
Food passes through a long process before your body absorbs the nutrients. After learning how your body uses what you eat, you can be more selective in choosing food.
The food you eat significantly affects your body, including your metabolism, immune system, and digestive system. Here is how your body absorbs the nutrients from the food you eat.
The Process of Chewing Food

The journey of the food starts when you put it in your mouth. In this phase, you are chewing the food into small pieces with the help of your teeth.
You may not know yet that your mouth produces a specific liquid known as saliva. It makes smoothing food much easier and faster before swallowing it to pass through the esophagus.
The harder the texture of the food, the longer you should chew it. We suggest you chew regular food for about 32 times. You should chew hard dishes, such as steak or nuts about 40 times before swallowing them.
The smooth dishes, such as potatoes and watermelon only need about 5 to 10 chewing times. There is also a specific enzyme that helps to break down starch in the food.
The Smooth Food Pass Through the Esophagus

Your mouth will push the smooth food into the esophagus when it is ready. In this phase, the food will pass through a 25-centimeter-long tube.
This tube connects your mouth and stomach. The esophagus can transfer food smoothly because of the nerves around the esophageal tissue. Chewing the food well will help the process to the stomach.
The Food Gets into Your Stomach

In this phase, the food you have eaten gets into the stomach. The food not only stays inside the stomach, but the stomach wall also works to transfer the food smoothly to the next area. In this case, your stomach will bounce on the food many times.
The purpose of the stomach bouncing the food is to smash them into smaller pieces. This smashing process is faster because your stomach also produces acid and enzymes.
Acid and enzymes in the stomach will break down the food into proteins. Your stomach will do this process for around three hours. Your food becomes liquid after three hours and is ready to be transferred to other areas.
The Liquid from the Food is Transferred into the Small Intestine

The journey of your food in the body continues to a specific area known as the small intestine. In this phase, your liver sends bile to the gallbladder. The bile will dissolve the food-based liquid into small fats.
Your pancreatic and intestinal liquid will digest these small fats. The enzyme in the small intestine will break the fat molecules down into fatty acids and glycerol.
Fatty acids and glycerol will stay in your body. At the same time, the enzyme also turns the proteins from the food into amino acids and carbohydrates into glucose. All compounds are transferred into the bloodstream.
Your Blood Receive the Compounds from the Small Intestine

In this phase, your blood will receive compounds from the food you eat, such as fatty acids, glycerol, amino acids, and glucose. The blood receives these compounds to feed organs and tissues in the body.
The organs and tissues receive it to keep working optimally. It is the reason why you must eat healthy food. The food you eat significantly affects the organs and tissues in your body.
Nutrients from healthy food will optimize the work of your organs and tissues. On the other hand, substances from unhealthy dishes or drinks will weaken your organs and tissues.
Your Body Releases the Leftover Compounds

This digestive process often produces leftover compounds, such as excess fiber, water, and dead cells. Your metabolism has a specific system that allows the body to release the leftover compounds.
The leftover compounds will be sent into the large intestine or colon. The large intestine works to drain out the leftover liquid on the compounds while they pass through the intestinal wall.
The result of this process is known as stool. The stool is a soft mass from the dry compounds in the large intestine.
The Large Intestine Sends This Waste into the Rectum

A stool is a waste, and it must be thrown away immediately from your body. If it is not, this waste can poison your metabolism.
Because of that, the large intestine will send this waste into the rectum. The shape of the rectum looks like a pouch, and it is strong enough to hold the waste from the digestive process.
The Nerves Sense in the Rectum Send an Alarm to the Body

The rectum has a nerve sense. The function of the nerve-sense is to give an alarm to the body when the waste is ready to get rid of the body. It is the time when you want to go to the toilet to defecate.
The waste will flow through your anus. This is the end of the journey of your food. In this phase, your body has absorbed all the compounds it needs to feed the organs and tissues.
At the same time, your body also throws the waste away. The interesting fact you must know is that the entire food digestive process lasts between 30 to 40 hours!
The most important thing is that you finally understand the digestive process starts from chewing the food in the mouth until the way the body absorbs the essential compounds and releases the waste. This information may trigger you to consume healthier food and drink from now on.
It is because your organs and tissues will receive the compounds that determine their condition. Imagine if you eat unhealthy food and drinks every day!
Your organs and tissues absorb compounds that they don’t need. As a result, it becomes a poison and triggers various diseases.
We suggest you visit our hospital, BIMC Hospital Kuta in Bali, to check your digestive system condition. Our doctors will give advice about the food and drinks you must consume to keep your digestive system working optimally.
Indeed, our doctors will also suggest you consume specific prescribed medications or treatments to cure your digestive system if there is something wrong with it. Please contact BIMC Call Centre at +62 811 3960 8500 (text only) for more information and appointment, BIMC Emergency 24 Hours +62 361 761263, +62 812 386 5548 and find thecheck our official website, www.bimcbali.com/bimc-hospital-kuta.