A Journey Into Digestion

Here at YourGut, we believe that optimising digestive health is key to good health.  The more we understand about the magic that happens within, the more we can make the right choices to optimise our health.  So let's take a deep dive into the journey of our foods once we have enjoyed our deliciously nourishing meal.

The digestive process itself starts from the moment we stimulate our senses by smelling or tasting food.  Even just thinking about food is enough to make the mouth water which is the bodies way of releasing enzymes to start the breakdown of carbohydrates as they enter our mouth.  It is for this reason, that mindful eating and chewing our foods is so important as digestion has already started.  The food then travels to hit the acidic soup that is the stomach. The hydrochloric acid and enzymes such as pepsin start the process of breaking down protein, releasing minerals from their carriers and generally breaking down food for easier absorption further on in the intestines.  The stomach is the most acidic part of the whole body and the epithelial cells in the stomach lining must continually produce a thick alkaline mucous to literally stop us digesting ourselves but ensure we digest our foods!

The partially broken down food, technically called chyme (rhymes with time), is then passed into the small intestine travelling through the duodenum, ileum and jejunum.  The small intestine surface is packed with tiny hair like projections called villi which vastly increase the surface area of the tissue to maximise absorption as this is where the majority of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are taken in.

As the food passes into the large intestine through the cecum, this is where you will find the appendix, or to give it its full title, the vermiform appendix thanks to its worm shaped appearance.  Previously thought to be a vestigial remnant of evolution, more modern day thinking is that it serves as a safe house for a reserve of beneficial gut microbes so the body can replenish after illness.

What is left of the food then passes into the large intestine which is where most of our beneficial flora resides forming a large part of our microbiome. The microbiome should be considered a vital organ as without it we wouldn’t survive and these beautiful and glorious bacteria that live symbiotically within us should be celebrated. At this point of digestion, the bacteria now ferment what is left of the food which is primarily fibre, and produce metabolites known as postbiotics.  Fibre is so important in our diet as the more of it we have, the more postbiotic activity. Postbiotics have far reaching health benefits and come in many different forms such as additional B vitamins and vitamin K, antioxidants and Short Chain Fatty Acid’s (SCFA’s) which are of particular benefit to our health.  These Short Chain Fatty Acid’s modulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, support the gut barrier integrity, support both glucose and fat metabolism, regulate metabolism, support cognitive health and even enhance collagen production amongst many other benefits. At this last part of digestion in the large intestine, both water and electrolytes are also taken into the body via osmosis which then reduces what is left of the food to be formed and prepared as waste ready for elimination. 

Top tips to support our digestive health

As you can see, optimising production of Short Chain Fatty Acid’s in our diet is key to optimising health.  First and foremost, we should be focused on getting good quality fibre in our diet but there are some other things we can do to support the production of SCFA’s including:

1. Eating a diet rich in polyphenols - this includes foods such as green tea, berries, herbs, spices, cacao (yey to dark chocolate but in moderation of course) and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 
2. Increasing our Omega 3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA from oily fish or plant based sources increase our abundance of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus which increases SCFA production whilst reducing pro-inflammatory bacteria.
3. Exercise – Moderate exercise has been shown to increase microbial diversity and increase blood flow to the gut as well as encouraging movement in the digestive system called peristalsis.
4. Enhancing beneficial flora – this can be through both fermented foods and probiotic supplements which can enhance SCFA production.