Digestive Juices and Their Glands

by Mariana Bozesan

The health of the digestion process depends upon the glands of the digestive system.

These produce both the juices that break down the food and the hormones that help to control the process. The glands that act first are in the mouth - the salivary glands. Saliva produced by these glands contains an enzyme that begins to digest the starch from food into smaller molecules.

The next set of digestive glands is in the stomach lining. They produce stomach acid and an enzyme that digests protein. The miracle of nature is that the acid juice of the stomach does not dissolve the tissue of the stomach itself. In most people, the stomach mucosa is able to resist the juice, although food and other tissues of the body cannot.
After the stomach empties the food and its juice into the small intestine, the juices of two other digestive organs mix with the food so that the process of digestion can be continued.

One of these organs is the pancreas. It produces a juice that contains a wide array of enzymes to break down the carbohydrates, fat, and protein in our food. Other enzymes that are active in the process come from glands in the wall of the intestine.

The second digestive organ contributing to the small intestine is the liver which produces a digestive juice called bile. The bile is stored in the gallbladder. At mealtime, it is squeezed out of the gallbladder into the bile ducts and reaches the intestine to mix with the fat in our food where its acids dissolve the fat into the watery contents of the intestine. After the fat is dissolved, it is digested by enzymes from the pancreas and the lining of the intestine.

What does this all have to do with weight loss?

The basic building blocks of the human body are the cells. In order to function properly the cells need oxygen, proper nutrients and the ability to eliminate toxins. To achieve permanent success with weight loss and to reach health and vitality we need our digestive systems to function properly in order to give our cells exactly that what they need to build the body we desire and to eliminate what creates the opposite. Thus to lose weight fast we need to optimize the digestion process through:

1. Proper Food Combining: no animal protein and carbohydrates in one meal;



2. Digestive Enzymes to ensure proper digestion;



3. Probiotics to ensure healthy flora of our intestines;



4. 70-30 Rule: 70 percent of what is on your plate should be high-water content foods;



5. No water during meals which would slow down the digestion process by diluting the stomach juices (drink water at room temperature before or one hour after your meal);



6. Reduce intake of acid-forming foods such as meat, dairy, refined carbohydrates, sweets, soda pop and caffeine.