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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