In last month’s newsletter I said we would discuss what happens to food once it gets into the stomach. However, as I sit in front of my computer eating some raw carrots, radishes, and various types of squash, I recall stories from customers who said they couldn’t eat raw vegetables and fruit because of the discomfort that occurs from intestinal gas. That is just another way of their saying they have not thoroughly chewed their food.

Raw fruits and vegetables have a thin, filmy coating or covering called cellulose or plant fiber. Fiber is the part of food that cannot be broken down or digested by the human body, such as the skin of an apple or the husk of a wheat kernel. This indigestible fiber is important in that it adds "bulk" to the diet, which stimulates and cleans the intestinal tract to help keep the bowels in good working order. Fiber also acts as a carrier in removing high serum cholesterol levels out of the body. Unfortunately, fiber could be the causative factor of intestinal gas. Fortunately, cooking alleviates this problem; thus, the cooking of vegetables could be considered a great digestive aid and is even considered a major digestive aid in some nutrition textbooks. While cooking does function to make it easier to digest some raw foods, it also destroys the naturally occurring enzymes in food that would improve digestion even more than cooking. Nature, in her wisdom, has provided within raw foods, enzymes that will digest the food in which they are contained.

What to do? Chew, chew, and chew your raw foods so you get the benefit of the food plus the fiber. By eating the high fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you get a better cleansing effect of your digestive system than you get from the so-called fiber-enriched processed foods. And refined carbohydrates that are lacking in fiber create havoc with your arteries and health. So eat more raw foods but remember to thoroughly chew it. Another choice is to include a supplemental enzyme to your diet.

Okay, so now the food has entered the stomach, now what?

The carbohydrate portion of the food, or starch digestion, continues in the stomach if it is in the proper condition; that is, if it was properly chewed and mixed with saliva to get the benefit of the ptyalin enzyme. This could continue for up to 60 minutes or longer depending on the awakening of the stomach and the production of a gastric juice that contains an enzyme called pepsin. There is also another strong acid that the stomach produces called hydrochloric acid. Pepsin is the enzyme that works only on the protein portion of the food converting it into peptides. When the food first entered the stomach, the pH is somewhere between 5.0 and 6.0, still alkaline enough for the ptyalin to continue working although it works best in a neutral pH of 7.0. Once the production of stomach acids begins lowering the pH to about 3.0, which is necessary for protein digestion, starch digestion stops and its time for the protein enzymes to go to work, but only on the protein. In fact, each enzyme has its own action and it only acts on one specific food type and in a specific pH. Enzymes that work on protein do not act on fats, sugars or starches. In addition, within each food group there are specialized enzymes that act on their variety. For example, among sugars there is maltose, sucrose and lactose, etc. Each of these own sugars has its own enzyme, and one enzyme cannot digest the other type.

This is the way it is supposed to work; ptyalin working on the starch, pepsin on the protein, hydrochloric acid changing the pH, but that is not always the case. When something goes wrong it’s called indigestion, and the cause depends on the individual. It could be the amount of worry or stress in their life, improper food combining, not thoroughly chewing the food, overeating, and in particular, the amount of liquids consumed with the meal to name a few. When we fail to properly digest our foods it eventually becomes poisonous to the body.

Another cause of indigestion is age. Recent studies indicate it taking much longer than 60 minutes for this acid to be formed and begin its digestive work in older people, if at all, thus lessening their ability to adequately initiate protein digestion.

The consumption of liquids with meals is a major cause of poor digestion and I don’t mean alcohol. Liquids include iced tea, juice, soda, and even water. No matter what you are eating, when you drink with your meal you dilute the enzymes and reduce the prospect for good digestion. And ice? Ice gives the body a shock and causes the stomach to stop or reduce the production of digestive juices.

I rarely have any liquids with my meal because I do not want to dilute any enzymes or hydrochloric acid thus lessening the chances of my body’s ability to digest food. As a result I never am bothered with indigestion. I drink my liquids throughout the day and especially ½ hour before a meal and I wait about an hour after a meal to resume my liquid consumption.

However, you say, you need to have something to drink because you are thirsty, or, you need something to drink to get the food down.

Did you know that your body manufactures up to one quart of saliva a day? This is more than enough to lubricate your throat for easy passage of food to the stomach. Remember, the more liquids you consume with your food, the more you dilute your enzymes and the more you dilute the more you increase digestive problems. As far as being thirsty, that’s because you weren’t drinking water throughout the day and if you had, you wouldn’t be thirsty. Try drinking some water at least ½ hour before eating which will satisfy your thirst and exit the stomach before food enters.

It could take up to four hours or more for the stomach to digest the protein part of the food one has consumed. Hopefully, the carbohydrates have been partially digested and have entered into the small intestine but the fats will remain until the protein process is completed. This could take several hours as the more fat in the diet extends the protein digestion time.

If you have ever traveled abroad I’m sure you had been forewarned to "not drink the water", or eat lettuce, etc. The first time Pat and I visited Mexico I did not adhere to these warnings and consequently, became very ill. Then I learned about hydrochloric acid. Another function of stomach acid is to kill most of the bacteria that enter along with food. This process is not always 100% effective, and some bacteria survive to take up residence and multiply in the intestinal tract, particularly the large intestine. That’s another reason why I don’t eat sushi, or any other kind of raw seafood. (No elaboration is necessary). The next time we traveled to Mexico I once again drank the water, ate the ice, the lettuce and food from the street vendors. I had to prove a point as to the effectiveness of hydrochloric acid. Each time I did what was supposed to be wrong, I took one or more Hcl pills to destroy any bacteria that may have been in what I consumed and it worked.

One might ask if hydrochloric acid cause ulcers? This is a good question because stomach acid could easily destroy the wall of the stomach if it were not protected by a thick layer of mucus. Like the salivary glands in the mouth, mucus is secreted by cells in the stomach to protect it. When a person needs antacids for indigestion, it is not because there is too much acid; it is because the stomach cannot produce good-quality mucus to protect itself.

Okay, the stomach has produced the gastric acid and is working on the protein, where do we go next? Envision the stomach as being divided into three sections. The top section is where the recently swallowed food is initially located waiting for the pH of the stomach to change but all the while being worked on by the salivary enzyme and/or the supplemental enzymes. The middle section is where the hydrochloric acid and pepsin, the protein digesting enzyme, are working. The lower section is the bottom of the stomach where the partially digested food is accumulating. It is in liquid form and this liquid, which is very acidic, is called chyme (pronounced kime). It is now ready to leave the stomach via a valve called the pyloric valve and enter into the small intestine. We’ll discuss what happens next in next month’s newsletter.

SELF TESTING

Cold hands, cold feet, low body temperature, low blood pressure, weight problems, hair problem, diminished libido, constipation (less than one bowel movement daily) dry skin, are just some of the symptoms of a thyroid condition called hypothyroid (hypo meaning low). If your parents have a thyroid problem, chances are you have one as well. How to test for it? Several ways, one of which is to go to your, hopefully nutritionally oriented, doctor. Another is to test your thyroid yourself. All you need is a good old-fashioned fever thermometer and a clock.

First, take your daytime temperature. It should read 98.6. If below 98.6, it could indicate low thyroid or a hypothyroid. If higher than 98.6, it could indicate a high thyroid or a hyperthyroid.

Next, shake down the thermometer before going to bed and place it on the nightstand. When you wake in the morning, without getting out of bed (even to go to the bathroom) place the thermometer under your arm (armpit) and leave it there for ten minutes. It should read between 97.3 and 97.8. If less than that, suspect hypothyroid, if higher, hyperthyroid. Do this for three consecutive days to realize an average. (If you are a menstruating female, it’s best to do this test on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day of your cycle).

One of the best supplements to take for a thyroid condition is kelp. Other supplements are also available so check with your nutritionist.