Have you ever thought about what your next meal will be? Maybe you’re craving pizza, a burger, or a salad. The main reason we eat is to give our bodies energy. When you eat, food goes into your mouth, where it’s broken down into smaller pieces by your saliva and teeth. Next, it travels to your stomach, where muscles and stomach juices break it down even more. From there, the food mixture moves into the small and large intestines, where your body absorbs nutrients and water. Whatever’s left becomes waste.
Enzymes are special molecules in our bodies that help speed up reactions and break down food. They are present throughout most of the digestive process and are very specific about what they break down. For example, an enzyme called amylase in your saliva starts breaking down carbohydrates into maltose, a type of sugar. In the small intestine, another enzyme turns maltose into glucose, which your body uses for energy. However, not everyone has all the enzymes they need. For example, people with lactose intolerance don’t produce enough of the enzyme lactase to break down lactose found in milk, yogurt, and cheese. This can lead to digestive issues like bloating or nausea.
When it comes to eating things that aren’t food, like glass or metal, our bodies don’t have enzymes to break them down. However, some people have eaten strange things. Michel Lotito, a French entertainer known as “Mr. Eat Everything,” famously ate non-food items like a computer and even an airplane! It took him two years to eat the airplane, and he did it by breaking it into small pieces and using mineral oil and water to help digest it. Lotito claimed he could eat about 1 kg of non-food material daily without getting sick.
This unusual behavior is linked to a condition called pica. People with pica might eat non-food items due to a mineral deficiency or a psychological disorder. Pica can be dangerous because eating things that aren’t food can cause serious health problems.
In Lotito’s case, he reportedly had an unusually thick stomach lining, which helped protect him as the materials passed through his body. So, could someone eat a bus? Maybe, if they had a rare thick stomach lining and chopped the bus into tiny pieces over many years. But since you wouldn’t get any nutrients from it, you wouldn’t really be “eating” the bus—just passing it through. We definitely don’t recommend trying this!
Special thanks to Audible for supporting this episode. If you’re interested in a free 30-day trial, visit audible.com/asap. This week, we recommend the book “What If?” by Randall Munroe, which humorously answers absurd hypothetical questions. It’s a fantastic book, and you can get a free trial at audible.com/asap and choose from their extensive selection. We love Audible for their convenience, especially when you’re on the go. Subscribe for more weekly science videos!
Create a detailed diagram of the human digestive system. Label each part and write a brief description of its role in digestion. This will help you visualize how food travels through your body and where enzymes play their part.
Conduct a simple experiment to observe enzyme activity. Use a piece of bread and saliva to see how amylase breaks down carbohydrates. Chew the bread for a minute, then let it sit in your mouth. Notice how it starts to taste sweeter as the enzyme breaks down starch into sugar.
Keep a food diary for a week, noting everything you eat and drink. At the end of the week, analyze your diet to see if you’re getting a balanced intake of nutrients. Discuss how enzymes help in digesting these foods and what might happen if certain enzymes were missing.
Participate in a role-playing game where you act as different parts of the digestive system. Each student can be a different organ or enzyme, explaining their role as “food” passes through. This interactive activity will reinforce your understanding of the digestive process.
Research the condition known as pica. Create a presentation that explains what pica is, its causes, and the potential health risks. Share your findings with the class to raise awareness about this unusual eating behavior.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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People spend a lot of time looking forward to their next meal. Will it be pizza, a burger, a salad, or something unusual? The point of eating is to provide your body with energy. Food enters through the mouth, where it’s broken down into smaller pieces by saliva and chewing. It then enters the stomach, where the movement of the muscles and gastric juices break it down further. From the stomach, the mixture of food passes into the small intestine and large intestine, where useful nutrients and water from your meal are absorbed. The remaining material is waste.
Enzymes are molecules in our body that help speed up reactions and chemically break down food. They are present throughout most of the digestive process but are specific about what they break down. For example, in your saliva, the enzyme amylase starts breaking down carbohydrates into maltose, a type of sugar. In the small intestine, another enzyme converts maltose to glucose, which is then used for energy by the body. However, some people lack the necessary enzymes to break down specific foods. For instance, lactose intolerance occurs when the body cannot produce sufficient levels of the enzyme lactase to break down lactose found in foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese. As a result, they may experience digestive issues such as bloating or nausea.
When it comes to eating unusual items, we don’t have enzymes specifically designed to break down materials like glass, steel, or plastic. However, some individuals have consumed remarkable things. For example, Michel Lotito, a French entertainer known as “Mr. Eat Everything,” famously consumed a variety of non-food items, including a computer and an airplane. This task took him two years to complete, during which he disassembled items and ate them in small pieces, using mineral oil and water to aid digestion. Lotito claimed to eat approximately 1 kg of non-food material daily without suffering ill effects.
This behavior is related to a condition known as pica, which varies from person to person. Some individuals consume non-food items to satisfy an appetite due to extreme mineral deficiency, while others may have psychological disorders. Pica can be dangerous, as severe complications may arise from eating items our bodies aren’t designed to process.
In Lotito’s case, it is said that he had an unusually thick stomach lining, which helped prevent damage as the materials passed through his system. Hypothetically, could someone eat a bus? Maybe, with a rare thick stomach lining and the bus chopped into tiny pieces over many years, it might be possible. However, since you wouldn’t be able to absorb any nutrients from it, you wouldn’t be truly “eating” the bus—just passing it through. We definitely don’t recommend trying this.
Special thanks to Audible for supporting this episode. To give you a free 30-day trial, visit audible.com/asap. This week, we recommend the book “What If?” by Randall Munroe, which humorously answers absurd hypothetical questions. It’s a fantastic book, and you can get a free trial at audible.com/asap and choose from their extensive selection. We love Audible for their convenience, especially when you’re on the go. Subscribe for more weekly science videos!
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This version removes inappropriate language and maintains a more professional tone while preserving the original content’s essence.
Energy – The ability to do work or cause change, often used by living organisms to perform vital functions. – Plants use sunlight to produce energy through the process of photosynthesis.
Digestion – The process by which the body breaks down food into small, absorbable components. – The digestion of food begins in the mouth with chewing and the action of saliva.
Enzymes – Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body, such as breaking down food during digestion. – Enzymes in the stomach help break down proteins into amino acids.
Nutrients – Substances in food that are essential for the growth, maintenance, and functioning of the body. – Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Lactose – A type of sugar found in milk and dairy products. – Some people are lactose intolerant and cannot digest lactose properly.
Pica – An eating disorder characterized by the craving and consumption of non-food substances. – Pica can lead to health problems if individuals eat harmful items like dirt or chalk.
Carbohydrates – Organic compounds found in foods that provide energy to the body, including sugars, starches, and fibers. – Whole grains are a good source of carbohydrates and provide long-lasting energy.
Glucose – A simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms and a component of many carbohydrates. – After eating, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is used by cells for energy.
Health – The overall condition of a person’s body or mind, especially in terms of being free from illness or injury. – Regular exercise and a balanced diet are important for maintaining good health.
Stomach – A muscular organ in the digestive system that breaks down food with acids and enzymes. – The stomach churns food to mix it with digestive juices, starting the process of digestion.
