Are vegetables comprised primarily of carbs, proteins or fat?
I'm talking about the digestive system and I want to know what enzyme breaks down vegetables. Pepsin breaks down proteins which is like meat. Gastric lipase breaks down fats which is like cheese and amylase breaks down carbs which is like bread. Where do vegetables fit in?
Veges are mainly fiber, carbohydrate, limited protein, and very limited fat, but veges have high vitamin content, if cooked properly.
Thanks bobpursley :)
Yes that's true
nutrition is the mode taking food by an organisums and its utlisation by the body.
Vegetables primarily consist of carbohydrates, although they also contain small amounts of protein and fat. Carbohydrates in vegetables are mainly in the form of dietary fiber, which cannot be fully digested by the human body.
When it comes to the breakdown of vegetables in our digestive system, the process begins in the mouth with chewing and the release of saliva. Saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase, which starts breaking down the complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars like glucose.
Once swallowed, the partially digested vegetables enter the stomach, where digestive enzymes like pepsin and gastric lipase you mentioned primarily act on proteins and fats respectively. However, the amount of protein and fat in vegetables is typically low, so the action of these enzymes on the limited protein and fat content is minimal.
The majority of vegetable digestion and nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine. Here, the pancreas releases pancreatic amylase, an enzyme specialized in breaking down carbohydrates. Pancreatic amylase continues the process of breaking down complex sugars into smaller units, such as maltose and glucose, which can be absorbed by the body.
In summary, while vegetables contain small amounts of protein and fat, the main digestive process they undergo involves the breakdown of carbohydrates by salivary amylase in the mouth and pancreatic amylase in the small intestine.