood stream.

Digestion of fats

Fats are an important component of our diet since fats form the basis of many hormones and cell membrane building blocks. The most common fats in our diet are neutral fats (triglycerides), which are composed of glycerol linked to 3 fatty acid molecules. The amount of fat that is digested by the stomach is very low, and most of the fat is digested in the intestine. However, fat molecules form a so-called micelles (globular balls) in a water containing environment, so in order for digestive enzymes (which are water soluble) to gain access, fats need to be emulsified. Emulsification of fats occurs when the gall bladder secretes bile salts. Fats mixed with bile salts can be broken down by pancreatic lipase into fatty acids and mono-glycerides.

Digestion of proteins

Proteins in our diet are derived either from meat or vegetables. Proteins are long chains of amino acids held together by peptide bonds. Proteins are pre-digested in our stomach by gastric pepsin at a very acidic pH. When the pH is not low enough, protein digestion is impaired. The bulk of the protein digestion occurs in the small intestine, where proteolytic enzymes secreted by the pancreas further break down the proteins. The partially broken down proteins (peptones, polypeptides) are attacked by the pancreatic enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypolypeptidase and turned into (mostly) di-peptides. Di-peptides are turned into individual amino acids by enzymes present in the lining of the intestine. Amino acids are then absorbed into the blood.

As you can see, digestion is a complex process of many enzymatic reactions combined with the mechanics of chewing, stomach churning and movement of food particles through the intestinal tract. Many things can go wrong with digestion. Even when our food is completely digested, it still has to absorbed through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.