"Life is centered in the gut," goes a Chinese proverb. How good or how bad you feel, mentally and physically, also depends on your body's center—that is, your digestion. Traditional wisdom in both Western and Asian cultures bears witness to this. It can be summarized in one saying: "You are what you eat."
Some people never notice their gut, while others have problems in the abdominal area after every meal. This can manifest as discomfort, a feeling of fullness, belching, or bloating. The gut is a marvel and a second brain that you can support through proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. The more you know about this precious center of the body, the more you can do holistically for the inner balance of mind and body. After all, the motto is: When the gut is well, all is well. And because this topic is so important, we are now going to take a short journey through the body's center.
Digestion begins with the eyes
How can the gut be described? Folded up, it is about eight meters long. The gut takes up quite a lot of space in the body. Strictly speaking, the digestive system starts in the upper part of the body, with sensory organs like the eyes, nose, and, of course, the mouth.
Through the visual impression and the smell of food, saliva secretion in the mouth is triggered, and—perhaps less well known—at this very moment, the production of stomach acid and a protein-splitting enzyme begins in the stomach.
In the mouth, food is chewed, crushed, broken down with the help of saliva, and prepared for its journey through the esophagus. The trip through the esophagus ends in the stomach. There, you will find stomach acid, a hydrochloric acid that ranks among the strongest found in nature. If not for the protective gastric mucosa, the stomach wall would be attacked by the stomach acid. Pathogens are neutralized by the stomach acid, and proteins are broken down. The chyme must then pass through the "pylorus," the gateway to the gut.
How the small intestine works
So, it’s from the stomach into the gut. This is divided into the small intestine and the large intestine. The small intestine consists of three sections: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. Here, further digestive juices come into play. On one hand, the food mash is further broken down and crushed using pancreatic secretion; on the other, the potent stomach acid must be neutralized. A small intestine secretion handles this function. In the small intestine, nutrients are processed and sent into the bloodstream. Bile, the liver, and the pancreas help in nutrient utilization. They take care of the breakdown and transformation of food. Beside the kidneys, the liver acts as the "sewage treatment plant" for toxins like alcohol and medication. However, the digestive journey does not end there.
