You Are What You Absorb, Not What You Eat
When clients come to me with hormonal imbalance, autoimmunity, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, I do not typically address, at least not directly, and certainly not at the outset the endocrine system, immune health, or brain function. Rather I look to the health of their digestive system, otherwise known as the gut. If you’ve any experience with “alternative” health practices, you may have been informed about the importance of gut health and given a probiotic. While it is true that the gut microbiome has implications for the overall health and wellbeing of an individual, it is not the only aspect of gut health to be concerned about. Many of us forget that in order for any system, organ, tissue, or cell to function optimally, our bodies require nutrients—macro and micro: proteins, carbs, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. What’s first is that we are able to properly breakdown and absorb these nutrients. We’d be remiss, then, to overlook the importance of digestive function as the foundation of gut health and, ultimately, true health.
You may be wondering: what about diet? Don’t the foods we eat determine, more than anything else, the outcome of our health? The way one eats and what one eats is important, absolutely, but these are not often the “root cause” of the dis-ease one experiences. In other words, changing your diet to one that is comprised of high-quality, whole foods is more than likely a necessity, but to be overly-concerned about removing certain foods to address MCAS (mast-cell activation syndrome) or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is yet another form of symptom management. And even if you eat high-quality, whole foods, if digestive function is impaired, you will not have the capacity to adequately break down and absorb the high-quality nutrients contained within these foods. To optimize digestive function is of the utmost importance.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DIGESTIVE TRACT
DIGESTION IS A NORTH TO SOUTH PROCESS
Rest and digest: a phrase that is familiar to most, but perhaps not fully understood. It seems obvious that being in a rested, or parasympathetic, state would encourage digestion as the words “rest” and “digest” would suggest, but most of us seem not to have made the connection between the two. Most of us are living lives that are much too busy and distracted. Our nervous systems are chronically upregulated, leading to sympathetic dominance and a compromised ability to digest, not only our foods, but also our life experiences. When we engage the parasympathetic nervous system, we engage digestion, and thus it can be said that digestion is a north to south process that begins not in our mouths, but in our brains.
The parasympathetic nervous system is largely governed by the vagus nerve, and it is the many fibers of the vagus nerve that innervate the digestive organs, stimulating them to secrete the gastric juices necessary for nutrient absorption. When our nervous systems are in a constant “fight or flight” state, however, the vagus nerve is unable to carry out its tasks related to digestion. And when digestion is impaired at the level of the brain, it can have a cascading effect, compromising all subsequent processes of digestion. Dysfunction in the digestive system can eventually lead to symptoms of heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. I share practices that can be implemented before a meal in order to encourage a rested, parasympathetic state in 5 Ways to Optimize Digestion—these can help acutely, but may not be enough to address the long-term effects of being in sympathetic overdrive.
SEE SMELL TASTE TOUCH CHEW
Seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching our foods also contribute to the production of gastric juices, as the body prepares for the chemical digestion of food. It can be worthwhile to pause before eating in order to take in the presentation of your food, the colors, the aroma. In so doing, you may notice an increased production of saliva in your mouth, which contains salivary amylase, a digestive enzyme responsible for converting starch into glucose.
The next step in digestion is mechanical and occurs when food enters our mouths and we begin to chew, or masticate. Here, one has the real opportunity to reduce the burden of digestion farther south by chewing thoroughly—as the saying goes, drink your food, chew your water.
THE IMPORTANCE OF STOMACH ACID
Once a bolus of food has been swallowed, it travels down the esophagus and enters into the stomach. The stomach in an ideal world is incredibly acidic and boasts a pH of 2-3. Unfortunately, many of our stomachs are too alkaline, leading to complications such as gastrointestinal esophageal reflux disease. The stomach is the primary location in which proteins, the body’s building blocks, are digested. In addition, the acid helps to activate minerals consumed, making them more bioavailable, and serves as a first line of defense against pathogens that find their way into our bodies by way of the foods and water we ingest. When the stomach environment is not sufficiently acidic, proteins begin to putrefy and the stomach is not triggered, then, to release the partially digested food into the small intestine for continued digestion. The food remains longer than it should, as more gastric juices are produced in an attempt to sufficiently breakdown the stomach’s contents. This can lead to a gnawing sensation in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen, acid reflux, heartburn, burping, indigestion, and potentially ulceration. We can also begin to see the development of slow motility, constipation, and microbial dysbiosis or imbalance.
FROM STOMACH TO SMALL INTESTINE
Assuming digestive function is normal, however, the semi-fluid, and appropriately acidic, chyme that results from the proper breakdown of food in the stomach enters into the small intestine. The low pH of the chyme triggers the pancreas to release alkaline compounds into the duodenum portion of the small intestine in order to neutralize the chyme. Once this has occurred, the pancreas then releases digestive enzymes to further breakdown fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Simultaneously, in the presence of fat, the gallbladder is triggered to release bile, which is responsible for emulsifying fats as well as for mopping up toxins and “spent” hormones that will later be eliminated via the bowels. When bile becomes viscous due to a lack of healthy, high-quality fats consumed, we can experience constipation. This can lead to an accumulation of toxins in the body, which can cause us to feel heavy, sluggish, and cognitively impaired. Over the decades as fat continues to be demonized, we have seen a rise in the incidence of gallbladder disease and cholecystectomies (surgical removal of the gallbladder).
Once digestion in the small intestine is complete, we are left with glucose; amino acids and polypeptides; and fatty acid and triglyceride molecules. As we travel farther south through the digestive tract, regular waves of peristalsis move these compounds into the middle portion of the small intestine, the jejunum, wherein they are absorbed through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream to be whisked away to where they are needed, to where healing is required. Note that the actual absorption of nutrients, as has already been emphasized as being the foundation to health, is highly dependent upon an intact intestinal lining.
LARGE INTESTINE: HOME TO THE MICROBIOME
What remains of the chyme (indigestible fibers, bile, water, and cellular debris) is passed into the large intestine. At last, we have reached the large intestine—home to the microbiome; however, this is not to say that the rest of the gastrointestinal tract is sterile by any means. By now I hope it is evident that gut health and digestive function involve so much more than just the gut microbiome, helping us to understand why probiotics are often not enough to move the needle for those of us who are chronically ill. When dysfunction arises in the large intestine, it is because there is dysfunction elsewhere along the digestive system farther north.
Maldigested foods that enter the large intestine serve as fuel for opportunistic bacteria, causing an overgrowth that eventually leads to an imbalance of the healthy, immune-boosting flora. Dysbiosis is associated with a number of chronic health conditions with symptoms ranging from alternating constipation and diarrhea to depression and anxiety. Furthermore, when levels of beneficial bacteria are reduced, certain nutrients such as Vitamins K, B1, B2, B12 and butyric acid are not produced to sufficient quantities, leading to nutrient deficiencies and inflammation. A lack of sufficient levels of butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid, is implicated in a compromised intestinal lining (otherwise known as leaky gut), which can leave one more susceptible to conditions such as ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, Chron’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
HEALTHY ELIMINATION AND VAGAL TONE
The elimination of waste in our bodies is dependent upon appropriate peristaltic activity in response to the presence of food within the gastrointestinal tract. The smooth muscles responsible for propelling food through the digestive system are innervated by, you guessed it, the vagus nerve. Yet another illustration of the fact that digestion is a north to south process, beginning in the brain.
Additionally, I have to say that it is worth looking in the toilet after passing a bowel movement and before flushing. Our stools are incredibly informative! For example, if your stool is clay-colored, this may be an indication that the gallbladder is in need of support and that you may not be eliminating toxins from your system at an appropriate rate. If you see undigested foods in your stool, this is evidence of impaired digestive function or an intolerance to one or more foods consumed. If your stool floats, as opposed to sinking to the bottom of the toilet, this would tell me that you are unable to adequately digest and absorb the fats you’ve ingested. Ideally, your stool is firm. It doesn’t break apart when flushed. It is long and of a healthy brown color. You should not have to wipe your bottom more than two times, and your stool should not contain a foul odor. Just some poop for thought!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU ABSORB, NOT WHAT YOU EAT
In conclusion, if we are to initiate healing in our bodies, including the healing of our psyches, it is critical that we optimize digestive function to the best of our abilities. When we are well-resourced physically and physiologically, down to our cells, we are better able to respond to what is being asked of us, whether that be the eradication of a candida overgrowth, a traumatic life event, or the constancy of parenthood. But if you’ll remember, the first step towards good digestive function is to enter into a parasympathetic, restful state. So don’t let this be a source of stress for you! There is no perfect, only grace and striving. You can learn more about how to support your digestive function here!