7 Amazing Facts About Your Digestive System That You Should Know
Your digestive system is literally the “core” of your overall health. It’s where all food and anything you eat is processed in a complex system, turning organic molecules into energy for you to use.
The digestive system is overall over-looked and should deserve more of your attention.
Having a Healthy Digestive System Is Where Good Health Starts!
Fact #1 – Large Surface Area
If someone were to spread your digestive system flat, it would cover a whole tennis court. The large surface area of internal intestines allow for nutrients to be absorbed into the body.
Fact #2 – Everyone Is Different
Some foods that you are able to digest easily and without pain, may not be great for others.
For example, your friend may be able to digest bananas very easily with no problems, but bananas may cause you large amounts of gas.
Fact #3 – You Are What You Eat or What You Can Absorb
The food that you eat is energy that will be used by your body’s cells. Eating poor or low quality food, will give your body low quality nutrients to work with. More importantly though, if your body can’t digest, absorb, and use the food because your digestive system is not functionally properly, you will develop an illness.
Having a unhealthy digestive system is the leading cause for many health issues. Some of which include:
- multiple sclerosis
- chronic fatigue
- autism
- fibrmyaligia
- autoimmune illness
- unclear thinking
- depression
- arthritis,
- migraine headaches
- and many more…
Fact #4 – Your Gut Could Be Considered A Brain
Did you know that 80 to 90 % of serotonin is made in your gut ? Serotonin is a neurotransmitter primarily responsible for making you feel happy. Serotonin is not the only one too, there are other neurotransmitters that are manufacture in your digestive system.
The digestive system is considered to be it’s own boss. If your brain was cut-off from your digestive system, it will be able function by itself. This is called the “enteric nervous system”, very different but equally important as the “central nervous system”.
Fact #5 – Healthy Digestive System Equals Strong Immune System
About 70 percent of your immune system is in your digestive system. When you think about it, it makes sense, as your digestive system is the first contact for foreign substances inside your body. Having a strong army of immune cells where, there are potential invaders is actually a pretty smart idea.
Fact #6 – You Have A Whole Eco-System of Microbes In Your Body
It sounds a bit gross, but you have about 10 times more microbes (for example: bacteria) in your body than cells. These living organisms live in symbioisis with your body. Having well-balanced levels of good bacteria and bad bacteria in your body is essential for your health.
Fact #7 – The Bacteria Is An Essential Part of Your Digestive System
The living organisms and bacteria living in your digestive system are essential to vitamin production, protecting you from infections (e.g. E.Coli), and help run your metabolism. There is about 3 to 4 pounds of bacteria currently in your gut.
Why Is Digestion Important ?
Our modern day society is causing many people to be ill with obesity. Although not talked about a lot compared to obesity, most of the underlying causes of obesity can be traced back to a systemic failure of the digestive system.
About 30 to 40 percent of doctor visits in America today are for digestive illnesses. The most top selling drugs for pharmaceutical companies are ones related to digestion.
Your digestive system is where everything starts. It helps regulate your body. It produces neurotransmitters to make you feel happy or sad, depending upon the food you give it. Your digestive system has to filter out the good stuff from the bad , when it is absorbing the food you eat.
Most of the time, it does a pretty good job, but years of abuse from modern day processed foods can cause even the best of digestive systems to slowly have problems. Think of a brand new car, if you give it low quality fuel with dirt and other impurities, it will run, but only for so long before it starts to break down.
When you start to have problems with your digestive system, you might feel “tired” all the time, or you can’t think clearly, and slowly develop illnesses out of nowhere. If you continue to ignore your digestive system problems, they could become serious.
What Can You Do Now To Help Your Digestive System ?
Start making healthier choices right now. Eat more whole foods that have not been processed or packaged. Learn to cook your food.
Take some healthy natural prebiotic supplements that are based on kiwi-fruit. Kiwi-fruit has numerous healthy properties that can help your digestive system be healthy. For example, it contains soluble fiber that can help the microbes (the good bacteria) in your body to be healthy.
To learn more about these kiwi-fruit supplements visit our page on :
Some other useful articles to help your digestive system :
Foods That Promote Digestive Health
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