Our organs and tissues work together as body systems in our body.
We have 10 body systems. Today we will discuss mainly digestive system. The
digestive system is a group of organs that work together to change the food we
eat into energy and nutrients our body needs. After
we consume food and liquids, the digestive system breaks them into their basic
parts: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins. These basic nutrients are
then absorbed into the bloodstream, which carries them to cells throughout the
body. Nutrients provide the cells with the energy they need for growth and repair.
Everything in our body, from our hormones to our heart, need the nutrients from
the digestive process to work correctly. It involves a number of organs.
Most absorption of nutrients and water happen in the intestines which include
small intestine, large intestine and rectum. The small intestine is 20 feet
long and an inch in diameter. The
small intestine is the portion of the digestive tract that connects the stomach
and the large intestine. The small intestine wall contains small finger-like
projections of tissue called villi which increase the surface area of the
intestine and contain specialized cells that transport substances into the
bloodstream.
Whatever we are eating goes through
these villi, and if there is much of oil, spices, etc. in our food, it may get
stuck in these villi and movement may be restricted resulting in less food
absorption and wastage of food. If we don't have functioning intestinal villi,
we can become malnourished or even starve, regardless of how much food we eat,
because our body simply isn't able to absorb and make use of that food. As we
clean our mouth and teeth with a brush, similarly we need to clean our
intestine. Here comes the role of fibre. Fibre is of two types: soluble fibre and insoluble fibre. The
soluble fibre easily dissolves in water and is broken down into gel like
substance which absorbs oil (excess fats) in our body. Insoluble fibre does not
dissolve in water and remains intact. It acts like a broom in small intestine
cleaning the villi. So we see how important is fibre for our healthy digestive
health.
Benefits of soluble fibre:
1)
Lowering fat
absorption and helping in weight management
2)
Lowering
cholesterol
3)
Stabilizing
blood sugar levels
4)
Reducing the
risk of cardiovascular disease
5)
Feeding healthy
gut bacteria
Benefits of insoluble fibre:
1) Preventing constipation
2) Lowering the risk of diverticular disease
By taking fibre we feel full for a
longer time and it helps in lowering disease risk like obesity, cardiovacular
disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome and others.
A healthful diet contains a mix of
both soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibres are more common in foods, such
as beans, peas, oats, barley, apples and citrus fruits. Good sources of
insoluble fibre include beans, whole wheat or bran products, green beans,
potatoes, cauliflowers, and nuts. Consume fruits and vegetables with their skin
and peels whenever possible. We need 35 gm fibre per day for our body.
So we see how important is to take fibre in our daily diet. It
increases our body’s ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins, improves
our body’s nutrient absorption and healthy elimination.
Happy Living
Comments
Post a Comment