THE HARDENING OF STOOLS
The liquid discharged from the small intestine contains a lot of water. Most of this water is absorbed in the large intestine, which is also called the colon.
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The colon compresses waste from the digestive process to form faecal matter, also known as stools.
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Some types of complex carbohydrates cannot be digested or absorbed by the body, which means they arrive in the colon still intact. You may have heard of these complex carbohydrates; they are called dietary fibre.
The large intestine contains a tremendous amount of bacteria. These bacteria ferment a large part of the dietary fibre. Fermentation makes it easier for stools to pass through, preventing constipation.
ELIMINATION OF STOOLS
Stools contain residues that the body’s cells cannot use or absorb. These are directed towards the anus to be expelled from the body.
In DIGESTIX, any non-absorbed nutrients are rejected once they reach the end of the journey. Everything happens fairly quickly in this game, but in reality, digestion takes much longer.
An average of 15 to 30 hours pass between when food is eaten and when residues are excreted in stools. Even then, only 20% of the residues are eliminated during this time. Because of all the breaking and mixing that occurs during each step of digestion, it actually takes 3 to 7 days for 95% of the residues to be eliminated.