This article is a bit different from the type of post that I normally make. You can listen to the video version here. This is more of a body appreciation piece, but from a nutrition science standpoint.
Living in the modern world, we are constantly being inundated with information, often about things that are beyond our control. That overload can fuel negative thought patterns, which in turn can make existence feel like a load instead of a gift. Even without all the existentialism, I think it’s fair to say that we all have moments where our levels of self-love and self-appreciation are not as high as they could be.
Those are the occasions when you look in the mirror and you just don’t like what you see.
Those are also the times when you get frustrated because some part of your body isn’t working the way that it used to, or perhaps it never worked for you the way that it does for other people. So, I made this to remind you that in all its imperfection, your body is still a masterpiece. It is a miracle that is far more complex than any supercomputer, more mysterious than the depths of the ocean, and as beautifully intricate as the most stunning painting that you have ever seen. Your body is wonderful, and the processes that it carries out each day to keep you alive are of a magnitude that will leave you in awe if you allow yourself to really stop and appreciate all that it takes to make you, you.
So here we go, and ode to the human body.
You began as a single cell, a zygote.
That single cell divided countless times to create the adult version of you, which is now made up of over 30 trillion cells. Each of these cells has a unique purpose to which they are well adapted. Think about it – the cells in your stomach that release acid to break down your breakfast are quite different from the nerve cells that send pain signals to your brain when you bump your elbow on the edge of a table. These trillions of cells can be placed into at least 200 categories, but 70% of them belong to just one group – the red blood cells.
We have about 25 trillion red blood cells traveling through the over 60,000 miles of blood vessels that perfuse practically every inch of our bodies. Your red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which has a structure that allows it to cooperatively bind to oxygen molecules, meaning that it is designed perfectly to pick up molecules of oxygen with ease in the lungs, and let go of those same molecules when it arrives at the tissues of the body where oxygen is needed.
This oxygen is used to make energy through cellular respiration, turning the food that you ate into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the energy molecule that allows you to blink, move around, digest food, grow new humans, and do much more. All of this thanks to a simple inhalation.
Oxygen is key to making energy, but this machinery cannot run without fuel.
When you eat, thousands of enzymes come together to cut up your meals into tiny, absorbable fragments that are small enough to enter your cells. Your body isn’t just releasing enzymes at random - these enzymes are specific to what you ate. You have some that are for carbohydrates, some for proteins, and some for fats, that are basically differently shaped scissors that are meant to cut each unique type of molecule. The hormones that get released after you eat are directly connected to your meals too, and those hormones from the gut get sent up to the brain and can tell us to either keep eating, or to put that plate of food aside.
Even the parts of your meal that don’t get absorbed and enter the bloodstream are put to good use. For this, you can thank the 38 trillion bacteria and other microorganisms that call your colon home. These microbes:
Make necessary nutrients like vitamin B12 and other B vitamins, and vitamin K.
They also make neurotransmitters such as Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which may play a key role in staving off depression and anxiety symptoms.
As you sleep, you and all your microbial companions shift from daytime mode to nighttime mode.
Melatonin levels go up as insulin levels go down, and your basal metabolic rate slows down. In the brain, memories are consolidated and pathways between neurons are carved out in order to help you retain what you learned and make sense of your ever-changing environment. The food you ate is slowly transformed into the cells that make up your physical being – you really are what you eat – and you exhale the carbon dioxide waste products that are a natural side effect of this process.
Breathe in, breathe out. You are alive. You are here. You are the sum of millions of years of evolution that has been given the opportunity to offer the world a piece of you before it is time for your final bow. Love yourself, and take care of yourself.
References:
Cheng N, Bell L, Lamport DJ, Williams CM. Dietary Flavonoids and Human Cognition: A Meta-Analysis. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2022 Mar 25:e2100976. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202100976. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35333451.
Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Blood Vessels: Types, Anatomy, Function & Conditions. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21640-blood-vessels
Gartner LP, Hiatt JL. Color Textbook of Histology. 2nd edn. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Co; 2001
Mohler, H. (2012). The GABA system in anxiety and depression and its therapeutic potential. Neuropharmacology, 42-53.
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013). About sleep's role in memory. Physiological reviews, 93(2), 681–766. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R (2016) Revised Estimates for the Number of Human and Bacteria Cells in the Body. PLoS Biol 14(8): e1002533. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. (2010, March). Introduction to Human Evolution. The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program. https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution
Thursby, E., & Juge, N. (2017). Introduction to the human gut microbiota. The Biochemical journal, 474(11), 1823–1836. https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20160510
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