How Does the Digestive Tract Work?

The food we eat goes through one long journey, where it travels from the mouth, all the way through the stomach and the intestines, and finally, excreted. Although the digestive tract is connected as a single system, each part of the digestive tract has characteristics which define their function.

Firstly, when your child begins to eat, the teeth are responsible for cutting, tearing, and chewing food, breaking it down into smaller pieces to be swallowed. The digestion is assisted by saliva, which begins the digestive process before the food is swallowed. When your child swallows food, the food travels down the oesophagus in slightly smaller pieces to the stomach. There, the food is broken down further with the stomach’s gastric acid, before being sent to the small intestine. In the small intestine, various nutrients from the food is absorbed. The rest of the undigested food will travel to the large intestine before being excreted.

Outside of the digestive tract, there are additional digestive organs which support your child’s digestion. The salivary glands, liver, pancreas, and bile gland are such organs. They produce enzymes, bile salts, and other useful chemicals to assist in digestion and break down food as it travels through your child’s digestive track.

If your child’s digestive tract is not functioning at its best, the overall function of the digestive system may be disrupted. As a result, your child’s body may not be absorbing the nutrition it needs. Your child may not only be feeling uncomfortable, but there may be other effects of an unhealthy digestive system.

As parents, you can support your child by giving them the right nutrition. Fruits and vegetables are a good way to start, as they contain fibre. As for supporting your child’s healthy gut, you can try probiotics, which can be found in yogurt or fortified milk. They are beneficial bacteria which support gut heatlh. Look out for milk that contain probiotics such as L. reuteri.

LACTOGROW^® Aktif is a specially formulated milk powder for children aged 1 to 3 years old, plus the goodness of L. Reuteri probiotics to reduce the risk of constipation, for tummy comfort, and for a happy child! With 0% sucrose added, it contains an optimum combination of 15 vitamins & minerals that meets the nutritional needs of your child.