entertaining healthy you
Spring Cleaning Story: Michelle Johns
Spring is in the air. It’s the time of year when the new season is so close we can smell the freshness in the air. People are starting to move about the streets with daily walks, runs, bike rides and the like. The days are getting longer and there’s a festive feeling in the atmosphere. Many people are looking through their closets and deciding what must go, making donations to charities, hosting garage sales, and maybe even putting a few things in a consignment store. While I love a good home purge, this article’s focus is on a different kind of spring cleaning. As I’m approaching 50 and about to be a candidate for a new annual physical, I took a new look at the digestive system. In my research I gained a new perspective as I looked at all the parts as one. So often, we consider a body part on its own. We rarely think about the ways all the parts are connected to perform a complete job. From the mouth to the bottom, the human body contains nearly 30 feet of gastrointestinal tract designed to break the food we eat down into nutrients that provide us with lifesustaining energy. The process of digestion begins with the first bit of food placed in the mouth. The salivary glands, teeth and tongue begin to work, breaking food down and preparing it for entry into the esophagus. Through a series of muscle contractions, the esophagus moves food into the stomach. I get really geeked out when I consider the intricate design of the human body, so pardon me while I pause the writing flow to interject a moment of mindfulness. The esophagus works autonomically. We put a bite-sized piece of food in our mouth, we chew and we swallow, but everything after that happens for us without us doing anything. I’m in awe of the ways we are creatively designed. Food delivered to the stomach is then processed by hydrochloric acid; the pepsin enzyme is activated to break down proteins and turn them into amino 78 | At Home Memphis & Mid South • March 2020
acids and chyme. Depending on the constitution of the food, it can take the stomach two to six hours to process. Fats take longer to process; hence healthy fats are great because they keep you feeling full longer. The processed food then goes into the small intestine. The pancreas secretes enzymes into the small intestine and produces insulin, secreted directly into the bloodstream to metabolize sugars. The liver secretes bile into the small intestine to help further break down the nutrients of food and digest fats. The liver breaks food down, discerning what stays and what goes. It provides the body with what it needs to function and protects the body by eliminating toxic chemicals. The gallbladder also releases bile to help absorb and digest fats. It’s often said that we don’t really need our gallbladder. While we may be able to live without it, the gallbladder certainly does have a useful role and should not be taken for granted. After the work of the small intestine is complete with the help of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder, the left-over food goes on to the large intestine or colon, where it is processed for the next four to 72 hours. The bacteria in the colon turn the remaining food into gases that may be used to provide nutrients to cells in the colon. The processes of the large intestine protect the body from bacteria. The excess waste is excreted through the rectum: when the brain decides the excess matter is no longer needed, it signals a release through the anus.
