2 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Food is vital for human survival. Do you live to eat or eat to live? Regardless of which, you need food. Eating and drinking is human needs as well as human satisfaction and enjoyment. However, for true satisfaction and enjoyment of the food we eat and drink, we need good intestinal health. Intestinal health is important as mentioned earlier, consumption of food is vital for human nutritional needs, which in turn affects a person's health. Without food, humans as well as any animal cannot have energy to move and do anything. Thus our intestinal health is very important.

A baby has short intestine. As babies grow to become teenagers and adults, their bodies are constantly growing and so do their intestines. The length of intestines grow longer and more convoluted. This is because our intestine plays important role in absorption of nutrients from the food that we eat. Our body's abdominal 'space' is limited, and for our intestine to increase its absorption rate (thus providing efficiency), it needs to increase its surface area. As such, when a baby is born, they tend to have plenty of bowel activities. They drink lots of milk, every two to three hourly (small stomach), and they defecate almost as often as they drink milk. You will notice that their bowels are not as smelly as adult does too.

Normally children do not have problems with their intestinal health. As mentioned, their intestinal length is shorter than adults and not as convoluted as adults. However that does not mean that children will have good intestinal health. As adults grow, their intestines get more convoluted and the ability to empty bowels also faces more difficulty. To understand how the intestine works, you need to think of intestines as those 'water hose' that we use at home or in the garden. The longer it is, the more you coil it up, the more difficult it is for water to pass through as there is chances of getting kink. Our intestine contains 'food' and not water. Imagine a hose that contains food, the movement is even harder. Thus, to have good intestinal health, the first and most important thing is to drink plenty of water. Having water as a solvent, greatly help in the movement of bowels in the intestine. This would prevent constipation.

What happen if there is not enough water consumption? Constipation is what you get. The effect of constipation is bad breath, bloating, farting of 'bad gas' and as time pass, you do not have appetite even and you have a feeling of 'being full'. This is

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Overview: Intestinal health?
We want to hear your view. Write now!