VMPage2

mix the food with the saliva, starts the process of digestion.

So when you see food or hear the sounds of food being prepared or smell food, even when you simply think of food digestion starts.

Vita-man: Where do you come in?

Abdul: After you've chewed the food, it passes through the esophagus and into me.

Vita-man: You know Abdul, you're very muscular! You look so strong.

Abdul: Nice of you to notice, Vita-man. I have three layers of smooth muscle in my wall. These muscle fibers run lengthwise around and obliquely, this makes me one of the strongest internal organs in the body.

Vita-man: Why do you need so many muscles?

Abdul: I flex my muscles. The muscle contractions are called peristalsis, and this mixes the food thoroughly with the gastric juices and breaks the food down into a semi-solid mixture called CHYME, pronounced "kime." These juices contain hydrochloric acid and enzymes that help digest the food you eat.

Vita-man: Wow, and I thought that the stomach was just a place for the food I ate to be stored for a little while.

Abdul: Yes, sadly that's what a lot of people think. If they just knew how important digestion was to their health, they wouldn't abuse me so.

Vita-man: Well, that's what you're here to tell them today.

Abdul: Have you ever heard the saying, "You are what you eat?"

Vita-man: Sure, who hasn't?

Abdul: Well, it's not true!

Vita-man: REALLY? I thought that all the food we ate was what our bodies used to rebuild itself, to make our organs strong and to give us energy. You mean that's not true?

Abdul: What I'm trying to tell you is that just because you put it into your mouth, chew it up and swallow it, that doesn't mean that your body has been able to use it.

Vita-man: Why?

Abdul: Because in order for your body to actually USE what you eat, it must first be digested.

Vita-man: I know this sounds like I'm stupid or something, but I thought after I swallowed something, it was just automatically digested.

Abdul: Oh no, Vita-man. That's not what happens at all! Let's see if I can explain it this way… Can you imagine how small one cell is?

Vita-man: Gosh, I guess it's real, real small.

Abdul: Yes, sometimes you can't even see them except under a microscope.

Vita-man: WOW!

Abdul: What happens if I tell you to eat that whole pumpkin over there?

Vita-man: Well, I'd have to be pretty hungry, that's a very large pumpkin!

Abdul: How would you go about eating it?

Vita-man: I'd get a big knife…

Abdul: Wait! A knife? Are you going to cut it up?