We MASTICATE. DIGEST. ASSIMILATE and ELIMINATE.

Mastication  Chewing properly is the first step in the breakdown of food, preparing smaller particles ready for further digestion. If not well-chewed, the food will sit heavy in the stomach waiting while the body takes on the job of reducing its size.

Digestion  As food enters the stomach, whatever enters first, that is kept separate from subsequent food taken later in the meal. The whole meal may be churned around, but generally the stomach will maintain the food in the layers that were formed as the meal was eaten. As already mentioned, poorly chewed food is pushed back away from the stomach’s outlet that empties into the small intestine - until the food is further reduced in size. The stomach is located under the ribs on the left side of the torso.

Assimilation takes place further along the digestive tract in the small intestine, where finger-like projections from the intestinal lining come into contact with the food particles and absorb the nutrients. The small intestine is located at the solar-plexus, in the upper centre of the abdomen. As nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine they don’t immediately pass into the body’s systemic circulation, rather it is first shunted to the liver, where the nutrients are filtered out for immediate use by other body cells, or stored for later requirements. The liver is also very important in dealing with protein, breaking this down into amino-acids, the “building-blocks” of life. The liver is located on the right side of the torso just under the ribcage.

Elimination occurs in the large intestine, the bowel. Metres upon metres of small intestine comes to an end at the lower right side of the abdomen and there the colon begins. A special valve keeps the two different functions quite separate. The bowel does not digest nor assimilate nutrients, it is purely a receptacle for the semi-liquid mass that remains after all nutrients have been absorbed. The bowel absorbs water from the food and bacteria further reduces its size to be passed out of the body as faeces.

How Quickly Does Food Pass from the Stomach?

• Clear liquid leaves the stomach within some minutes, but liquid such as milk, milk-shakes, yoghurt and thick soups, take longer.
• Fruits may be digested within an hour or two, depending on how much is eaten and if chewed well.
• Vegetables, take just a little longer to digest than fruits but considerably longer if oil or fat was included in the meal.
• Starchy foods such as grains require longer time than vegetables.
• Protein foods such as legumes and nuts take longer still, and the stomach will process the starch first.
• Fats and oils slow down the digestive process more than any other food.

The general rule is, the time taken for to empty the stomach decreases with the more food combinations consumed at one time.

What Disrupts the Balance of the Digestive Process?
Stressful emotional responses disrupt a balanced nervous system which governs the entire digestive process. Stress may either increases the speed with which food is propelled along the digestive tract or cause it to slow down considerably. It varies from individual to individual. A good rule of thumb is never to eat when upset.

Further, the stomach and small intestine become weakened when the gastric system is constantly overloaded from too much food and/or when constantly consuming substances that irritate the gastric walls such as recreational drugs, strong coffee and alcohol, to name just a few. These substances definitely affect gastric emptying.

For example, the body gives alcohol first priority over all other foods in the digestive process. The body wants to clear it quickly and efficiently, therefore all other foodstuffs must wait to be digested. Similarly, excessive amounts of food disrupts the digestive process by placing an inordinate burden on the whole process of digestion and elimination.

YOGA ASANAS that may enhance GASTRO-INTESTINAL FUNCTION - for the Stomach, Small Intestine, Liver, Bowel:

Vajrasana & Supta Vajrasana    (Thunderbolt & SupineThunderbolt)
Yoga Mudra & Shashankasana   (Kneeling Fold Forward)
Pavanmuktasana    (Knee Squeeze whilst laying, sitting, standing)
Khatu Pranam & Surya Namaskara Asana Sequence
Chakrasan / Kandharasana    (Back Bend full & half)
Paschimottasana    (Forward Bends)
Bandha Paschimottasana   (Head to Knee Forward Bend)
Ardha Matsyendrasana   (Spinal Twist)
Bhujangasana     (Cobra Pose)
Matsyasana     (Fish Pose)
Tadasana     (Standing Tall)
Vriksasana     (Tree Posture)
Sirsangusthasana    (Nose-to-Knee Deep Lunge)
Padahastasana    (Standing Forward Bend)
Dwikonasana    (Standing Forward Bend, folded at hips, hands-clasped over head)
Ek Pad Utthanasan   (Standing half-lotus forward bend)
Kati-Chakrasan   (Half-circle with raised arms)
Trikonasana     (Triangle Pose)
Sirshasan    (Headstand)
Sarvangasana      (Shoulder-Stand)
Viparit Karni Mudra   (Elbow-Stand)
Halasana    (Plough Posture)
Uddiyan Bandha   (Abdominal Uplift)