Digest this!

Full? Bloated? Stomach pains? What path is your food on?

The digestive system is the corner stone between eating and having adequate fuel for the body. A healthy digestive system will lead to stronger immunity to illness or infection, clearer skin, healthier hair and better energy levels.

If your digestive system isn’t strong it may not be absorbing all the nutrients and energy from the food you are eating to its full capacity.

Foods in their most natural form are the best to consume; wholegrain breads and cereals; fruit and vegetables; lean meat and protein; and nuts and unsaturated oils. These types of food are familiar to the body and will be broken down more efficiently; they will also provide adequate fibre to help create a bulk for removal.

Foods high in saturated fat, fatty meat and convenience foods, high sugar and refined foods with lots of added preservatives can inhibit digestion and lead to stomach discomfort, bloating and lethargy.

How does digestion work?

Just like the rest of the muscles you train, you need to give the digestive system a workout and challenge it with food that will make it work and take time to break down and digest. The more work that machines do to process and refine foods is all less work and activity the digestive system has to do to break food down. And, as you know, when you don’t train you become weak.

Digestion starts in the mouth when you salivate and chew your food to break it down. If you are a fast eater and don’t chew food properly, this might lead to indigestion or stomach discomfort as the food heading to the stomach is a step behind where it should be in digestion, only partially digested.

Mechanically you can have issues with digestion if you are cramped when you are eating. Sitting slumped or lying down after eating can inhibit a direct pathway for the food to travel though the digestive system. The stomach needs some room to expand or it will get cramped. After eating, try to stand or stretch out the midsection to facilitate movement through the stomach and intestinal tract.

The small intestine is where most of the fuel from food is absorbed into the blood stream. This part can be quite sensitive and will experience changes if you have been on antibiotics or medication; consumed large amounts of alcohol, and occasionally, with high levels of training. Good bacteria in the intestine contribute to digestion to ferment and breakdown food and protect the intestinal lining.

The large intestine has muscles that contract and release to keep a bulk moving through. If these muscles spasm you can experience the pain that is generally referred to as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. As a bulk is created and moved though the large intestine, water is reabsorbed. It is normal to have one bowel movement a day, if not, every two days. Any longer than this and the large intestine will reabsorb greater amounts of water and toxic substances which may lead to feelings of fatigue or nausea.

A healthy digestive system is the first step to getting more out of the food you eat. If you feel like you might not have a very strong digestive system, consider having a chat to a dietitian.