The Digestion Journey
A twelve-hour road trip from first bite to final bow.
7 minute read
Digestion is noisy, variable and personal. Bloating and irregular days are normal, not failures.
Page 1
It starts before the first bite
Smell and sight get saliva flowing and nudge the stomach to prepare acid. Chewing does real mechanical work, and enzymes in saliva start on starch immediately.
The stomach churns food into a soupy mix and mostly handles protein. It's a mixer and a holding tank, not the main absorber.
Page 2
The small intestine does the heavy lifting
Roughly seven metres of small intestine, lined with tiny finger-like villi, absorb most nutrients. The pancreas sends enzymes; the gallbladder sends bile to break fat into droplets.
Carbohydrates arrive as sugars, protein as amino acids, fat as fatty acids. Each takes a different route into the blood or lymph.
Page 3
Your gut has neighbours
The large intestine reclaims water and hosts trillions of microbes that ferment fibre into compounds your cells use, and that talk to your immune system and brain.
Fibre, sleep, stress and antibiotics all shift that community. Feeding it varied plants tends to keep it cheerful.
Painting page: A winding gut slide
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Paint box
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