As the food is digested in the small intestine and dissolved into the juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, the contents of the intestine are mixed and pushed forward to allow further digestion. Finally, all of the digested nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls.

Stomach. Glands in your stomach lining make stomach acid and enzymes that break down food. Muscles of your stomach mix the food with these digestive juices.

Here are 11 evidence-based ways to improve your digestion naturally.

1. Eat Real Food. Share on Pinterest Photography by Aya Brackett.
2. Get Plenty of Fiber. It’s common knowledge that fiber is beneficial for good digestion.
3. Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet.
4. Stay Hydrated.
5. Manage Your Stress.
6. Eat Mindfully.
7. Chew Your Food.
8. Get Moving.

Once food has entered the esophagus, it doesn’t just drop right into your stomach. Instead, muscles in the walls of the esophagus move in a wavy way to slowly squeeze the food through the esophagus.

Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair. Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to cells throughout the body.

Protein digestion occurs in the stomach and duodenum in which 3 main enzymes, pepsin secreted by the stomach and trypsin and chymotrypsin secreted by the pancreas, break down food proteins into polypeptides that are then broken down by various exopeptidases and dipeptidases into amino acids.

The three main proteolytic enzymes produced naturally in your digestive system are pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin. Your body produces them to help break down dietary proteins like meat, eggs and fish into smaller fragments called amino acids. These can then be properly absorbed and digested.

Amylase enzymes are also made by the pancreas and salivary glands. They help break down carbs so that they are easily absorbed by the body. That’s why it’s often recommended to chew food thoroughly before swallowing, as amylase enzymes in saliva help break down carbs for easier digestion and absorption ( 10 ).

Proteins are hard for digestive enzymes to break apart, so they take longer to digest than carbs and fats. What makes protein harder to digest is the size of the amino acids inside. Protein is too complex to absorb on its own, so your body breaks it up.

Excess protein consumed is usually stored as fat, while the surplus of amino acids is excreted. This can lead to weight gain over time, especially if you consume too many calories while trying to increase your protein intake.

But according to nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, “too much protein… makes our bodies age faster… [and] toxicity starts to amass in our bodies.” In a recent podcast, she discussed “protox”—short for “protein oxidation.”

The bad news though, is that in large amounts, protein powder may harm your kidneys. Your kidneys are instrumental in helping your body remove waste created during protein synthesis. Due to the excess amount of protein you ingest with protein powder, you may be overworking your kidneys, causing strain and damage.

Here are 17 foods that you should likely avoid on a renal diet.

• Dark-colored soda. In addition to the calories and sugar that sodas provide, they harbor additives that contain phosphorus, especially dark-colored sodas.
• Avocados.
• Canned foods.
• Whole wheat bread.
• Brown rice.
• Bananas.
• Dairy.
• Oranges and orange juice.

To confirm that you have a kidney infection, you’ll likely be asked to provide a urine sample to test for bacteria, blood or pus in your urine. Your doctor might also take a blood sample for a culture — a lab test that checks for bacteria or other organisms in your blood.