Is it possible that there are some bodies who do not adequately digest certain foods because of a lack of certain chemicals or enzymes?  Am I trying to make up excuses?

There are at least 5 separate steps that have been identified in our body to assist in the digestion or breakdown of food. It starts in the mouth with chewing. Inadequate chewing may make the food too large for the rest of the steps to properly break it down. The mouth also has saliva which has amylase in it to start breaking down the carbohydrates.

Next, the stomach produces gastric juices to break down the protein. If gastric juices are deficient, proteins will not break down and cannot be absorbed.

Upon exiting the stomach, the first part of the duodenum receives fluid from two organs. The bile from the gall bladder surrounds the fat globules, making it easier for the lipase (fat enzymes) to break down fat.

Secretions from the pancreas neutralize the acid from the stomach and have more enzymes to break down carbohydrates and fat. The food particles are broken down enough that the final step of digestion takes place at the wall of the small intestine, with another set of enzymes designed to perform the final breakdown steps.

The protein is now in the amino acid step, the carbohydrates are glucose, and the fat is broken down so it can be absorbed and released into the blood stream. When any of these steps are missing, food will not be broken down properly, food will not be absorbed, and undigested food entering the colon will permit those organisms to have a party and will produce bloating and smelly stools and gas.

So, I don’t think you are imagining any of this.  There are many factors involved in our inability to lose weight, and in our becoming ill.  I’ll cover this topic in much greater detail in the upcoming Ease on Down Weight Balance program, which will launch in a couple of weeks.  To get on the list for receiving information about this program, please enter your name and email in the weight balance survey at this link: stangardnermd.com/balancedweight. You do not need to fill out the survey to be entered on the list.