Symptom 3: Undigested Food in Stools
Our stools, though often ignored or hastily flushed away, offer valuable insights into our inner health. They are like the daily report card of our digestive system. And sometimes, the message they convey is starkly clear: all’s not well. One such signal is the appearance of undigested food particles. We’re not talking about the occasional corn kernel or sesame seed. Those are notoriously hard to digest. The concern arises when this becomes a recurrent theme, with varied food remnants appearing consistently.
Why does this happen? The stomach is the initial stage in the lengthy process of digestion. Here, food is broken down into a semi-liquid state, preparing it for further processing in the intestines. Stomach acid, along with a few enzymes, facilitates this process. When there’s insufficient acid, larger food particles remain undigested. These particles then proceed to the intestines.
In the intestines, enzymes continue the breakdown process. But here’s the catch: the enzymes in the intestines have a different function. They’re adept at handling smaller particles, not the larger, undigested chunks. As a result, these chunks pass through the digestive tract and make their grand exit, largely unchanged. (3)
