A Moveable Feast: The 24-hour Journey

by Deborah English — December 25, 2007

I'm glad you've tuned in before the banquet begins, because we are going to "pre-live" the digestive journey of your Christmas Feast - and that may just inspire you to decline the offering of second serving of Christmas pudding! And, never mind if you are reading this after-the-fact; you'll have a greater understanding of what has come to pass (...er...excuse the pun).

This is the 24-hour journey your Christmas Dinner will take from take-off (that's - off your plate) to...well...landing.

Stage One: Digestion begins the moment you begin chewing on that scrumptious leg of turkey. The chewing action activates saliva and digestive enzymes which help break down the food until you swallow. Hint: Give your digestive system a hand - chew your food thoroughly.

Stage Two: The chewed food slides down your throat into your esophagus, and just 10 seconds later, that piece of munched up turkey hits your stomach.

Stage Three: The upper portion of your stomach holds the food and feeds it slowly to the lower part where the food gets pulverized into a soup. Four hours later, your Christmas Dinner enters your small intestines.

Stage Four: When empty, your stomach is about the size of a clenched fist. But don't panic (I know you'll be eating much more than a fist-full of food-right?) The thing is; your stomach naturally expands and can actually comfortably digest about 33oz (nearly 1 kilo) of food. Eat and drink more than that, and you're likely to begin feel a bit uncomfortable.

Stage Five: The journey inside your small intestine, which is actually very large indeed (measuring about 21ft(6m) long) takes approximately 8 hours. This is where most of the nutrients are absorbed into your body.

Stage Six: Sixteen hours after you took that first bite, a watery waste of undigested food enters your large intestine (colon.) Most of the fluid is reabsorbed back into your body, and 24 hours after you took that first bite, what we have now is semi-solid waste. Seat-belts on for a smooth and safe landing!

Finally, here are some little tips to encourage this smooth landing: eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, little saturated fat and sugar, drink water but not too much while eating, and boost your digestive processes by taking a walk after the feast. You know...eat well, live well, and enjoy your day.

Cheerio then.