Betty is a Registered Dietitian who earned her B.S. degree in Food and Nutrition from Marymount College of Fordham University and her M.S. degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. She is the Co-Director and Director of nutrition for the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
When it comes to digesting food, the human body is like a well oiled machine.
Through a complex process food is broken up, the necessary nutrients are
absorbed, and the waste products are excreted. A disruption in any part of this
process can lead to deficiencies, diseases, or even death.
From the moment that food enters the mouth digestion begins. Food is broken
up in the mouth, and moistened with saliva that also contains digestive enzymes.
The food will go through the esophagus to the stomach where it is stored and
mixed. It then passes into the small intestine where majority of the nutrient
absorption takes place. The small intestine is a long, narrow tube that extends
from the stomach to the large intestines. The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas
all aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients. After the nutrients have
been absorbed, the remaining un-absorbed food passes through to the large
intestine, also known as the colon. The primary function of the large intestine
is to store waste products.
Disorders and diseases can occur throughout the digestive tract. Some of the
common digestive diseases are:
Gluten Free Diet (Celiac Disease) - SymptomsQuestion: Describe the symptoms associated with celiac disease, or the symptoms that caused you to change to a gluten-free diet.
Gluten Free Diet (Celiac Disease) - Dietary RestrictionsQuestion: If you omit gluten from your diet, what foods do you no longer eat, or eat in moderation?
Gluten Free Diet (Celiac Disease) - Safe FoodsQuestion: If you are on a gluten-free diet, what foods are OK to eat? What new foods have you added to your diet?
Gluten Free Diet (Celiac Disease) - ResourcesQuestion: Please share resources, organizations, websites, or products you have found helpful in learning more about becoming gluten free.
Viewer Question: Do you know if oat bran contains gluten? And is it OK to eat if I have celiac sprue?
Dietician's Response: A Gluten is the protein fraction of wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten
contains several different types of protein, each with a different
arrangement of amino acids. (Proteins are chains of amino acids
hooked together.) It is believed that several of these proteins are
responsible for the inflammation that causes celiac disease (also known as sprue or
gluten-sensitive enteropathy).
Muscle cramps are involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscles that do not relax. Extremely common, any muscles that have voluntary control, including
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying
Gas or "intestinal gas" means different things to different people. Everyone has gas and eliminates it by belching or farting (passing it through the rectum).
Learn about osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the loss of bone density, which leads to an increased risk of bone fracture. Unless one experiences
Celiac disease is a result of an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat or related grains and present in many foods that we eat. Celiac disease
Enjoying a healthy diet helps to prevent diseases. A good diet also helps to control celiac disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure and maintain health
Celiac disease is a chronic digestive disorder in which
damage to the lining of the small intestine leads to the malabsorption of
minerals and nutrients.
