1. The digestive system including
A. Mouth, pharynx, and esophagus.
B. Stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder
C. The large intestine and defecation
2. Food and nutrition
A. Diabetes
B. Eating habits of Americans
C. Healthy eating habits
1. A. Ingestion refers to the process of putting food into our mouths thus beginning its passage through our body. Digestion is the process the body takes on to break the food down into useable nutrients and pass it through the rest of the GI tract. Mechanical digestion begins the process mainly in the mouth and stomach. Chemical digestion starts in the mouth with saliva and is complete when the food reaches the small intestine. Absorption refers to the molecules being produced by digestion cross the GI tract wall and are passed to the blood. Elimination is when all useable nutrients have been extracted from the food and the remains are expelled from the body by defecation. The mouth is the first part of the digestive tract. Food enters the mouth and chewing begins, mechanically separating the food and saliva begins to chemically break down the food. When food is swallowed it travels through the pharynx to the esophagus. In the esophagus, muscle contractions push the food (bolus) down into the stomach. These muscle contractions are known as peristalsis.
B. The basic functions of the stomach are to store food, begin digestion of protein, and control the amount of broken down food (chyme) that enters the small intestine. The only thing that the stomach absorbs is alcohol due to its fat solubility. Rugae are deep folds inside the stomach that, when the stomach is full, disappear. Gastric juice is produced in the gastric glands that stem from the mucosa in the stomach. Gastric juice helps in the digestion of protein. Chyme is the food broken down into a thick liquid that leaves the stomach in small squirts into the small intestine little by little. The small intestine completes the digestion process. The pancreas produces and secretes enzymes needed to digest fats, carbohydrates and proteins. As well as producing these enzymes, the pancreas also produces and secretes insulin, which aids in keeping the blood sugar levels normal. In the wall of the small intestine a great deal of absorption of nutrients takes place. The wall absorbs sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol. The liver is the second of the accessory organs and it receives blood from the GI tract. The liver detoxifies the blood, while taking essential vitamins out of it and storing them for later use. The liver also regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood by producing bile. Bile is then stored in the gallbladder.
C. The large intestine includes the cecum, colon, rectum, and the anal canal. The cecum is a small pouch directly below the entrance of the small intestine to the large intestine. The colon has three parts interconnected that lead to the rectum, which in turn leads to the anus and this is where defecation occurs.
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2. A. Again nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, this as an extremely important function in homeostasis. When too much sugar is consumed, sometimes diabetes type 2 can occur. Diabetes type 2 happens when the body has a hard time absorbing the sugars that are consumed because after a period of time of consuming too much sugar the body may become insulin resistant meaning that the cells in the body are no longer sensitive to insulin and do not allow the sugar in, Or, with insulin deficiency the pancreas is not producing enough insulin. Therefore the sugar that should have been absorbed by the blood is not and stays in the bloodstream which can lead to many health complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage.
B. In America today we are reliant on convenience. Foods come pre-packaged for every occasion. Fast food is a multi-billion dollar industry that lures Americans from childhood. And being the busy Americans that we are, we eat it out of the palm of the food industry’s hand, literally! The problem with these pre packaged conveniences is that they are typically loaded with fat, sugar and processed food products while containing no real nutritional value. What do these foods REALLY do to our bodies? Increased cancer rates, increased obesity, increased diabetes, heart complications, and lack of energy, maybe some of these problems are due to the convenient food products we consume on a daily basis. I feel that the most incredible display of what the eating habits of Americans are really doing to our people is the documentary “Super Size Me.” After watching this film and what one month of the fast food lifestyle did to this otherwise healthy man, I was convinced not to eat fast food ever again!
C. So, how do we fix this mess? It starts in the home; getting back to home cooked meals is the start, beginning to use non processed foods for those meals, and using as many organic products as we can, and include a wide variety of foods to ensure all nutrients are included. It is probably close to impossible to live in America and avoid processed or pre packaged foods entirely, but doing so will not only ensure longer healthier lives, but also a stronger economy. Purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables will not only benefit our local economy, but also ensure that those fruits and vegetables have not been pumped with preservatives to be able to travel over 1000 miles to get to us. There is so much to be said about the way we eat, where we get our food and what it does to our economy, but it is safe to say that getting back to the basics of food will improve our mind, body and soul.
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