As much as we would like to deny it, the digestive system is our favorite system of the body. Why? Because it involves food of course. It is through the digestive system that the body is able to make use of the vitamins, minerals as well as the other nutrients that we consume daily. The digestive system actually breaks down the food that we put into our bodies until it is in a form that can be used by our cells in order to ensure our being healthy. However, not everything that we put into our mouths constitutes as being "healthy", there are several vitamins and minerals that directly affect the quality and efficiency of the process of digestion. A conscious effort to consume the proper amounts of these nutrients daily is a good start towards having a well functioning digestive system.

First, let's break down the digestive process, beginning in the mouth, with the saliva and the teeth. Healthy teeth are essential to proper chewing, which breaks down the food into teeny tiny pieces so that it can pass through the esophagus while the enzymes start on their work. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin D and Vitamin C are all essential nutrients to having healthy teeth. Your teeth's very structure depends greatly on these vitamins and minerals. Calcium and phosphorus are the primary building blocks of the teeth while Vitamin D helps enhance the calcium absorption by the body and rounding off this process of having healthy teeth are magnesium and vitamin C.

Vitamins that make up the vitamin B complex actually have a highly important role in keeping one's digestive system working efficiently. Thiamin, or Vitamin B1 helps increase a persons appetite while it also keeps the nerves in good working order. Nerves, who are the "communicators" of the body, are important to the process of digestion, because it helps regulate the way we act and move, for example whenever we're eating it's actually our nerves who sends the message to our brains that the food is tasty or not or even when we're already full or still wants some more. Niacin, or B3, is necessary for the health of the digestive tract as it contributes greatly to its general health and functioning as well as keeps its surfaces healthy. Niacin also helps to keep the tongue in good health and to be able to perform its role in the digestive process more efficiently. Vitamin B9, also known as folate, folic acid and folacin, is also important to the maintenance of the gastrointestinal tract. The bacteria in the digestive tract actually helps produce Vitamin K which is essential to the blood's ability to clot.

There are many minerals that help out enzymes to break down food. It is highly important to not that without these minerals, our enzymes our not actually enough to be perform proper digestion in a person's body and poor digestion can automatically lead to a lot of health problems. Manganese is just one of the minerals that helps out our enzymes during digestion, it also helps our bodies make use of whatever benefits that we can get from the food that we take. When it comes to regulating one's appetites however, chromium is a vital mineral that greatly affects a person's food cravings and daily intake.

Poor nutrition can actually lead to various problems in the digestive system which is why meeting the standard recommended daily amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs is a good way to avoid poor digestion as well as the gastrointestinal illnesses that can be brought about by such negligence. Aside from a well-balanced diet and proper exercise, there's no harm in actually taking some nutritional supplements to ensure that there's no lack of nutrients in one's body.

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Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/