We’ve talked about some serious health topics like heart and breathing problems, but today, let’s dive into something more relatable: digestion. We’ll explore this through a snack many people love—nachos! While nachos are tasty, they can cause trouble for those who are lactose intolerant.
Lactose is a sugar in milk that needs an enzyme called lactase to be digested. Many adults don’t make enough lactase, especially those not from Northern Europe. In fact, about 90% of people in Britain and Scandinavia can digest lactose, but less than 40% in Mediterranean areas and fewer than 10% in Africa and Asia can do so.
If you’re lactose intolerant and eat dairy, you might experience gas, bloating, and diarrhea. This happens because undigested lactose is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, causing these uncomfortable symptoms.
The stomach starts breaking down food, but the small intestine is where most digestion and nutrient absorption happens. It’s about 6 to 7 meters long and has folds to increase its surface area for better absorption.
The small intestine has three main parts:
The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are crucial for digestion, even though they don’t touch the food directly.
These organs help the small intestine digest and absorb nutrients effectively.
After the small intestine, the leftover material moves to the large intestine, which is about 1.5 meters long. Its main jobs are to absorb any remaining water and store waste until it’s ready to leave the body. It also has bacteria that help digest leftover nutrients and produce vitamins and gases.
For those who can’t produce lactase, nachos can cause discomfort. The undigested lactose reaches the large intestine, where bacteria ferment it, leading to gas and bloating. This shows why it’s important to understand your digestive system when eating certain foods.
The journey of food through your digestive system is complex and amazing. The small intestine is the main site for digestion and nutrient absorption, with help from the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The large intestine absorbs water and stores waste. Knowing how these processes work can help you make smart food choices, especially with foods like nachos that might not suit everyone.
Using household materials, create a model of the digestive system. Include the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Label each part and explain its function. This will help you visualize how food travels through your body.
Conduct a simple experiment to observe how enzymes work. Use a piece of bread and saliva to see how amylase breaks down carbohydrates. Record your observations and relate them to the role of enzymes in digestion.
Keep a food diary for a day and map out the journey of a meal through your digestive system. Identify where each type of nutrient (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) is broken down and absorbed. This will help you understand the digestive process better.
In groups, role-play the journey of food through the digestive system. Assign roles for different organs and enzymes. Act out the process of digestion, absorption, and elimination. This activity will reinforce your understanding of each organ’s function.
Research lactose intolerance and its prevalence in different populations. Create a presentation or poster to share your findings with the class. Include information on how people manage lactose intolerance and the science behind it.
Digestion – The process by which the body breaks down food into small nutrient molecules that can be absorbed and used by the body. – Example sentence: The digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth where enzymes in saliva start breaking them down.
Lactose – A sugar found in milk and dairy products that some people have difficulty digesting due to a lack of the enzyme lactase. – Example sentence: People who are lactose intolerant may experience stomach discomfort after consuming milk.
Intestine – A long, tube-like organ in the digestive system where most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients occurs. – Example sentence: The small intestine is where the majority of nutrient absorption takes place in the human body.
Bacteria – Microscopic organisms that can be found in various environments, including the human body, where they play a role in digestion and health. – Example sentence: Beneficial bacteria in the gut help break down food and produce vitamins that are essential for health.
Nutrients – Substances in food that provide energy and materials for cell development, growth, and repair. – Example sentence: Fruits and vegetables are rich in essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Enzymes – Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body, including those involved in digestion. – Example sentence: Enzymes in the stomach help break down proteins into amino acids.
Stomach – A muscular organ in the digestive system that mixes food with digestive juices, including acid and enzymes, to break it down. – Example sentence: The stomach’s acidic environment helps kill bacteria and starts the digestion of proteins.
Liver – A large organ that processes nutrients absorbed from the intestine and produces bile to aid in the digestion of fats. – Example sentence: The liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying substances and storing vitamins.
Gallbladder – A small organ that stores bile produced by the liver until it is needed for digesting fatty foods in the small intestine. – Example sentence: The gallbladder releases bile into the small intestine to help digest fats.
Absorption – The process by which nutrients from digested food are taken into the body’s bloodstream from the intestine. – Example sentence: Absorption of nutrients primarily occurs in the small intestine, where they enter the bloodstream to be used by the body.
