Importance of Digestion

We need food to fuel our bodies for energy, growth and repair. The
digestive system converts the foods we eat into their simplest forms, like
glucose (sugars), amino acids (that make up protein) or fatty acids (that
make up fats). The broken-down food is then absorbed into the
bloodstream from the small intestine and the nutrients are carried to each
cell in the body.

Minerals (sources)
 Brazil nuts, cashew nuts.
 cheese, eggs, milk.
 chicken, lean meat, liver.garlic, onion.
 green vegetables.
 mackerel, salmon, tuna.
 sunflower seeds.

Lipids (sources)
 fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb.
 dark chicken meat and poultry skin.
 high-fat dairy foods (whole milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice
cream)
 tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter)
 lard.

Digestive System disorders:

1. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

When stomach acid backs up into your esophagus — a condition called acid
reflux — you may feel a burning pain in the middle of your chest. It often
occurs after meals or at night, says Neville Bamji, MD, a clinical instructor of
medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a
gastroenterologist with New York Gastroenterology Associates.

While it’s common for people to experience acid reflux and heartburn once in
a while, having symptoms that affect your daily life or occur at least twice
each week could be a sign of GERD, a chronic digestive disease that affects 20
percent of Americans, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). If you experience persistent
heartburn, bad breath, tooth erosion, nausea, pain in your chest or upper part
of your abdomen, or have trouble swallowing or breathing, see your doctor.
Most people find relief by avoiding the foods and beverages that trigger their
symptoms and/or by taking over-the-counter antacids or other medications
that reduce stomach acid production and inflammation of the esophagus. But
some cases of GERD require stronger treatment, such as medication or
surgery.

2. Gallstones

Gallstones are hard deposits that form in your gallbladder — a small, pear-
shaped sack that stores and secretes bile for digestion. More than 25 million
people in the United States have gallstones, with nearly one million new cases
of gallstone disease diagnosed every year — approximately one-quarter of
which require treatment, according to the American Gastroenterological
Association. Gallstones can form when there’s too much cholesterol or waste
in your bile, or if your gallbladder doesn’t empty properly.

When gallstones block the ducts leading from your gallbladder to your
intestines, they can cause sharp pain in your upper-right abdomen.
Medications sometimes dissolve gallstones, but if that doesn’t work, the next
step is surgery to remove the gallbladder.

3. Celiac Disease

An estimated 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, according to Beyond

Celiac, formerly the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. The group also
estimates that 83 percent of people who have celiac disease don’t know they
have it, or have been misdiagnosed with a different condition.

Celiac disease is a serious sensitivity to gluten, which is a protein found in

wheat, rye, and barley. Eat gluten, and your immune system goes on the
attack: It damages your villi, the finger-like protrusions in your small
intestines that help you absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. Symptoms
of celiac disease in children include abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea,
constipation, vomiting, and weight loss. Symptoms in adults can also include
anemia, fatigue, bone loss, depression, and seizures.

Yet some people may not have any symptoms. The only treatment for celiac
disease is to completely avoid eating gluten. Common alternatives to gluten
include brown rice, quinoa, lentils, soy flour, corn flour, and amaranth.

4. Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is part of a group of digestive conditions called inflammatory

bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s most commonly affects the terminal ileum, which
connects the end of the small bowel and the beginning of the colon, but it can
affect any part of the digestive tract. As many as 780,000 Americans may be
affected by Crohn’s, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCFA).

Doctors aren't sure what causes the disease, but it's thought that genetics
and family history may play a part. The most common Crohn's symptoms are
abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever. “Treatment
depends on the symptoms and can include topical pain relievers,
immunosuppressants, and surgery,” Dr. Bamji says.

5. Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is another inflammatory bowel disease that may affect as

many as 907,000 Americans, according to the CCFA. The symptoms of
ulcerative colitis are very similar to those of Crohn's, but the part of the
digestive tract affected is solely the large intestine, also known as the colon.

If your immune system mistakes food or other materials for invaders, sores or
ulcers develop in the colon’s lining. If you experience frequent and urgent
bowel movements, pain with diarrhea, blood in your stool, or abdominal
cramps, visit your doctor.

Medication can suppress the inflammation, and eliminating foods that cause
discomfort may help as well. In severe cases, treatment for ulcerative colitis
may involve surgery to remove the colon.

6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Is your digestive tract irritable? Do you have stomach pain or discomfort at

least three times a month for several months? It could be irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS), another common digestive condition.

An estimated 10 to 15 percent of people worldwide suffer from irritable bowel

syndrome, and of that percentage between 25 and 45 million people live in
the United States, according to the International Foundation for Functional
Gastrointestinal Disorders. Signs of IBS can vary widely: You can be
constipated or have diarrhea, or have hard, dry stools on one day and loose
watery stools on another. Bloating is also a symptom of IBS.

What causes IBS isn’t known, but treatment of symptoms centers largely on
diet, such as eating low-fat, high-fiber meals or avoiding common trigger
foods (dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and foods that
produce gas).

Friendly bacteria, such as the probiotics found in live yogurt, may also help
you feel better. Stress can trigger IBS symptoms, so some people find
cognitive-behavioral therapy or low-dose antidepressants to be useful
treatments, as well.

7. Hemorrhoids
Bright red blood in the toilet bowl when you move your bowels could be a sign
of hemorrhoids, which is a very common condition. In fact, 75 percent of
Americans over age 45 have hemorrhoids, according to the NIDDK.

Hemorrhoids are an inflammation of the blood vessels at the end of your

digestive tract. They can be painful and itchy. Causes include chronic
constipation, diarrhea, straining during bowel movements, and a lack of fiber
in your diet.

Treat hemorrhoids by eating more fiber, drinking more water, and exercising.
Over-the-counter creams and suppositories may provide temporary relief of
hemorrhoid symptoms. See your doctor if at-home treatments don’t help;
sometimes a hemorrhoidectomy is needed to remove hemorrhoids surgically.

8. Diverticulitis

Small pouches called diverticula can form anywhere there are weak spots in
the lining of your digestive system, but they are most commonly found in the
colon.

If you have diverticula but no symptoms, the condition is called diverticulosis,

which is quite common among older adults and rarely causes problems. But if
the pouches become inflamed, it’s called diverticulitis. Symptoms include
fever and abdominal pain. Obesity is a major risk factor for diverticulitis.

Mild diverticulitis is treated with antibiotics and a clear liquid diet so your
colon can heal. A low-fiber diet could be the cause of diverticulitis, so your
doctor may direct you to eat a diet high in fiber — whole grains, legumes,
vegetables — as part of your treatment.

If you have severe attacks that recur frequently, you may need surgery to
remove the diseased part of your colon.

9. Anal Fissure

Anal fissures are tiny, oval-shaped tears in the lining of the very end of your
digestive tract called your anus. The symptoms are similar to those of
hemorrhoids, such as bleeding and pain after moving your bowels. Straining
and hard bowel movements can cause fissures, but so can soft stools and
diarrhea.

A high-fiber diet that makes your stool well formed and bulky is often the best
treatment for this common digestive condition. Medications to relax the anal
sphincter muscles, as well as topical anesthetics and sitz baths, can relieve
pain; however, chronic fissures may require surgery of the anal sphincter
muscle.
Balanced Diet (Importance)
A balanced diet is important because your organs and tissues need
proper nutrition to work effectively. Without good nutrition, your body is
more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance. Children
with a poor diet run the risk of growth and developmental problems and
poor academic performance, and bad eating habits can persist for the rest
of their lives. Nutrition is vital for your body and all of its systems to
function properly, by having good nutrition it will help you maintain a
healthy weight, reduce body fat, provide your body with energy, promote
good sleep and generally make you feel better. This has been proven
through many scientific studies and is now well documented. By having
good nutrition it has been proven that you are less likely to develop many
of the present-day diseases.