How Digestion Works
Let’s talk about the gut!
These next 2 weeks we are going to focus on our gastrointestinal (GI) tract - that is everything from our mouth to where it all comes out.
We see a LOT of clients with gut/digestive issues. While we are not here to diagnose, we are here to provide some basic education on where fuel goes when we consume it.
Did you know: There are functional and non-functional GI disorders?
Non-functional disorders are those that a doctor can fully diagnose with what we call biomarkers. These are your Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis cases, your Celiac disease, gastroparesis, SIBO.
Functional disorders are those disorders of gut and brain interactions. These are not diagnosed with standardized biomarkers from a doctor meaning no structural issues are noted to your GI tract. They are more diagnosed from symptoms and complaints. These are heartburn, reflux, excessive burping, IBS, bloating, constipation/diarrhea.
We see both and both are very REAL.
Knowing this, let’s dive into how food moves through our system so when you experience discomfort, you can start to understand where the discomfort is and have autonomy at the doctor.
Digestion begins in the mouth. Saliva makes the fuel into what we call a bolus and moves it to the pharynx and down the esophagus where it then enters the stomach.
Some cool facts about the stomach:
It is about the size of your fist and a lot higher than we think. Feel out where each side of your rib cage meet and it sits right there. This is where fullness is felt. It acts like a big old blender and is one of the only organs that can hold both solids and liquids.
The fuel then exits the stomach and enters the small intestine. This is where most of digestion happens. Carbs, protein and fat are broken down here from help of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder.
Fun fact: our small intestine is anywhere from 10-20 feet long and covers about 60 feet of surface area (that is 100x greater than the area of our skin!)
The last step is your large intestine or colon. This is 5 feet long and finishes up digestion. This is where most of our “gut bacteria” live and where vitamins, minerals, water and electrolytes do their magic.
From here, our rectum holds all of our end products (aka poop..yep, I said it) and then holds it until our anus is ready to excrete it.
There is absolutely more to this but hope it starts the convo and you learn something new about this amazing system in our body!
As always, there is no right or wrong here and we are definitely not a doctor. Just a practice providing simple education. A big thing we focus on at Worley Nutrition Group is educating and empowering. There is so much misinformation out there and we see it all the time in our office. Education is power and hope you continue to take this in to account as you fuel your body! And also know to consult your doctor should you have any medical questions/concerns!