How to Increase Protein Digestion and Absorption

For starters, digestion and absorption are not interchangeable, but they’re also not completely separate. They’re two steps of the same process.

First, you digest. Then, you absorb.

Let’s take this step by step so you have a clear idea of exactly what’s happening from the time you put, let’s say, a handful of protein-rich almonds in your mouth until the amino acids from said protein have been absorbed into your bloodstream:

• After chewing and swallowing your food, it moves through your esophagus and into your stomach. Think of this like making a smoothie—you start with a few handfuls of your favorite frozen fruit and toss them into a blender.
• Your stomach is a highly acidic environment, perfect for digestion. Once the food arrives here, your body activates a protein-specific enzyme to break it down into peptides, or small chains of amino acids. The enzymes are responsible for this process but they don’t work without hydrochloric (or stomach) acid.
• Imagine you turn on the blender full of mostly frozen fruit. The blades partially chop up the fruit, but at this rate, the smoothie would be way too thick and practically undrinkable. So, you pour a splash of juice into the blender. Much like the stomach acid activating the enzymes, this better allows the blender to break up your food.
• Before your acidic stomach contents can continue through your digestive system into the small intestine, the pancreas releases a bicarbonate buffer to neutralize the high acid content and more enzymes to break down the peptides. Here, you add a scoop of yogurt to cut the acidity and create a smoother texture. But you also notice that the texture still looks too thick, so you can add another splash of juice and turn the blender up to the highest speed to fully break everything down.
• By the time that original handful of almonds reaches your small intestine, it’s nothing more than individual amino acids, dipeptides, and tripeptides that are all ready to be absorbed. Now that your smoothie has been properly blended and the once-frozen fruit chunks have been broken down, you can pour it into a cup and easily suck it up through a straw. Without first blending, you’d never be able to fit the contents through something that small—similarly, your body can’t absorb protein without first digesting it.
• Finally, the absorbed amino acids—originally protein—are released into and travel through the bloodstream, allowing them to reach the cells in tissues that need repairing and muscles that need building. To bring this entire metaphor full circle, this step in the process is when the nutritious smoothie reaches your stomach, only to be digested and absorbed itself.

So if my body is meant to digest and absorb the nutrients from protein, why isn’t it doing what it’s supposed to?

Well, is your blender plugged in? Are you using the right ratio of frozen fruit to juice? Have you set your blender to the right mode and intensity?

Okay, so your body’s not a blender and your stomach contents aren’t a smoothie, but there are several steps along the way where things might be slightly out of order, just like when you’re whipping up your fruit juice in the morning. It’s important to troubleshoot and identify where you—or your body—might be going wrong so that you can find the right solution.

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