Digestion

Have you ever been curious about how digestion works and how digestion supports theoverall health of your body? Digestion begins when you start thinking about food; before you even take a bite, your salivary glands begin working and producing enzymes necessary to break down and absorb the nutrients found in food. Everything you eat or drink has to move through your digestion system, which comprises multiple organs that work together to break down the food you eat and transform it into energy and nutrients for your cells. Your digestive system must operate at its fullest potential for you to perform at your fullest potential. Everything in your body survives off the nutrients you consume, your heart, brain, muscles, andhormones. Even your mood can be affected. The best way to support your digestion is to eat asmindfully as possible, taking the time to chew your food thoroughly. Chewing your food into smaller pieces helps your digestion system work more effectively. It begins the chemical processes needed to make energy. Eating a variety of whole foods rather than processed foods is essential to nourish your cells and provide them with the vast array of nutrients needed to function optimally. Digestion has 3 phases, Cephalic, Gastric, and Intestinal. Think of digestion as food traveling from North to South. Food goes in your mouth, gets chewed and swallowed, and moves down through your esophagus into your stomach. It gets washed with acids and turned into Chyme (chewed-up food mixed with stomach secretions). The hope from here is that the Chyme moves into your small intestines, where nutrients are fully broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream ( making energy). Whatever Chyme you have left moves into your large intestines, where the last nutrients are absorbed, and the rest gets excreted as waste. There are a millionreasons why your digestion system doesn’t work optimally. It is essential to understand when there is a dysfunction; your body cannot digest or absorb the nutrients necessary to achieve overall health.