“Life
is much like a piece of cake. Overeat and you get a stomachache.”
(Ana Claudia Antunes, author of The Tao of Physical and Spiritual)
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1.
Your stomach
is located in the left upper part of your tummy. An upset stomach is the part
of your body from your ribs to your hips. The abdomen contains the stomach,
liver, spleen, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, blood vessels, and nerves.
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2.
The stomach
serves as a first line of defense for your immune system. It contains
hydrochloric acid, which helps to kill off bacteria and viruses that may
enter with the food you eat.
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3.
Hydrochloric
acid provides an environment for an enzyme, called protease. Protease chops
up proteins (meat, fish, chicken, some plants) so your body can digest them
easier.
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4.
When you
blush (your face turns red), the lining of your stomach also turns red.
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5.
When you
swallow your food (as well as carbonated beverages), you also get air in your
stomach. The easiest way to get rid of air is to burp.
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6.
Your stomach
produces a new layer of mucous every two weeks. It does this because
hydrochloric acid could digest your stomach and other organs. Mucous protects
the stomach from that happening.
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7.
An adult
stomach can hold around one and a half liters (nearly a half gallon) of food
(or drink).
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8.
Since the
stomach pre-digests the food, it makes it easier for the rest of your body to
get energy from it. As a result, animals with stomachs can move around more
than those without (roundworms and hydras are stomach less).
Animals with stomachs can also run larger brains with all
the extra energy, which makes them smarter. Since the stomach can store so
much food, it allows you to go longer in-between meals.
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9.
Food doesn't
break down completely in the stomach. The first part of digestion happens in
the stomach (most of it happens in the small intestines).
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10.
When food
leaves your stomach, it does so in tiny particles which are called chyme.
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11.
It is a very
popular myth that thin people have smaller stomachs than big people. This is
untrue. The stomach is the same size in everyone (unless you have had surgery
to change the size of it. What changes is the point where your stomach tells
your brain that it is full.
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12.
The type of
food you eat does matter in how hungry you feel afterward. Foods high in
sugars are digested very quickly, which makes you feel hungry faster. Foods
high in protein (and fat) digest slower. This allows you to go longer before
getting food desires. [i]
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“Tolerance says I am just
going to stomach your right to be different...If you disappear from the face of
the earth, I am no better or worse off. But love - love knows that every
American has worth and value, no matter what their background, race, religion,
or sexual orientation.” (Cory Booker)
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