How Do You Think Our Bodies Break Food Down Into Useful Nutrients?

The proper way to break downwards food and supplements

You just bought a new TV so you could watch your favorite baseball team play this season. You got an awesome deal on a 70 inch with all the bells and whistles. Y'all got the Idiot box mounted on the living room wall and you lot go to plug it in and turn information technology on for the first fourth dimension and….It DOESN'T TURN ON. You're pissed! Why? Y'all spent skillful coin on what you thought was a skillful Goggle box and y'all expected it to work. Only information technology didn't. Y'all have every right to exist upset. Something you lot paid for should work, right?

Why then, when it comes to food and supplementation, practise nosotros non take this aforementioned mindset?

The nutrient you eat and the supplements yous take should exist getting absorbed and utilized. You should be seeing do good from the things you're putting in your torso. If you're not, why are you taking/eating them?

To help you sympathise what I'm even talking well-nigh here, information technology'south probably best to offset with how your body breaks down nutrient.

How do foods get absorbed by the body?

Protein is one of the most important building blocks for building muscle, salubrious tissue, and organ office, and merely almost everything else you tin think of. Once a protein source has been consumed (either eaten or drank) and information technology reaches your tum, hydrochloric acrid and the enzyme protease break down poly peptide into smaller amino acids.

Protein assimilation happens in the pocket-sized intestine and releases into the bloodstream taking them to cells all over the body.

Carbohydrates break down with a combination of chewing and the digestive enzymes amylase. These carbs are broken downward into glucose (bread/potatoes, etc), fructose (fruit sugar), and galactose (milk) and absorbed into the bloodstream. The captivated carbohydrates are then transported for energy throughout the body.

Fats are broken down by the enzyme lipase and absorbed by abdominal cells. These fats are then transported through the lymph arrangement to give your body energy and supports cells. Fats also play an of import part in hormone production.

It is important to annotation that with each macronutrient being broken downwards in the digestive organisation, proper gut health is critical to the absorption of the food you swallow.

illustration of breaking down food for gut health

Keys to proper gut health for optimal absorption

Keep your stress levels depression. High levels of stress are hard on your entire torso, and this includes your gut microbiome. With stress usually comes inflammation. When your gut is inflamed it decreases your ability to absorb the nutrients you need. Lack of nutrients tin can atomic number 82 to stunted growth, deficiencies, disease, and other health problems.

Tiresome down your eating. In that location are a couple issues when you consume too fast. When yous eat as well fast, y'all swallow more air resulting in bloating and gas. When you exercise non take time to chew properly and break down your food into smaller pieces, those larger particles create inflammation in the gut lining. Even low-grade inflammation can have an upshot on your small intestine and the breakup/assimilation of food.

Stay hydrated. Water and other liquids help you pause downwards food and then that your torso tin absorb nutrients. Drinking water can aid in digestion and regulates bowel movements. People that feel constipation ofttimes have different gut leaner versus good for you individuals. College levels of methyl hydride (found in constipated individuals) results in slower intestinal transit fourth dimension and affects digestion.

Make certain you are getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep tin increase stress. As we discussed early, stress can have a negative impact on the gut including bloating, inflammation, and poor gut microbiome. Melatonin, a hormone released during slumber, plays a significant role in regulating abdominal and immune systems helping the breakdown of nutrient.

Other factors that contribute to a healthy gut microbiome

Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for a healthy gut microbiome. It is recommended that an adult should be getting two cups of fruits per day along with an additional 2-three cups of vegetables. Co-ordinate to the CDC, only ane in 10 adults get enough fruits or vegetables on a daily ground.

For a lot of u.s.a., including myself, we take no idea how to cook vegetables to either brand them taste good or continue them from losing nutrients. The best manner to cook vegetables and so they don't lose nutrients is to steam them as gently, apace, and in equally piddling h2o every bit possible. An like shooting fish in a barrel fashion to add fruits or veggies in your diet is to incorporate them into the foods you are already eating. If yous are having a bowl of Greek yogurt for a midday snack, add a few handfuls of berries to the mix. If you are having eggs in the forenoon, toss in spinach, bell peppers, or Brussel sprouts and make an omelet or scrambled eggs.

If you're stressed for fourth dimension or refuse to eat your fruits and veggies, you lot can always supplement with a fruit (reds) and/or greens powder. These powders usually comprise your full serving of daily fruits and vegetables. Some powders will include digestive enzymes, glycemic blends, and other additives to aid in digestion.

Probiotics support and protect your body from bad bacteria in your gut. Retrieve of them equally petty, tiny soldiers shooting upward all the bad guys trying to have over your body. Probiotics are usually establish in fermented food or cultured milk, but you can also take a supplement.

Prebiotics are the primary nutrient source for your guts healthy bacteria (probiotics). Fiber is a great example of prebiotics. They are indigestible carbs that your body cannot break down thus making them available for the probiotics to grow big and strong. Without prebiotics, your probiotics are weak little munchkins. Foods high in prebiotics include legumes, oats, berries, asparagus, and bananas.

Now that we empathise how our trunk breaks downwardly nutrient and the importance of a good for you gut, let's look at the consequence of digestion rate on absorption.

How does the rate of digestion affect absorption?

When a food or supplement is digested rapidly by the body, the rate of absorption is increased. Depending on the situation, this tin exist positive or negative.

And so, when would yous want something to digest and absorb quickly?

When it comes to post-workout, y'all will always want a fast-digesting, fast-absorbing carbohydrate (glucose) and protein (isolate). This ensures that the necessary nutrients and free energy get into your organization for optimal repair. Fast-digesting carbohydrates take a larger impact on blood sugar levels. Elevated claret sugar levels create an insulin spike which allows for better protein and nutrient uptake. Still, if blood sugar levels remain elevated for too long, health concerns such as diabetes and middle disease tin occur.

What about slow digestion and absorption?

Pretty much any other time outside of post-conditioning is when you would benefit from slow digestion of poly peptide, carbs, and fats.

A poly peptide breaking down slowly floods the trunk with a steady supply of amino acids and keeps you satiated. Information technology also helps keep the body anabolic, edifice muscle and called-for body fatty. Preventing muscle breakup is particularly of import correct earlier bed. Incorporating a casein protein prior to slumber would exist a great idea for building musculus, losing body fatty or just overall wellness.

Carbohydrates that break downwards slowly not merely maintain blood saccharide levels as discussed higher up, but they help maintain abiding energy throughout the solar day. Dull digesting carbohydrates can help manage hunger and cravings which would be beneficial if y'all are trying to lose body fat.

Fats by nature are not water soluble and are digested concluding. This actually slows down the digestion procedure. Going back to our dark case, Greek yogurt (which includes protein and fats) will break downwards very slowly. If you experience sickness when taking medications, vitamins, or any other pills, you lot tin attempt taking them with a little bit of fat to ho-hum down the digestion – easing the stomach.

Now allow'south finish by looking at ways to ensure absorption with supplements.

How can I brand sure my supplements are being absorbed?

Vitamins and supplements come in many dissimilar forms. Multivitamins, metabolism boosters, fish oils, fat burners, protein powders, pre workout, fifty-fifty iron supplements all have their own manner of distribution. The nigh common forms include tablets, powders, liquids, gummies and capsules.

Tablets or difficult-pressed pills are one of the near toll-effective ways to distribute, however are some of the worst when it comes to bioavailability. This is due to the fact that near disintegrate and are destroyed past the body before they can be captivated. If they practise survive, tablets are slower acting and may take longer to work.

Gummies, while tasty and fun, lack the bioavailability due to the heating process the gelatin goes through. When heated, the nutrients lose integrity and go less effective. This method does take better bioavailability over the tablet.

Liquid supplements do digest the fastest and are absorbed into the bloodstream the quickest. The problem virtually people run into with liquid supplements is the taste and lack of viable options. There are not many companies that make liquid forms of supplementation because of preservation. Liquid does not keep as long every bit capsules do and therefore cannot sit down on shelves or in distribution warehouses for long periods of time. This makes it more expensive to brand and consequently more expensive for the consumer.

The most bioavailable and effective supplementation method is going to exist something that is encapsulated (in capsule form). Capsules offer protection until digestion, and most are fourth dimension-released to ensure the body breaks it down at the right fourth dimension. The other benefit to encapsulation is dosing. This is the most accurate way to ensure authentic dosing which means you are getting exactly what you lot're supposed to get each time.

At that place is an overload of data out there and even more choice when it comes to supplements and absorption.

If you demand help, delight reach out to whatever of our Elevation Nutrition staff or stop into our three locations in Scottsdale, Tempe or Gilbert. OUR GOAL IS TO GET You RESULTS!

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