Eating is the process of breaking down food into molecules that are small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream. For the food this involves a soft journey through a series of organs known as the gut or the intestinal tract.
We eat when we feel hungry and stop when we feel full. The apparency is that we make these decisions but in reality when we are low on nutrients the hormone ghrelin is released by the stomach, making us feel hungry and when we are full the hormone leptin is released by our fat tissues inhibiting our appetites.
Blockages can be caused by stress, bad diet, or infection. On average it takes 48 hours for food to pass through the body.
Once it reaches the stomach, it is covered with gastric juices which turn it into a soupy mixture.
Then it goes into the small intestine where most of the foods’ nutrients are absorbed. Try as much as possible not to confuse the stomach with mixing proteins and starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. It’s ok to have both but not at the same time. The reason is that starchy foods and proteins use different gastric juices to break them down and when both are in the stomach at the same time the result can be bloating tiredness after meals, irritation and stresss.
The body and brain is always trying to protect tthe spine and keep it stable. So if we eat to excess and put on weight it can throw the spine out of alignment.
Get a regular visit with your spinologist to ensure spine stability.
Yours in health
John Keane
Spinologist