A previously published poem with an explanation of how it all works.
The poem at the end is in French and it tells of the relationship among the senses when it comes to taking nourishment. What we eat is the result of natural processes and the work of many people, all to present the food to us in a way that pleases the senses to get us to pick it up.
We know what to pick up, what to eat, because of the integrated nature of our being. Needs are signaled to the brain and then our senses, what we see, touch, taste, smell, or hear, are used to find what will fulfill those needs. The same holds true for other bodily and emotional needs.
As an aside, fulfillment of emotional needs by certain substances can override what is physically needed and excessive indulgence results; the physical needs of the body are ignored in an attempt to satisfy emotional needs. The results of this can often be seen as obesity or on the other extreme, malnutrition, then if the effect of the substance embeds itself in that part of the being that expresses need, voila--addiction to alcohol or other chemicals.
Once selected, the food is prepared and put into the mouth and the ambiance of the place, the elegant serving, the pleasant smells, the beautiful color of the various components of the meal are all, quite suddenly, gone as the food is put in our mouths and smashed between the teeth, pushed around in the mouth with the tongue, mixed with saliva, and continued to be smashed it until the consistency is right and particle size is sufficiently small to swallow. The senses are satisfied; now the real work begins.
Once swallowed the mash is kept in the food pipe and further lubricated with saliva, and whatever we are drinking with the meal, until a signal is given somehow, and the sphincter that guards the stomach is relaxed and the mash is allowed to fall in. This is the where the mix goes through its final qualifier; if there is anything that is unacceptable, the whole content is regurgitated in an attempt to keep the system from harm.
In the stomach, the mash is mixed into a slurry with various acids. It is chemically reduced to molecules that are either used or ignored as the slurry passes along into and through the intestines where the useful bits are further separated. These are then taken to the furnace of the lungs where heat is applied and chemical reactions further extract useful molecules which are then taken to their bodily destinations.
The basic components of fuel for the body are carbohydrate, protein, and fat molecules. These basics are not recognizable from the foods that contained them when they were ingested and processed; they are stored in body tissue until needed. Only that required to supply enough energy to support movements and other bodily functions is taken from storage and burned for energy. Thus, when the amount provided to the body exceeds what is necessary, it is stored and accumulates in tissue adding to the shape that is evident under clothing.
A second group of nutritional elements are vitamins and minerals that allow the continued replacement of tissue that is either damaged or no longer viable. These are generally supplied in foodstuffs in the micro amounts necessary but due to the processing of food before it is eaten, a wise person would supplement his diet with a variety of vitamins and minerals.
A third and equally important element of diet is fiber that is not digested but provides bulk as the slurry is pushed along through the digestive track. Since the elimination of waste is an essential activity, fiber allows the body to mix with it whatever is no longer usable by the body and discharge it.
The final ingredient is water. This is either in its molecular form or in the form of liquids taken with and between meals. Water is extracted from such liquids and used for digestion and other bodily needs including temperature control, producing mucus and other fluids, and general lubrication of tissue throughout the body.
Le Poéme
Les fermiers voient les champs
Ils voient les feuilles vertes, les animaux vivants
Et ils les récoltent
Les marchands font les étalages
Ils arrangent les paquets brillants
Et ils les vendent
Les clientèles voient les paquets
Ils choisissent les plus beaux
Et ils les prennent à la cuisine.
Les responsables de la cuisine
Ils voient les produits consommer
Et ils les préparent
Les mangeurs voient les beaux plats
Et ils mangent
Et tout se mélange dans le corps
Les parties du corps reçoivent le mélange
Et le digèrent au mieux
Puis elles s'en débarrassent.
C'est la vie.
C'est la.
