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Fact - Good Health cannot eixst without good digestion

Digestion is the most complex process in the body, if cannot digest food properly you will not absorb enough nutrients to function properly, to build, to repair and protect – to have good health in other words.

TLC for your digestion could be a huge investment in the future of your health

Digestion starts with the senses of sight and smell, which trigger the brain to instruct the salivary glands, the pancreas and other glands within the digestive tract to produce digestive enzymes that act as keys to unlock nutrient potential, and change foods from indigestible state that can do harm, to something the body can breakdown and utilize. The stomach is also instructed to produce hydrochloric acid. Preparing fresh food and cooking, or being near the kitchen where delicious smells are coming from, is the best way to get digestion started.

Digestion of carbohydrates and simple sugars starts in the mouth when salivary amylase (a carbohydrate digestive enzyme) comes in to contact withfoods like bread, pasta and other carbohydrates and sugars.

The digestion of proteins begins in the mouth by the mechanical movement of chewing. Chewing well is vital for good digestion of all foods especially protein,it creates a bigger surface area for the digestive enzymes & acid that the proteins will meet in the stomach and gut.

Fats are digested when bile is produced by the liver into the gall bladder and emulsifies the fat molecules so allowing the lipase enzyme to digest fat.Taking an emulsfiier like lecithin granules in your diet can really help with fat breakdown, especially as we get older.

Hydrochloric acid is produced in the stomach to burn the foods to break them down. It is vital for absorbing minerals and helping to break down protein.It also acts as our main line of defense against bacteria, parasites and infections that enter via the mouth (which is where most invaders enter) It is here that a very strong lining is needed to protect the stomach wall from severe burn damage, as the acid is strong enough to burn holes through the gut wall into the abdomen. The stomach produces a thick mucus lining that acts as a buffer to the digestive fire of the stomach. (Many painkillers block the production of this protective lining and over time can cause the stomach to become inflamed and sensitive – hence more reactions to foods)
 

Protein needs a highly acidic environment to breakdown properly. Many people as they get older do not produce enough acid, and to top that are given antacids if they suffer from indigestion – which is caused by lack of acid in the first place! It also needs pepsin, which is produced in the stomach when pepsinogen meets hydrochloric acid.
 

Small Intestine

 

The liquid food is then pushed into the small intestine, where the stomach acid is

neutralised by an alkaline secretion of bicarbonate – if this part fails or is insufficient –
serious damage can be done over a period of time, which can cause a peptic ulcer.

Bile is released in the duodenum (the upper part of the small intestine) along with trypsin,
lipase and amylase – these get to work on carbohydrates and fats quickly. 

Bile also contains dead blood cells and toxins that the liver has conjugated (joined) to
other substances that temporarily neutralises the toxicity. If there is an imbalance of good

and bad gut flora in the gut, the bad microbes (bad bacteria, yeast and fungi) can
de-conjugate these and release them back into the body, which is why dysbiosis
(see colon’) is so hazardous to health  and disease promoting. Constipation makes
the situation even worse, as the toxins stay in the body for so much longer.

 

Many nutrients and toxins at this stage are absorbed through the vast coverage of
tiny villi on the gut wall. They are absorbed into the blood stream and taken to the
liver via the hepatic portal vein. Where any toxins are neutralised and the blood
is cleansed – then the fresh nutrients can be transported via the blood to all tissues and cells.

Colon

In the meantime, more work is done to break down the rest of the food and waste via the large intestine or colon. The balance in gut flora (intestinal bacteria) is of great importance to health. 
A proliferation of healthy human strain bacteria creates a thriving environment where water can be absorbed properly, nutrients are produced like Vitamin K, some B Vitamins and other health promoting activity such as the breakdown of fibre which produces by products that nourish and protect the colon wall. 
This is where the breakdown of cellulose happens – consuming plant cellulose feeds good bacteria. This is a great example of the symbiotic relationship we have with these organisms, as cellulose is not a food for us but feeds good gut flora, and is important as a raw component to our diet.

How it all goes wrong

 

Imbalances due to antibiotics killing off the good bacteria coupled with a high sugar / carbohydrate diet allowing other mycology to take a hold, like Candida, other yeasts and fungal overgrowth can cause severe dysbiosis over a period of time. There are many strains of opportunistic bacteria in the gut and these can proliferate and compete with our vital gut health giving flora. Some bacteria in large amounts become pathogenic, meaning they can cause disease due to the toxic environment they create. Candida and other yeast produce toxins as they feed on sugars in the diet that can affect so many aspects of health. Emptying the colon regularly at least once or twice a day is required for a healthy colon.

Symptoms of dysbiosis may not be obvious, as poor digestion can affect every aspect of health. The problem with conventional (or modern medicine) is that it just treats symptoms 
and each area of the body separately. There are many things that can affect digestion on a daily basis, eating on the go, the combination of foods and fluids consumed, hormonal fluctuations especially for women, along with pregnancy. Excessive physical training can put a major strain on digestion, as can eating late, or skipping meals even eating too quickly every mealtime can eventually take its toll.

Antiobiotics in our foods, cheaper animal products, mass produced chickens, pigs, cattle and other livestock can have serious health implications as it's like taking low grade antibiotic dose every time cheap meats are consumed. 

Choose organic and/or free range fresh chicken, and consider what is in 
processed chicken products. 

We are all guilty at some point of neglecting the health of our digestion. In today’s Western diet, nobody seems to be immune to digestive upset at some point in his or her life. TLC for your digestion could be a huge investment in the future of your health.

Using diet and natural bacterial inhibitors to modulate the gut microbiome
is one of the healthiest
and safest ways to prevent disease and create better physical and mental well-being.

  
 

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