Our Western diet and lifestyle are closely linked to the growing number of digestive health issues. The health of our digestive system depends a lot on our lifestyle, influenced by what we eat, how much we move, and how we manage stress. By gaining a better understanding of how the digestive system works and following a few helpful tips, we can not only support our digestive health but also naturally reduce the risk of many common digestive problems.
What is the digestive system?
The digestive system is one of the body's 11 vital systems. It consists of a group of organs working together to convert food into energy and essential nutrients that fuel the entire body. Our digestive system is the foundation of well-being and health. This incredible system combines nerves, hormones, bacteria, blood, and the organs of the digestive tract, all working together to handle the complex process of breaking down the foods we eat every day.
What does the digestion process look like?
The digestive system works closely with all other body systems – including the nervous, endocrine, and immune system. Did you know that digestion actually starts in the brain? The hypothalamus, which plays a key role in metabolism, also stimulates your appetite. When you eat, your brain determines how your body will digest the food – responding with either stress or ease depending on the health of your organs and your mental state.
How long does it take to digest food?
This can vary between individuals, but typically it takes about six to eight hours for food to travel from your stomach and small intestine into the large intestine. Research indicates that this transit time tends to be shorter in men and longer in women.
The Role of the Digestive Organs
Which parts of the body are involved in the digestive system? If you look at an illustration of the digestive system, you’ll notice many important parts. Let’s take a closer look at the organs and functions of the digestive system:
Mouth - By simply chewing, food is broken down into smaller pieces that are easier to digest, and saliva mixes with it to start forming a consistency that our body can absorb and use. When you swallow, your throat muscles push the food into the esophagus, a muscular tube that carries food and liquids from your mouth to your stomach.
Spleen - The spleen is a lymphatic organ that filters and stores blood, helping to protect the body against infections and blood loss. The spleen’s role is to remove impurities from the blood, destroy old red blood cells, and store blood for emergencies, such as an injury.
Stomach – The stomach acts as a storage container for food, giving the body time to properly digest large meals. This key organ contains hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes that continue breaking down the food, starting from the mouth.
The enzymes and acids blend with the food, which has already begun to break down in the mouth and esophagus, transforming it into a liquid called "chyme." The word "chymus" originates from the Greek meaning 'juice'; it refers to a semi-liquid mass that is pushed out of the stomach and passed into the intestines during digestion. In the stomach, hydrochloric acid destroys harmful bacteria and modifies enzymes to start breaking down proteins.
Liver - The liver is the second largest organ in the body and performs many important functions. Its primary role in digestion is producing bile and releasing it into the small intestine. Bile aids the body's enzymes in breaking down fats into fatty acids. The liver also cleanses and detoxifies the blood coming from the small intestine.
Once nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine, they enter the bloodstream. This blood is then directed to the liver for filtering and detoxification (Detox Cure). The liver has the incredible ability to break down and store amino acids, synthesize and metabolize fats and cholesterol, store glucose, detoxify the blood, and regulate many of our internal functions.
Gallbladder – This small, pear-shaped organ stores and recycles excess bile from the small intestine, allowing it to be reused to aid in digesting future meals. The gallbladder sits directly beneath the liver and stores the bile produced there, which then travels to the gallbladder through a duct called the cystic duct. The gallbladder stores bile between meals, and when we eat, it pushes bile through the bile ducts that connect the gallbladder and liver to the small intestine.
Pancreas - The pancreas releases digestive enzymes into the small intestine, completing the chemical digestion of food. Pancreatic juice can digest lipids, carbohydrates (to produce energy), proteins (to form amino acids needed for building), and nucleic acids. Insulin is one of the hormones produced by the pancreas; Insulin regulates the amount of sugar in the blood. Both enzymes and hormones work together to keep the body and digestive system running smoothly.
Small Intestine - After the chyme (the digestive juices and partially digested food) leaves the stomach, it passes through the pyloric sphincter into the small intestine. The small intestine is tightly coiled, and its inner surface is covered with numerous folds and ridges; where most digestion and nutrient absorption occur. Here, the environment changes from acidic to alkaline, meaning the acids are neutralized.
The small intestine is lined with tiny projections that greatly increase the surface area of the intestinal wall, allowing for enhanced absorption. Each small finger-like projection, called a villus, is covered with even tinier hair-like structures known as microvilli. Enzymes located on the villi help break down nutrients further into forms that are easily absorbed by the body. The villi play an important role in preventing leaky gut syndrome.
Leaky gut syndrome happens when the lining of the intestine is damaged, often due to poor diet, parasites, infections, or medication. This damage allows substances like toxins, microbes, undigested food, or waste products to leak through the small intestine.
The folds in the small intestine are designed to maximize digestion and nutrient absorption. By the time food leaves the small intestine, around 90 percent of all nutrients from the food have been absorbed. After nutrient absorption, the remaining fluid passes through the small intestine and moves into the large intestine.
Large Intestine – The large intestine is a long, thick tube that surrounds the small intestine. The large intestine’s role is the final stage of digestion. Once the digestive juices (which were once your food) leave the small intestine, they enter the large intestine. At this stage, most nutrients have been absorbed, but water, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals can still be taken up here.
The naturally occurring bacteria in your large intestine will continue to support digestion; These gut bacteria are known as the gut flora. The gut flora helps break down waste products and extracts small amounts of nutrients. The remaining waste exits the body through the large intestine. At first, this waste is in liquid form, but as it travels through the large intestine, water is absorbed, transforming it into solid stool. Stool mainly consists of leftover food and bacteria.
Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Digestive System
Our lifestyle and eating habits directly influence how well our digestive system functions. By following these helpful tips, you can keep your digestion running smoothly and stay healthy.
1. Chew 20-30 Times
A simple tip that can make a big difference for your digestive system is just taking the time to chew properly. Chewing is often underestimated, yet it is essential for good digestion.
The more you break down your food in your mouth, the easier the rest of the process becomes. Your brain also needs some time to register the signal that you’re full. So, take your time and chew 20-30 times before swallowing. Allow your stomach to get ready for the food it’s about to receive.
2. Eat plenty of dietary fiber
It’s important to include enough dietary fiber in your diet. Dietary fiber nourishes the “good” gut bacteria and, by absorbing water from vegetables and whole grains, helps keep stool from becoming too watery. Combining fatty foods with dietary fiber enables your body to more easily break down fats that are typically hard to digest.
3. Drink plenty of water
Adding plenty of water to your diet supports digestion by helping dissolve fats and soluble dietary fiber. This helps food move more easily through your intestines. Here’s a simple tip that makes a big difference; not drinking enough water results in harder stools that are tougher to pass through your colon.
4. Exercise
When you keep your body moving—whether it’s walking, jogging, lifting weights, or practicing yoga—your digestive system stays active too. Exercise boosts blood flow to your organs and works the muscles throughout your gastrointestinal tract; which is important because the walls of your colon need to contract to move waste along, and staying active helps tone these muscles.
5. Stress reduction
Feelings of stress or anxiety can disrupt your digestive system because your brain and digestive system are closely connected. Stress can cause digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers. To help manage these digestive problems, try stress-relieving exercises, get more sleep, or use relaxation techniques like deep, steady breathing, meditation, or prayer.
6. Eating warm foods
The spleen functions best with warmth and prefers to avoid cold, while our digestive enzymes rely on heat to properly break down food. Consuming too much cold food and drink can affect our spleen function, making warm foods easier to digest. Try incorporating soups, cooked vegetables, or tea into your meals for better digestion.
7. Adding Collagen to Your Diet
Many people eat too much sugar and carbohydrates, which can easily disrupt the balance of the gut flora. This leads to an excess of "bad" gut bacteria (which mainly feed on sugar and carbohydrates) and too few "good" bacteria (which thrive on dietary fiber), causing the gut lining to become porous—a condition known as Leaky Gut Syndrome. These gaps allow toxins to escape into the body, triggering inflammation and potentially contributing to various health issues. Collagen can form a protective layer around the intestinal wall, helping to shield the gut from attack.
8. Limit your alcohol intake
Have you ever noticed that your digestion feels a bit off after a night of heavy drinking? Alcohol disrupts acid secretion, weakens stomach muscles, and hampers nutrient absorption, so it’s wise to be mindful of your consumption. Drinking alcohol can also cause heartburn, liver issues, and diarrhea; It can affect organ function and the overall success of your digestive system.
9. Avoid excess weight
Even just a few extra kilos can cause digestive issues; for example, the valve between the stomach and esophagus sometimes doesn’t close completely, allowing stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus. Losing weight relieves this pressure and helps your digestive system function properly.
10. Incorporate probiotics into your diet
Alongside dietary fiber, the Western diet often lacks healthy doses of probiotics—beneficial “good” bacteria that support the immune system. Probiotics compete with harmful bacteria for space, encouraging the release of natural antibodies in the digestive tract, and in some cases, they can even directly target unhealthy bacteria. Research has shown that probiotics help relieve irritable bowel syndrome, prevent allergies and infections, and can even shorten the duration of colds.
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