Activities of Refining in the Digestive Tract
After we have eaten, food is subjected to various breaking-down activities
and processes. [1] These processes start in the mouth by
chewing – that is, by physical breakdown –
which enables transformation of food from whatever shape and texture it had
before into a soft consistency. After this the food is swallowed and proceeds
into the stomach.
Food is also subjected to multiple
chemical breaking-down processes. These are facilitated through the excretion
of the digestive juices. On average we excrete seven litres
of digestive juices per day:
- In the mouth about 1.5 litres
of saliva
- In the stomach about 2 litres
of gastric juice
- In the duodenum
about 1.5 litres of intestinal juice, 1.5 litres of pancreatic juice, and 0.5 litre of
bile
In these digestive juices three different types of
enzymes are present:
- Amylases: enzymes that enable the breakdown of carbohydrates
- Proteases: enzymes that enable the breakdown of proteins
- Lipases: enzymes that enable the breakdown of fats
Carbohydrates are subjected to three stages of chemical breakdown:
- In the mouth through the action of salivary amylase (ptyalin)
- In the stomach, continuing the amylase activity initiated in the mouth
- In the duodenum through the action of amylases secreted by pancreas
The outcomes of these processes are
glucose and other simple sugars.
Proteins are subjected to two stages of chemical breakdown:
- In the stomach through the action of various protease enzymes
- In the duodenum through the action of proteases secreted by the pancreas
The outcomes of these processes are
amino acids.
Fats are subjected to one stage of chemical breakdown:
- In the duodenum through the combined activity of bile and lipases secreted by pancreas.
The outcomes of this process are
fatty acids and
glycerol.
The final outcome of all these activities is chyme.
Besides simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol, it contains water,
dissolved minerals, and any undigested substances, of which the majority is
plant fibre.
In the small intestine, as the
chyme moves along, the individual
nutrients (simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.) are selected
and absorbed into the body. The rest (so-called waste material) moves
into the large intestine and is finally eliminated as a
stool.
Industrial versus Bodily Food Refining
Industrial refining is mainly used in the processing of grains, sugar, oils
and salt. With a few exceptions this involves the physical
breakdown of food before refining can start. Refining is the process of
'purification' where a desired ingredient is separated from so-called residues
and by-products. While in the case of
petroleum these impurities will clog an
engine if it is not refined beforehand, the situation with food is quite
different.
In the case of carbohydrate foods the refining process removes the following 'impurities':
Awareness of the importance of dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins is
common knowledge in modern societies. In the case of fibre it is well documented
that a lack of these 'residues' causes the very opposite: it causes
constipation, the equivalent to the clogging of an engine.
There is another important difference. Take for example the production of
pure fructose, which can be nowadays bought as a 'natural' substitute for
ordinary sugar. Fructose is in chemical terms
monosaccharide, consisting of one
single molecule of sugar. When it is produced in a factory, industrial refining
processes take place until pure fructose crystals are separated from the rest of
the fruit.
When we ourselves eat fruit our organism breaks it down. At the end pure
fructose is extracted and absorbed into the body. What is not absorbed, what has
remained rough and coarse, is eliminated. We can therefore characterize this as
a process of inner refining performed by our own organism.
The main difference between industrial refining and our own refining
of food is that in the first case the work is done for us beforehand by
means of technology, and in the second case we do the work ourselves.
While sometimes it is beneficial if the work is done for us, in this
case the outcome is quite the contrary. For we need to be aware that we
become strong if we exercise our digestive 'muscles' by doing all the
breaking-down which is typical for our digestive organs. This is so
because "the organism is a relationship of activities. The essence of
the organism lies in action, not in substance. The organization is not
relationship of substance; it is an activity."
[2] And we become progressively weaker if we do not
use our digestive 'muscles' as much as we are capable of.
DIETARY CONCLUSIONS & PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS
If we compare the effects of eating
Wholefood (i.e., whole
grains, wholemeal products, whole sugar and other natural sweeteners, etc) with
those of eating Refined Food (i.e., refined grains and cereal products, refined
sugar, etc.) we see two main differences:
- By eating refined food
we deprive the body of many important substances (dietary fibre, trace minerals,
phytochemicals, etc)
- By eating refined food we deprive the body of its breaking-down activities.
Even if somehow it might be possible to supplement what has been lost by
obtaining dietary fibre and essential nutrients from other food sources, the
best way is to get them in the original packages (e.g. wholegrain, etc.) for we
need them in such combinations and proportions as they exist in their natural
forms. However there is no way of making up for the loss of the breaking-down
activities due to eating predominantly Refined Food such as white bread, white
rice, white pasta, white sugar, etc. A regular diet based on
Refined Food will inevitably weaken one's
digestive forces – that is, those forces which are active in the breaking-down
processes until food is sufficiently refined to be ready for absorption into the
blood and lymph circulation.
For that reason eating Wholefood has great advantages. Obviously our
digestive system is made for eating Wholefood, but if it has been
weakened by years of a diet based on Refined Food, then it is advisable
to do the following:
- Avoid or radically reduce highly refined foods, especially any refined sugar.
Instead use natural sweeteners listed in the
HOLISTIC FOOD 'PYRAMID'.
- At the same time introduce partially refined foods made from brown flour, semi-whole pasta (85% flour), etc.
- Later slowly introduce Wholefoods, in small quantities at first, then more
and more until you will be able to eat Wholefood again.
- It is very important to chew food well! Take time, relax and enjoy the
act of eating.
The time-frame and speed of such recovery can considerable vary from person
to person. And remember, eating refined cereal products with the addition of
bran is not the same as eating whole grains. It is better than eating solely
refined cereal products, but with this combination you still do not employ your
forces of inner refining in the same measure as is the case with consumption
of whole grains.
There is another question which needs to be raised: Is
Organic Refined Food a better choice than
non-organic refined food? There are some
benefits in regard to pesticide residues, etc., but the truth is that in
regard to the above mentioned two main disadvantages of eating
Refined Food there
is no great difference. We are losing essential nutrients and the activity
of 'inner refining' in both cases – if we eat non-organic or organic
Refined Food! Indeed one can only
wonder why one would make such an effort to increase the quality of living
soil and consequently the quality of crops, and then, in the case of
Organic Refined Foods, all these advantages
are literally thrown away through costly and energy-wasteful refining.
♣ For more detailed investigation
of this topic see report
Is Refined Food Really Organic?
WARNING: You always have to put the above
practical dietary instructions inside the framework of
GENERAL NUTRITIONAL
GUIDELINES with the aim to know their limits when looking for a solution
of a specific nutritional problem. You also need to be familiar with
THE ROLE OF NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES with the aim to avoid any one-sided conclusions.
