After we have eaten a meal -- and often we do this in a hurry, without much chewing, under a lot of stress, or in the presence of negative emotions -- we give no thought to what becomes of our food once it has been swallowed.
We have been led to assume that anything put in the mouth automatically gets digested flawlessly, is efficiently absorbed into the body where it nourishes our cells, with the waste products being eliminated completely by the large intestine.
This vision of efficiency may exist in the best cases but for most there is many a slip between the table and the toilet. Most bodies are not optimally efficient at performing all the required functions, especially after years of poor living habits, stress, fatigue, and aging.
To the natural hygienist, most disease begins and ends with our FOOD; most of our healing efforts are focused on improving the digestion process. Digestion means chemically changing the foods we eat into substances that can pass into the blood stream and circulate through the body where nutrition is used for bodily functions.
Our bodies use nutritional substances for fuel, for repair and rebuilding, and to conduct an incredibly complex biochemistry. Scientists are still busily engaged in trying to understand the chemical mysteries of our bodies.
But as bewildering as the chemistry of life is, the chemistry of digestion itself is actually a relatively simple process, and one doctors have had a fairly good understanding of for many decades.
Though relatively straightforward, a lot can and does go wrong resulting in digestion problems.
The body breaks down foods with a series of different enzymes that are mixed with food at various points as it passes from mouth to stomach to small intestine.
An enzyme is a large, complex molecule that has the ability to chemically change other large, complex molecules without being changed itself. Digestive enzymes perform relatively simple functions--breaking large molecules into smaller parts that can dissolve in water.
Digestion starts in the mouth when food is mixed with ptyalin, an enzyme secreted by the salivary glands. Ptyalin converts insoluble starches into simple sugars.
If the digestion of starchy foods is impaired, the body is less able to extract the energy contained in our foods, while far worse from the point of view of the genesis of diseases, undigested starches pass through the stomach and into the gut where they ferment and thereby create an additional toxic burden for the liver to process. And fermenting starches also create gas.
As we chew our food it gets mixed with saliva; as we continue to chew the starches in the food are converted into sugar. There is a very simple experiment you can conduct to prove to yourself how this works. Get a plain piece of bread, no jam, no butter, plain, and without swallowing it or allowing much of it to pass down the throat, begin to chew it until it seems to literally dissolve.
Ptyalin works fast in our mouths so you may be surprised at how sweet the taste gets. As important as chewing is, I have only run into about one client in a hundred that actually makes an effort to consciously chew their food...
Read more at: http://www.xtherapist.com
ohare limo service Grand Rapids ..Beverages - and not just alcohol - are a significant... Read More
Modern life can be stressful. There are so many concerns... Read More
I'm 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has... Read More
You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it... Read More
Carbohydrates - found in grains, breads, pasta, and sugar, as... Read More
The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has... Read More
Protein must be a part of a healthy diet for... Read More
Most people understand that it is wise to limit the... Read More
AgingHow did aging appeared?If mechanism of Death was chosen by... Read More
Detoxifying the body has become an apparent key preventative measure... Read More
Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
If you want to lose weight, there is one thing... Read More
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
Numerous reports have recently appeared in both the lay and... Read More
In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which... Read More
Niacin, also called nicotinic acid, is a member of the... Read More
What is nutrition? We hear so many reports today on... Read More
It's 5:30 p.m. and you're heading home after a long,... Read More
I want to tell you about the most healthful and... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack... Read More
Despite the fact that accurate nutrition information can be accessed... Read More
executive chauffeured services Barrington Hills .."Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed... Read More
If you're suffering from constipation, you are no doubt looking... Read More
The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when... Read More
Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More
Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is... Read More
THE RISKWhen you consume food that's high in acid or... Read More
Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
Our diet is an essential factor for the formation of... Read More
Essential fatty acids are the number one recommendation for anyone... Read More
Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it... Read More
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home... Read More
Nutrition is extremely important for any young person, especially an... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
I turned into my parents' driveway in Maryland and parked... Read More
Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry capsules are a nutritious, all-natural alternative... Read More
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body... Read More
Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
Do you notice your child putting off going to the... Read More
To research the health risks Sweet 'N Low and other... Read More
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
Nutrition |