Gastric Bypass Surgery And The Digestive System

We tend to use the term gastric bypass surgery somewhat loosely these days and include both true bypass operations such as the Roux-En-Y and popular and less radical forms of weight loss surgery such as gastric banding. While both have a role to play in curing the problem of obesity, bypass surgery takes full advantage of the body to affect weight loss and, in order to understand just how gastric bypass surgery works, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the digestive system.

The process of digestion begins as soon as you start to eat when, as you chew your food in your mouth, saliva, which contains the digestive enzyme amylase, is mixed with your food and starts to break down carbohydrates. Although it may not seem an important part of the digestive system, the saliva glands produce about 40% of the amylase used in the digestive process and so chewing your food properly is an essential part of the process.

Food is then passed down the esophagus and into the stomach where muscular contractions mix the food as digestive juices and pepsin are added. In adults the stomach typically holds the equivalent of about 3 pints.

Once thoroughly mixed the food is passed out of the lower end of the stomach through the pylorus, a circular muscle which opens and closes rhythmically to control the flow of food from the stomach.

Having left the stomach food enters the duodenum, which is about 2 feet in length and it the first of three sections that together form the small intestine. Here two other organs of the body come into play – the liver and the pancreas.

The liver passes bile, which is an essential enzyme used in the digestion of fat, into the duodenum and also receives essential nutrients from the duodenum through a series of veins known as the portal veins. The liver itself is thus also responsible for processing food products.

The pancreas, which is principally known as the organ which is responsible for producing insulin, also produces a number of digestive enzymes, including lipase, which mixes with bile in the duodenum to further assist in breaking down fat.

Once food has been mixed with various digestive enzymes in the duodenum it then passes into the jejunum, which is about 6 to 8 feet in length, and then on into the ileum, which is about 10 to 12 feet long, where the digestive process continues and nutrients are extracted.

Once digestion is complete the remaining waste products are passed into the large bowel which plays an important role in absorbing water to prevent excess water loss. Waste products are then held in the large bowel until they are released from the body.

Gastric bypass surgery by bypassing part of the small bowl (the duodenum, jejunum and ileum) restricts the body from absorbing calories from the food that is eaten which, in turn, leads to weight loss. However, it also restricts the absorption of a variety of necessary vitamins and minerals and this explains the need for life-long supplements following surgery.

An Acne Diet You Should Follow

For those who don’t know if there is a relationship between your acne condition and the foods you eat, let me tell you that there is. You might have heard that oily foods cause acne, but this isn’t entirely true. Oily foods have caused internal changes including high cholesterol levels, but they don’t really have a huge impact on the skin condition. When does oil affect skin conditions such as acne? The only time oil would affect your acne condition, is when you use cosmetic products that have animal fats, oils and additives. Most of the makeup products and skin care products on the market today have oils added to them.

One thing you should begin doing is purchase herbal skin care products that contain no oils or preservative chemicals. These additional chemicals and oils will only cause harm to your skin condition. For those who have acne, it is never a good idea to use tons of makeup. Makeup may seem like a great way to hide your acne, but it surely does not make things any better. The types of food you eat will affect your overall acne condition. The following are some of the foods you should and shouldn’t limit on a daily basis, if you intend on controlling your acne.

The calcium rich fluid we all love drinking could be bad for your acne condition. Milk has been a great addition to any breakfast meal, but it could lead to your acne getting worse than it already is. Since milk originally comes from cows, there is a significant amount of fat and hormones which could cause an imbalance in your acne condition. I am not saying that you should stop drinking milk, but it would help if you could limit your daily intake. If you are someone who drinks milk several times a day, it could be a problem for your acne.

The one type of oil that is considered to be a helper in your acne condition is Omega 3 fat oils. All types of fishes have this fish oil in them, and they have been known to prevent acne and keep skin looking fresh. Whether you are cooking the fish or simply having some sushi, it is considered to be great for your skin and overall health. Apart from the acne benefits of fish, you would also be taking in some much needed proteins.

Oranges and berries are two amazing types of fruits you should eat at least once a day. When I say berries, I mean all sorts of berries; whether it is strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Berries and oranges have high antioxidant content along with nutrients that help with skin development and acne prevention. By eating such fruits, you’ll be able to get rid of the bad skin cells, which allows for new skin development. During skin development, one thing you should do is drink lots of fluids. Water and concentrated juices are the best, as they give your body the hydration, vitamins and energy.

I hope this you can incorporate parts of this acne diet into your everyday meals, so that you can get rid of all the acne and live a young and healthy life.

Paleo diet foods list, Paleo diet Guidelines

Before there were packaged goods, processed foods, GMOs and an ongoing debate between organic or not, there was dirt, seeds, water and roaming animals. It may be hard to consider now, but the dawn of man produced hunters and gatherers and humans had to get their own food – not by heading to the supermarket.

There were no sprays to kill insects, no chemicals or genes added or modified. No extra-large tomatoes or vibrant yellow bananas. Food was simple. It was either found, picked or hunted. And although there weren’t doctors or research scientists to confirm the benefits of such eating, it seems that when it comes to dietary habits, eating like our ancestors has some merit.

Diets come and diets go, but one in particular seems to have staying power and for good reasons as well. It’s based on eating similar to that of prehistoric man and it’s being touted as one of the best way to eat. It’s called the Paleo diet.

What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet was created by Loren Cordain, a now-famous author, speaker and professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University, who specializes in disease and diet. The Paleo diet itself reflects food items and methods of eating similar to our Stone Age ancestors – that’s right, this diet is framed around eating like cavemen. Through scientific research and peer-reviewed studies, Cordain has uncovered many health benefits to eating the Stone Age way.

There are seven premise on which the Paleo diet guidelines are based:

High protein
Low carbohydrates and low glycemic index
High fiber
Moderate to high fat intake – monosaturated and polysaturated fats with omega-3s and 6s

High potassium, low sodium
Net dietary alkaline balances dietary acid – some foods produce acid (meat) and others are alkaline (fruits and vegetables). Eating a balance of both alkaline and acid foods can have positive health effects.

High intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant phytochemicals.