The Genesis of Nutrition....

PERFECT! I had already decided to write about this topic, when a friend of mine emailed asking about some new cycle studio in New York. He wanted my opinion, which is always, if it gets people in to exercise, and it is not hurting them, GREAT! Everyone that starts out on the path to better health has good intention. Well, until they realize how much dicipliine it takes, meaning, deprivation of the easy foods, exerting physical energy, and the most aweful, saying no to more than two cocktails and slimy overcooked, sugar coated food that goes down that esophagus with ease, therefore not needing to chew much at social events. So this takes me into my crazy little world here, where I ponder what is REALLY going on inside my mystical machine.

Even someone dutifully involved in sports and nutrition, doesn't truly intimately know how the magical breakdown happens inside us. For if they did, they would not eat so fast and so much at a time. If they needed the calories they would find a more simplified way through research, so as to not confuse the digestive system. I don't have my books in front of me, but if I remember right, for a body to perfectly digest and utilize nutrients, we are suppose to only eat around 8 oz of food at a time. DON'T jump down my throat if I am not exact, but it IS a pretty darned small amount.

So, that being said, if you were to take the time and go to the dreaded wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestive_enzyme , this explains, and you might have to read some of it over a couple of times, but it explains exactly what happens from the time you chew your food, until it goes out the other end to the toilet.

If you go to http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/diet/absorb.htm, this page will explain how the food is apsorbed. Both of these pages, IF read thoroughly, will explain what your poor body has to go through to make the food consumed useful.

I know a lot of people that diet for physique competitions that have very strict diets, in portion, and detail of substance. But a lot of times they are putting the foods together fast, throwing them in tupperware, eating on the run, and quite frankly, I KNOW they are not chewing the food to the bodies desired chime, therefore the enzymes that are suppose to be added from the mouth don't make it to the next level, therefore immediately causing a glitch in the mechanical factor.

Then you have your overload, super power athletes, that "Train to Gain". They are devouring food like there is no tomorrow, taking in as many calories as they can, scarfing it down because they trained so damned hard and need to EAT! Well, yes, your body is hungry, but for peets sake, you just beat the crap out of the bones, muscles, tendon/ligaments, lungs, heart, so you might as well just top it off with beating up the digestive tract as well. This usually ends in a long nap, and this is to let your body rest,.......right? Guess what? That poor body of yours just shut down so it can go to work and digest food.

And, well, here I go getting a bit out of line, but, has it ever occurred to you that every natural thing you put in your body had to die so you can live? It is a heavy topic, but it is something that I am sure not many people even take into consideration, for we are all guilty of being self absorbed.

If you were to read the two links I suggest above after this blog you will need at least an hour to absorb all of this. And then, if you already know this stuff, then hats off to you! I imagine you are in great condition and your skin, eyes, hair and nails show it! Know that you truly are a rare one!