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TechnoratiYour digestive system, along with your immune system, is a first line of defense against harmful agents in the world around you. It is therefore crucial to maintain gastrointestinal health and protect your body from attack in this area.
Your digestive system actually encompasses four major processes, which can be thought of as the “DEAN” of digestion
DEAN:
• D – digesting food
• E – eliminating waste
• A – absorbing nutrients
• N – normalizing the bacteria
All four processes must be operating successfully to prevent or treat gastrointestinal disorders. See The DEAN of Digestion for a complete explanation of each process.
There are three main categories of natural compounds that assist the digestive system with its digesting, eliminating, absorbing and normalizing functions.
Enzymes
You are what you eat, but only if your body can absorb it! Enzymes break down the food that we eat so it can be absorbed by our body. There are key enzymes that are crucial to maintaining digestive health, because between them they make the nutrients from all four major food groups available to us. These include:
• Amylase enzymes break down carbohydrates
• Lipase enzymes break down fats
• Protelytic enzymes break down proteins
• Lactase (an amylase enzyme) breaks down lactose in milk
• Cellulase (an amylase enzyme) breaks down various vegetables
The above enzymes are produced by our body, but often not in adequate levels to accommodate the 21st century diet.
There are also enzymes found in fruit, such as bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya) that aid in breaking down proteins.
Fiber
There are two types of dietary fiber – soluble and insoluble – and both are needed for digestive health. Soluble fiber lowers blood cholesterol and delays glucose absorption, while insoluble fiber speeds the transit time of food passing through the GI tract.
Fruits (such as apples, prunes and dates) and grains (such as oats) provide both soluble and insoluble fiber. These fibers help eliminate toxins, create bulk for healthy elimination and regularity and also promote healthy blood sugar levels. A fiber complex containing these substances can supplement what is taken in through the diet.
Glucomannan is a soluble fiber that can absorb two hundred times its weight in water. This means that a very small amount produces very big results, eliminating the need for large glasses of fiber powder solutions. By traveling through the intestines with so much absorbed water waste, glucomannan acts as a stool softener, helping to prevent or alleviate constipation.
The amazing absorption ability of glucomannan has other benefits as well, including absorbing cholesterol, and slowing the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. It also creates a feeling of fullness in the stomach as it expands, which may suppress the appetite.
Prebiotics and Probiotics
There are additional fibers and fiber-like substances that actually fall into the prebiotic category. These nutrients feed probiotic organisms and help them thrive in your intestinal tract.
Indigestible starches and certain types of fiber contain fructooligosaccharides (FOS); they are not digested by humans, so the oligosaccharides remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. Continue »
