From Latin digestive, digestion is the action and effect of digesting . East verb refers to the activity performed by the digestive system to convert food into substances that are assimilable by the body.
Digestion, therefore, implies food processing They have been digested. Food, thanks to this process , they become simpler substances that can be absorbed by the body. Heterotrophic organisms (such as animals) appeal to digestion to obtain Energy of the organic matter that they ingest, since the food It is transformed into minerals and nutrients necessary for subsistence.
Importantly, digestion develops at different levels: subcellular, cellular and multicellular. The digestive system is composed of various organs that participate in the chemical and mechanical processes of digestion The first stage is mechanical (the size of the food is reduced), while the following are chemical (to prepare the food for absorption).
The feeding process, therefore, begins with the ingestion (introduce food into the mouth), continue with digestion (mechanical and chemical to convert complex molecules into simple substances), reach the absorption (nutrients pass to the lymphatic and circulatory capillaries through osmosis ) and ends with the excretion (undigested materials are discarded through defecation).
In a symbolic sense, digestion is linked to the careful meditation of something to understand it or to the suffering that takes with patience : “I still can't digest the news”, "Being unemployed was a difficult digestion issue".
Tips to improve digestion
Digestive problems often reflect one or more inappropriate behaviors, related to food, rest and rest. exercise physical. But, in addition to their impact on our health, they generate a general malaise and reduce our performance in work and study, since they cause pain and discomfort that prevent us from concentrating. Let's look at some tricks to improve digestion:
* consume more fruits in the shell, since this last part is the one that provides the highest percentage of fiber. Among the most recommended fruits are pear, guava and apple;
* Drink a minimum of two liters of water a day. Water is essential for the proper functioning of our body;
* Eat green vegetables. Especially, spinach, squash, lettuce and chard, both in salad, roasted or as a side dish;
* chew the foods before swallowing them. It is a piece of advice that many of us receive as children, and that over time we think is exaggerated or unnecessary, but the more crushed the food enters, the easier it will be to digest it. The trick is to eat in the company of people who like us, avoid stress and take the time to savor food, away from television and the Internet;
* Avoid eating too much. Sometimes it is difficult to accept that we are satisfied, especially when we are going through certain emotional conflicts, but ignoring the feeling of satiety when eating it is the first step to hinder digestion;
* Do not drink water during meals, but once finished;
* avoid excessive spicy foods, since they affect the work of the digestive system;
* minimize the consumption usual flour;
* Respect meal times.
While some advice seems difficult to carry out, it should not be thought of as an indivisible unit, but as a series of small objectives that we can pursue one by one, with effort and with patience. We can all acquire better habits if we propose, and the promise of good digestion should be enough to get to work.
