August 2019 - Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

[Sarah]

Rusalka wrote: "Still reading. Last couple of days of the crappy job though, and I have had tenant woes on top. Stifled the reading time."

I bet you'll be relieved when it's done.

I'm still reading too.

[Lilisa]

Started a bit later than I wanted to in the month. Finished chapter 1 - so far so good and interesting, especially since I love food.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "I bet you'll be relieved when it's done."

14 hours.

Not that I'm counting
<.<
>.>
lol

[Sarah]

I started chapter 4 on my way home which is talking about chewing your food (view spoiler)[I'd heard that chewing your food more thoroughly was better for your digestion but this guy is taking it too far. If it takes 10 minutes to chew a mouthful of shallots, how boring must it be (and time-consuming) to eat a whole meal! The "trials" they did with it were a bit shonky. Only eating peanut butter or peanuts for a week and chewing them to death? Surely eating a normal diet would have been better, with one group chewing excessively and the other eating normal?!? This was back in WW1 though so I guess randomised controlled trials weren't that common then. (hide spoiler)] I comment a bit more when I finish the chapter. I have a whole day of waiting around tomorrow so I should have plenty of time to read.

[Sarah]

Lilisa wrote: "Started a bit later than I wanted to in the month. Finished chapter 1 - so far so good and interesting, especially since I love food."

Glad you are joining us Lilisa!

[Janice, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "I started chapter 4 on my way home which is talking about chewing your food [spoilers removed] I comment a bit more when I finish the chapter. I have a whole day of waiting around tomorrow so I sho..."

And didn't they also (view spoiler)[swallow whole chunks without chewing? The result being that the stomach still digested it without any difference? (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Me too, Sarah! :-) so chapter 2, so interesting that cats (view spoiler)[cannot taste sweetness (hide spoiler)] and that catfish (view spoiler)[have receptors all over their skin so they locate food by brushing up against it so catfish are like swimming tongues. Who knew! (hide spoiler)]. Chapter 3 - organs (view spoiler)[I like some organs - kidney, heart, tongue, but not liver - I don't like the texture. And I've had cow udder! I didn't know about all the nutrients in organs - learning a lot.>spoiler> Is the book going to continue along theses lines I wonder? (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Janice wrote: "I'm towards the end of Chapter 3.

I didn't really get into the book until Chapter 2 - I think the discussion about cat & dog food.

A couple observations, aka I don't agree, but I do agree... -
..."
Janice - my cat is happy (view spoiler)[eating his dry food - no variation. If I were him I'd be protesting. He does not like treats at all - he turns his nose at any and all treats.>spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Janice, Moderator]

Lilisa wrote: "Janice - my cat is happy (view spoiler) ..."

I've often wondered(view spoiler)[ how she'd react if I treated her regular chow as if it was the treats. Would she know the difference? Would she gobble them up? Maybe I'll run my own experiments. (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Janice wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Janice - my cat is happy (view spoiler) ..."

I've often wondered[spoilers removed]"

I think you should and report back cos inquiring minds want to know!

[Sarah]

Lilisa, I love how you summarised a catfish as (view spoiler)[a swimming tongue. I have a very odd image in my head now (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Sarah wrote: "Lilisa, I love how you summarised a catfish as [spoilers removed]"

Lol Sarah - can't take credit - it was Roach's phrase.

[Sarah]

Lilisa wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Lilisa, I love how you summarised a catfish as [spoilers removed]"

Lol Sarah - can't take credit - it was Roach's phrase."

Oops, must have missed that! Or forgot it quickly. lol

[Lilisa]

In chapter 4(view spoiler)[page 82 was gross and I'm not going to describe it! Re: that's what they tell us to eat slowly so we eat less since it's takes some time for the brain to know that you're full. Well, I eat for taste so ha, doesn't matter if my brain knows I'm full or not!>spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

In Chapter 5(view spoiler)[wow, that was interesting - William Beaumont and Alexis St. Martin re: the protruding stomach and all the experiments back in the 1800s. I wonder how St. Martin didn't get infected - wouldn't there have been an open wound of some sort?>spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Chapter 6 - (view spoiler)[the correlation between saliva/digestive enzymes and use for removing stains - that explains everything about detergent and stain removers!>spoiler> learning a lot about application to practical everyday solutions we take for granted. (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Sarah wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Lilisa, I love how you summarised a catfish as [spoilers removed]"

Lol Sarah - can't take credit - it was Roach's phrase."

Oops, must have missed that! Or forgot it q..."

Easy to either way. So much cool info - I'm probably going to retain one-tenth of the stuff. Have you finished it?

[Janice, Moderator]

I went downstairs this morning and grabbed a handful of cat chow. I took too much and put half in her dish and came back upstairs to put the remainder in her treat dish. She's down there chowing away at her regular food, oblivious to anything I put in her treat dish.

[Sarah]

I'm still reading Lilisa. You've whizzed ahead of me already as I'm still in chapter 4.

[Sarah]

Lilisa wrote: "In chapter 4[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I get that chewing food more and eating slower is better as like you say, our body can catch up with determining whether we're full or not. I know that I've scoffed a tub of ice cream in record timing and then a little while later felt stuffed and a bit sick. If I'd eaten slower, maybe I would have decided to stop at half the tub when I recognised I was getting full. This is something that, when I used to work with weight loss clients, I would recommend they do. By chewing more and doing it slowly, it does make eating a more conscious process allowing for more control over it.

Eating in this way I think also allows you to enjoy your food more too and you get to savour the different tastes and textures of what you're eating.

But that guy and his many followers took it way too far!
(hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Sarah wrote: "I'm still reading Lilisa. You've whizzed ahead of me already as I'm still in chapter 4."

Haven't made too much progress - busy weekend, but will start up again shortly - being the last week of August - where has rhe month gone?

[Lilisa]

I finished the book and gave it 4 stars. I didn't end up doing notes for each chapter as I was on a roll. (view spoiler)[I can see why the last few chapters gross folks out but that's the reality of anatomy, although there is certainly the ick factor! (hide spoiler)] All in all I thought it was a fascinating and informative - I learned quite a bit. I probably wouldn't have come across it if it hadn't been nominated for the monthly read - thanks Sarah!

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Lilisa. I have another of her books, (Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void). Maybe I'll enjoy it more.

[Sarah]

Glad you enjoyed it Lilisa.

[Sarah]

I finished chapter 4 - not a huge amount extra to say on that chapter than what I've already said. Other than (view spoiler)[That guy added food directly in through that other guy's stomach and it digested perfectly (except the steak - we know beef stays in the gut for longer now) so the chewing isn't really important after all. The chewing guy really should have done his homework! Sorry I can't remember any of the people's names! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5(view spoiler)[did I read correctly that that doctor guy stuck his tongue in the open would of the guy to taste his stomach acid?!?! Yeugh!

I enjoyed reading about the experiments done here. The guy really was a pioneer in the field, but ethically he had a long way to go! Poor guy.

Lilisa - keeping wounds open happens in modern-day medicine for a number of reasons. However, we have the advantage of having a good understanding of wound care, antibacterial and antimicrobial solutions to prevent infection in addition to antibiotics if an infection should occur. But back then, as you say, it's very surprising that he never got infected. That we know of anyway! (hide spoiler)]

It's looking likely I won't finish the book by the end of the month but I'll continue with it and comment as I go. I'm still struggling with pain so I can't really focus all that well.

[Lilisa]

Sorry to hear Sarah - feel better soon.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Our internet broke tonight, so I got to finish chapter 3.

I found chapter 2 fascinating, and have been bringing it up all week. I said something to Lexx, and he said "Oh yeah! I read that!" Turns out at some stage I left the book in the loo, and he decided to give it a go lol

Chapter 3 - the thing I found amazing was the Inuit games that have developed from competing in igloos. That's amazing!! I love the footnotes.

[Sarah]

I have to admit that I have been skimming the footnotes a little which I know is bad.

[Sarah]

Lilisa wrote: "Sorry to hear Sarah - feel better soon."

Thanks Lilisa!

[Sarah]

I'm pleased you're still reading Rusalka!

[Peggy]

It's almost the end of the month and only 2 people have reported so far. Don't forget!

[Kristie, Moderator]

I never did get around to this one. I was hoping I'd be able to get to it the end of the month, but no such luck.

[Peggy]

Also, no worries if you won't finish in time. It's discussion that counts, so as long as you discussed in this thread and write a bit in the reporting thread about what you think about the book so far, you'll get a badge.