You may or may not be aware, but good health starts in the gut! It is a wee bit more complex than that, due to the intricate connection between the gut and the brain/ nervous system, but essentially if we do not have a healthy digestive system, it is really tough to have healthy hair, skin, nails, joints, immunity, energy, vitality, cardiovascular health, etc.
We have all heard “You are what you eat…”, which is true and I would add to that “… and absorb.” In short, what we put into our bodies matters, as does what our bodies are able to do with these foods: how well we can pull nutrients from the foods through the small intestine and release waste products through the bowel. So, what are the elements involved in the digestive process and what can we do to support ourselves?
Components of digestion:
We have all heard “You are what you eat…”, which is true and I would add to that “… and absorb.” In short, what we put into our bodies matters, as does what our bodies are able to do with these foods: how well we can pull nutrients from the foods through the small intestine and release waste products through the bowel. So, what are the elements involved in the digestive process and what can we do to support ourselves?
Components of digestion:
- Gut: mouth, throat, stomach, intestines: small and large (colon), rectum, anus
- Accessory organs: liver, gallbladder, pancreas, appendix, omentum
- Nervous system: brain, vagus nerve, enteric plexus, migrating motor complex
- Microbiome: micro – tiny; biome – living… the tiny living creatures in our gut (bacteria, yeast/ fungi, viruses)
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