Building a Health Digestive System-
Part 1 by Mary Louise;Town Jaqua, Health Minister 12-8-13

Most Americans eat with great abandon. Armed
with knife, fork, and spoon, they stuff their mouths
and bellies with little, if any, regard for what they
just ate. Nevertheless, once past the palate and
'down the red lane,' the great exercise of eating
is over and the exercise of digestion begins, a
process that is central to the body's wellbeing.

Digestion: What is it?
Digestion is the process of converting food
into nourishment to feed and energize body
cells. Because of its life-sustaining role, the
digestive system is regarded as being the
most important system in the body, the
primary functions of which include:

  • Ingestion of food
  • Secretion of fluids and digestive enzymes
  • Mixing and movement of food and wastes
    through the body
  • Digestion of food into smaller pieces
  • Absorption of nutrients
  • Excretion of wastes
  • According to Divine design, a group of organs
    comprise the digestion system and work
    together in the herculean task of transforming
    whole foods into usable fuel for the body. The
    assisting organs are

    1. Mouth (teeth, tongue,
    salivary glands)
    2. Throat
    3. Esophagus
    4. Stomach
    5. Small Intestines
    6. Liver and gallbladder
    7. Pancreas
    8. Large Intestine

    Digestion: a walk through the process
    Learning the mechanics of the digestive
    system helps to understand its importance
    in order to care for it properly. That the
    body is 'fearfully and wonderfully made'
    (Psalms 139:14) is evident when tracing
    the travel of food from beginning to end.

    1. Mouth
    Digestion begins in the mouth
    as the teeth, tongue, and
    salivary glands work in concert
    to pulverize food and break
    down carbohydrates into a
    semi-liquid called chyme.

    2. Throat
    (pharnyx)
    Once the chyme leaves the
    mouth, it enters a funnel-like
    tube called the throat and
    travels on to the esophagus.

    3. Esophagus
    The esophagus is a muscular
    tube that connects the throat
    and stomach. As chyme
    passes into the stomach a
    small valve closes the
    esophagus to trap food in the
    stomach.

    4. Stomach
    The stomach is a small,
    muscular sac about the size of
    two fists that acts as a holding
    tank for food while it is further
    digested. It is an acid
    environment where hydrochloric

    acid and enzymes work to
    process food. Proteins are
    digested into amino acids in
    the stomach.

    5. Small Intestine
    The small intestine, being about
    one inch in diameter and over
    ten feet long, takes up most of
    the space in the abdomen. It is
    coiled like a hose and the
    inside surface is full of many
    ridges and folds which
    maximize the digestion of food
    and absorption of nutrients. It
    neutralizes stomach acid with
    bicarbonate, rendering it an
    alkaline environment. Ninety
    per cent of the nutrients found
    in the food are extracted by
    hair-like receptors called villi
    while passing through the small
    intestine.

    6. Liver and Gallbladder
    The liver aids in digestion by
    producing bile and secreting it
    into the small intestine. Bile
    salts emulsify fats to aid in
    digestion.The gallbladder stores
    and recycles excess bile
    from the small intestine so that it
    can be reused for future
    digestion. The liver also further
    reduces chyme and disperses
    nutrients to body cells.

    7. Pancreas
    The pancreas is a small,
    endocrine gland that is
    conveniently located near the
    stomach. It secretes digestive
    enzymes into the small
    intestine to complete the natural,
    bio-chemical digestion of food.
    8. Large Intestine

    The large intestine is a strong,
    muscular tube 2.5" in diameter
    and about five feet long. It
    absorbs water and contains
    many friendly bacteria that aid in
    breaking down food and
    separating nutrients from
    wastes. It also breaks down
    proteins and synthesizes
    vitamins K and B which, in turn,
    produces gases such as
    hydrogen sulfide, methane, and
    carbon dioxide. Villi in the large
    intestine absorb nutrients which
    are sent to body cells.
    Undigested food is separated
    as waste and exits as feces
    from the large intestine through
    the anal canal. Feces is sixty
    five per cent water, twenty
    seven per cent bacteria, and
    eight per cent fiber.

    Much like a manufacturing plant with many
    departments and workers, the goal of the
    digestive system is to provide nourishment
    for the body's 100+ trillion cells. However,
    if one or more departments (organs) in the
    system are shut down and employees (cells)
    do not report to work, there is no food for the
    body cells to eat. If this management crisis
    is not remedied properly with all due haste,
    body cells starve, mutate, and die which, in
    turn, precipitates sickness, pain, and disease.

    To be continued...
    Part 2- symptoms and causes of an
    unhealthy digestive system

     

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