The digestive system is a combination of digestive organs that work in coordination to digest food, absorb the essential substances into the bloodstream and defecate or eliminate undigested material out of the body. The food that you intake is converted into energy and useful nutrients your body needs. The digestive system is composed of an oral cavity that starts from the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and liver.
The digestive system is described as:
Mouth: The breaking down of larger food into smaller pieces occurs in the mouth. Saliva is also present in the mouth. Enzymes in saliva accelerate food digestion.
Esophagus: A tube that pushes food downs from mouth to stomach.
Stomach: When food reaches stomach it is further digested due to the acidic environment of the stomach. The pH here is low. It breaks food into more small chunks and food then enters the small intestine.
Small intestine: The digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids occurs here due to the presence of enzymes like lipase, protease, and amylase. The food is converted into a useful form that enters the bloodstream through walls of the small intestine.
Large Intestine: The organ next to the small intestine is the large intestine. The undigested waste enters here. Water is absorbed from the walls of large intestines. The harmful matter is defecated as it is not further needed by the body.
Liver: It is the largest organ of our body. It is located above the stomach. It secretes bile through the bile duct into the small intestine. This helps in the digestion of food.
Digestive health is the process of keeping the digestive system strong. Following are the methods to keep digestive health:
1. Take a high fiber food: fruits, vegetables, and legumes are composed of high contents of fiber. A high-fiber diet keeps your system regulated and prevents constipation. A healthy weight is maintained.
2. Limit fat-rich foods: Fat rich foods cause your digestive system to work slowly. It causes constipation in human.
3. Take both soluble and insoluble fibers: Insoluble fibers are not much digested and add bulk to stools. Soluble fibers draw water into the body and prevent stools that eliminate much water.
4. Stay hydrated: Drinking water makes your digestive system much good. Water is added to make the stools soft that are easily passed out of the body.
5. Skip smoking, alcohol, drugs, and caffeine: Skip these all activities as they will cause serious stomach problems like ulcers, cancers and heartburn.
6. Avoid processed meat such as beef pork and lamb especially when they are not properly cooked. They contain parasites and bacteria along with them. These parasites will cause disease once they enter your body.
7. Take enough calcium and vitamin D: Taking proper calcium and vitamin D in form of milk, yogurt. They will increase immunity and regulate the digestive system and health.
8. Exercise regularly: It will cause effective digestion of your food. Metabolism is increased. The digestive system is regulated. It will maintain your ideal weight. Obesity is reduced.
9. Take meals according to schedule: Taking food on time keeps your digestive system in shape. Eat food on time.