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Publix GreenWise Market Magazine - Spring 2009
Amazing Journey
 When you sit down to lunch, you’re usually thinking only of the good tastes to come. Let’s say you take a big bite out of a juicy salmon burger, like the one featured on page 15. The aroma has your mouth watering (which actually starts the digestive process). But that salmon patty—along with a whole wheat bun, some lettuce and a tomato—has quite a journey ahead of it, one that will continue long after the tantalizing taste has faded away. If your digestive system is operating smoothly, it’s likely to be an uneventful trip. But there are potential roadblocks along the way, and being aware of them can help head off trouble.
FIRST STOP: MOUTH As you chew each bite into smaller pieces, enzymes in your saliva begin to break down the starches in the whole wheat bun.
Roadblock: Bloating
How quickly did you eat? Too fast and you may need to loosen your belt. “Gulping food on the run promotes the swallowing of excessive amounts of air, which can aggravate bloating,” says Howard Kroop, M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia. The same is true if you talk a lot while eating or drink carbonated soda. Extra air enters the digestive tract, which can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing because it causes belching.
Roadside Assistance
Products containing activated charcoal or simethicone can help with occasional bloating.
HIGHWAY RUN: THE ESOPHAGUS
This tube carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Muscles that line the esophagus push food down in rhythmic waves.
Roadblock: Heartburn
Sometimes a valve at the lower end of the esophagus allows some of the stomach’s contents to back up into the esophagus. Because the stomach is rich in acid, the result is—ouch!—heartburn. Some people experience frequent heartburn, a condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). “GERD is more of a chronic, recurring problem,” says Patricia Raymond, M.D., assistant professor of clinical internal medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School. If heartburn is keeping you up at night, she suggests seeing your doctor; GERD requires more extensive treatment than occasional heartburn.
Roadside Assistance
Limit fatty and spicy foods, eat smaller amounts and take a walk after meals. Antacids or gum can relieve occasional heartburn. “Chewing gum may help because it increases the production of saliva, which is rich in bicarbonate that helps neutralize stomach acid in the esophagus,” says Kroop.
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 BUMPY RIDE: STOMACH
Once food lands in the stomach, acids and other substances are secreted to break down the nutrients. After a few hours of mixing and churning in the stomach, the salmon burger has been reduced to sand-size particles and departs for the small intestine. The carbs from the bun, lettuce and tomato have already moved on, although the fiber in your whole wheat bun slowed things down a little. The fat from the fish and mayo will sit in the stomach the longest. The amount of time a given nutrient stays in the stomach is referred to as gastric emptying time.
Roadblock: Ulcers
The stomach has a special lining to protect itself from the acids, and it also releases bicarbonate to act as a buffer. Ulcers occur when the stomach lining is damaged, leaving it exposed to harsh stomach acid. They’re not caused by stress, as once believed, says Raymond. Most are the result of a bacterium known as H. pylori, although regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also lead to an ulcer.
Roadside Assistance
If you suspect an ulcer, consult your physician to determine the cause and recommended treatment.
DID YOU KNOW? Understanding gastric emptying time (see “Stomach,” above) can help you plan snacks and meals to be filling. Eat a slice of white bread and you’ll be hungry again soon. But pair it with peanut butter, and your stomach will stay full longer as it breaks down the protein and fat.
CURVES AHEAD: SMALL INTESTINE
As food winds through the small intestine, juices from the pancreas and liver continue to break down nutrients and dissolve fat molecules. Once food nears the end of the small intestine, most of it is in the form of simple nutrients, which must get out of the digestive system and into the body’s cells. This is accomplished through hairlike projections called villi that stick out of the walls of the small intestine. These villi absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, along with water, salt, vitamins and minerals. Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed or excreted if they’re not needed. Fat-soluble vitamins are used right away or stored in fat tissue or in the liver.
Roadblock: Celiac Disease
The villi in the small intestine can become damaged in people who have celiac disease, preventing nutrients from being delivered to the cells. Celiac disease is an allergic reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. “It is greatly underdiagnosed,” says Raymond, who indicates that up to one-third of people with irritable bowel syndrome may actually have celiac disease.
Roadside Assistance
Following a gluten-free diet can help heal the villi over time. It’s a challenging diet to follow, so don’t try to self-diagnose celiac. Consult a doctor if you suspect you have this condition. |
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Roadblock: Lactose Intolerance
Lactose, the sugar in milk, is normally broken down by lactase, an enzyme in the small intestine. “But if you don’t have lactase, which happens as we age, you can’t digest the milk sugar,” Raymond says. Such lactose intolerance results in gas, bloating and diarrhea.
Roadside Assistance
The missing enzyme, lactase, is available in the form of commercial products, such as Lactaid, and works well for many people. But those with a severe intolerance must avoid milk and milk products completely. Try substituting soymilk.
DID YOU KNOW? You can find a Gluten Free Shopping List at publix.com or pick up a Gluten Free Guide at your neighborhood Publix.
FINAL DESTINATION: COLON
By now you may wonder what’s left for the colon to do. Remember that whole wheat bun? It contained fiber. Fiber isn’t digested but instead passes through the digestive system, moving things along with it. For that reason, it’s sometimes called “nature’s broom.”
Roadblock: Diarrhea
The colon removes water from waste material so you’re left with a solid bowel movement. When it fails to remove the excess water—or if the waste material moves through too quickly—you end up with diarrhea.
Roadside Assistance
The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), followed for a day or two, may help with temporary problems. See your physician about chronic diarrhea.
Roadblock: Constipation
“Constipation is in the eye of the beholder,” says Raymond. “There isn’t a normal number of bowel movements per day.” If you’re really straining to go, you’re constipated.
Roadside Assistance
More dietary fiber, fiber supplements, water and exercise can all get things moving again.
DID YOU KNOW? Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help keep your colon healthy. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum are two types that are being added to foods such as Publix Active Yogurt to help keep your system running smoothly.
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