The Journey That The Food We Eat Makes
In The Body

We obtain the energy needed for bodily functions from various foods and drinks. However, every food that we eat, for example pasta, the meat or the banana, needs to be digested first in order to be ready to be used in the body. These foods are used by body cells after they are digested. The sugar contained in a banana or in an apple provides fuel for your cells and increases your energy; the proteins contained in meat are essential for the growth of your cells, and thus of your body. Try to get back to your infancy now.

You were approximately 2-3 kilograms (4,5-6,5 pounds) when you were born. Your weight will increase to 30-35 (65-75) when you are 10, to 40-50 kilograms (90-110 pounds) when 15 and 50-60 kilograms (110-130 pounds) when 20-25 years old.

The reason for this huge difference is the fact that the substances in the foods you consume are added to your body in time. Some of these foods provide the energy you require to ride your bicycle, to run and to play, whereas some are added to your body and constitute your flesh and bones. Waste matter is discharged from the body. All these processes are performed in your digestive system. Organs and glands including your stomach, intestines and pancreas have roles in digestion.

The functioning of the digestive system is similar to the working of a petroleum refinery. Crude oil arriving at the refinery as raw material is processed by machines and refined so as to be usable. The foods that we eat are raw materials in the first stage and are then processed in the stomach so as to be used by the body. Having been broken down in the stomach and the intestines, foods become ready to be used as the nourishment of the cells and are conveyed to relevant regions of the body via blood vessels.

A single parent substance is processed in a petroleum refinery and a variety of products, for example gasoline, which is a fuel for automobiles, or the rubber used as the sole of your shoes, are derived from it. Likewise, the nutriments in the foods are broken into fats, sugars and carbohydrates in the stomach. But remember that what happens in your stomach after you eat a delicious sandwich is even more complex than what happens in a refinery. Moreover, this series of actions which we will soon discuss does not take place in a gigantic factory, but in a very small region in your own body.

The total length of the passage through which food is digested is 10 meters (30 feet). This is 6-7 times the average human height and it is marvellous how such a length is fitted into our bodies. How is it that such a long canal has been placed in a human body? The answer to this question reveals once again that there is a special design in the creation of our bodies.

Since the digestive tract, as you can see in the picture in the picture above, is coiled up, it is fitted into a very small area, despite its length. This special shape is the perfect design of our Lord, Who created everything. This feature of the digestive system is only one of the wonders that Allah created in our bodies.

Do you know why your teeth have different shapes?

The reason why they have different shapes is that each has different tasks. For example your front teeth are sharp, so you can bite an apple easily. What if the molar teeth were in the front? Yes, you are right. You would not be able to bite a piece off the apple with your molars. Likewise, if your front incisors were at the back, you would not be able to grind the food you eat.

As in every single part of your body, the teeth in your mouth are also arranged by Allah in the most convenient and advantageous order for you.

Beneficial bacteria live at the back of your tongue

Bacteria are generally known to produce diseases and, to be protected from their harmful effects, people should be careful about the cleanness of both their bodies and the environments they live in. However, not long ago scientists discovered the presence of some beneficial bacteria in the human body, particularly at the back of the tongue. Yes, you've read it correctly; there are beneficial bacteria in your body. The duty of the bacteria behind your tongue is to kill the harmful microbes in your stomach. But surely this is not an easy task and it demands a series of actions. First of all, bacteria convert the nitrate found in green-leafed vegetables like lettuce into nitrite. However, the process is not over yet. Nitrite, in combination with the saliva secreted in the mouth, has an antimicrobial effect. In other words, the bacteria behind your tongue help in the production of a microbe-killing substance. As you know, microbes cause various diseases. Thanks to the beneficial bacteria that produce a microbe-killing substance, you are protected against many diseases. These beneficial bacteria are one of the manifestations of the compassion of our Lord, Who created our bodies in the most perfect way. Allah has given us many beauties and gifts. That these gifts are innumerable is related in a Qur'anic verse as follows:

If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving and Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 18)