Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2024 - 12

1 HR
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CBDM APPROVED
NUTRITION C ONNECTION
DEEP DIVE:
DISEASES OF THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
BY KRISTIN KLINEFELTER, MS, RDN, LDN
" AS I ALWAYS SAY, NO GUTS, NO DIGESTION! " says
Mrs. Frizzle and off they go! The lucky children that ride the
Magic School Bus (Cole 1990) with their eccentric and brilliant
teacher are learning about the digestive system today. Oh, the
adventures they go on, learning about their bodies and health.
I often try to channel my inner Mrs. Frizzle while teaching
young people about how their digestive system works.
Actually, even my adult learners in clinic or education benefit
from descriptions of HDL cholesterol acting like a dump truck,
picking up the LDL as it " drives " around our blood system. I
have a very clinical-looking digestive system poster hanging
on the wall, but make sure I have stickers that are fun and
located in key areas along the system to bring a simple level of
understanding for all people to relate to.
In whatever area of nutrition and food service you work, you
must have a good understanding of our digestive system: how
absorption works, which organs are affected by diseases, and
foods and diets that are necessary to treat those diseases.
Let's do a deep dive into the top diseases and how they affect
the digestive system, and hopefully have a little fun while we
travel through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We will follow
the path of a simple lunch being digested and absorbed.
Today's Menu: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Whole Grain
Bun, Lettuce, Tomato & Mayonnaise, Apple Slices, Carrots and
Ranch Dip, Chocolate Chip Cookie and 1% Milk. Note: we will
mostly talk about what happens to the macronutrients, not
the micronutrients on this ride. Let's go!
First stop, the mouth. Bites of the chicken sandwich
and sides are chewed with teeth in the process called
mastication, which is mechanical digestion. Immediately
upon first bite-or even before-the salivary glands
begin to secrete salivary amylase and enact the chemical
digestive function of the mouth. Salivary amylase begins
digesting the carbohydrate in our lunch (the bun). The
mouth does a lot of work chewing and forming a bolus of
food to be safely swallowed. Thankfully, our brain and taste
buds are just enjoying the lunch and do not have to tell our
digestive system to prepare for what is to come!
Digestive and nutrition problems can begin in the mouth.
A few disease states cause xerostomia or " dry mouth. " It
also can be caused by aging and certain medications. Some
key culprits are anticholinergics (to treat incontinence),
antidepressants, stimulants, opioids, benzodiazepines
(to treat anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions), and
antipsychotics (Wang 2018). If you work in long-term care,
most likely your aging clients are prescribed at least one of
these medications.
Now enter problems that can be related to the mechanical
function of the mouth...dental issues. Whether a person
has poor dentition, multiple caries, unhealthy gums, or
no teeth, dental concerns are the first nutrition problem
of the GI system. You likely know plenty of hearty people
who overcome their dental problems by modifying their
chewing; however, it is our job to provide meals that the
client can safely and effectively eat. This is why we have
12 NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | MARCH-APRIL 2024
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2024

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