The narrative describes a young boy and his 'dig-buddies', which represent his digestive system, and how they work together to keep him healthy. When he begins to eat fast food excessively, the dig-buddies struggle to digest the excess carbohydrates and fats, leading to health issues and fatigue. Ultimately, the boy realizes the importance of balanced nutrition and exercise, making lifestyle changes that restore the health of his dig-buddies and himself.

1. The Dig-Buddies
The working of the digestive system
Richa Jain Jindal – 27.1.2015

2. Once upon a time, there was a small boy, who lived
in a small town, away from the hustle bustle of big
city. He was a happy boy.
Do you know,
why he was
happy?
Because he had
happy friends!
Happy secret
friends! These
were parts of
his digestive
system. He
called them
dig-buddies.

3. The dig-buddies helped each other, worked
together and were always active. The boy
unknowingly took good care of them, by eating
healthy food, i.e. eating proteins, carbohydrates,
fats, vitamins and minerals in the right proportion,
and being physically active.

4. These secret friends did the difficult job of
breaking down the food he ate. The blood then
absorbed nutrients from the processed food and
circulated these nutrients to the whole body and
thus kept the boy healthy and active.
(Related video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnzwbipJuAA)

5. As soon the boy ate something, different parts of
mouth would get active. Teeth would cut and chop
the food. The tongue, with the help of saliva, would
roll it into a ball and push down to the oesophagus,
the food pipe.

6. The food pipe would carry
food to the stomach.

7. The stomach would
churn the food and
add digestive juices to
it. These juices would
clean the food-mash
by killing germs and
also break down food
even in smaller parts.

8. Then the food-mash
would reach small
intestine.

9. Small instestine, with
the help of its two
friends – Liver and
Pancreas, would break
it down even further.
The liver would supply
bile for digestion and
pancreas, the
digestive juices.

10. Small intestine would then let blood absorb
the nutrients from the alomost liquified
food and send waste to the large intestine.
Blood would carry nutirents to all the body
parts.

11. Large intestine would
sieve water out of its
sides to the body. The
left behind food would
move to the rectum to
be taken out of the
body.

12. The dig-buddies and the other body-parts
were happy, energetic and growing day by
day and so was the boy.

14. On one fine day, the boy saw a new eating joint in
his small quiet town. It was a fast food restaurant.
He went inside and saw yummy, attractive items on
the menu card. He ordered a burger and starting
eating it. The tongue said ‘ Ummmmm!’
‘Yummmmmyyyy!’
thought the boy.

15. As soon as the food got into his mouth, the body-
buddies got active and performed their respective
tasks diligently, as usual. The food contained some
amount of protein and an excess of carbohydrates
and fat. The body received some protein and a lot
of carbohydrates and fats. The boy liked the taste
of this newly found food, so he stared eating it
regularly.
There was now an excess supply of carbohydrates
and fats. The dig-buddies had to work really hard
to break down fat and carbs. These are the most
stubborn members of the nutrient-family and
difficult to digest.

16. Now, as there was an excess supply of
carbohydrates and fat, so the question came up,
where to store them? The body started storing it
underneath the skin, as there was no other place
to store them.

17. The liver was tired of making and sending bile to
small instestine as the digestive juices only from
pancreas were not enough to breakdown tough
food into smaller pieces.

18. The continuous more than needed supply of fats
and carbs made the dig-buddies tired. They
were working harder and harder, but in return
they got excess fat to be deposited and
insufficient proteins, minerals and vitamins.

19. The boy grew fatter that made
him less active. The boy was
no longer active and energetic.
He didn’t like his new body.
He thought of checking with
the dig-buddies, if every thing
was ok? He peeped inside. The
dig buddies looked dull and
weak. He shouted, ‘Hey friends!
What’s wrong?’

20. ‘Give us energy!’ replied the gang. The boy was
surprised. ‘But I am eating regularly, that too
yummy food’ said the boy.
‘It may be yummy for the tongue!’ said the gang. ‘
But for us its hard to digest and imbalanced. We
don’t get enough energy from what you eat.’
The boy was stunned. He
looked at the heart. The heart
was also panting. He gathered
courage to ask the heart. ‘Hey
heart! You don’t have to digest
anything, why do you look
exhausted’ asked the boy.

21. ‘I don’t digest, my friend, but extra fat deposited
in the body is the cause of my miserable condition.
Because of the excess fat, I have to work harder
to pump the blood all over the body’ said the
panting heart.
‘O dear dig-buddies and my lovely
heart! Please show me a way to
come out of this situation. I can’t
see my friends in trouble’ said the
repenting boy.

22. ‘Run, jump, exercise! Use the deposited fat and
give us balanced nutrients from now on and we all
will be fine’ replied the gang with enthusiasm.
After that the boy
exercised regularly
and did visit the fast
food restaurant, but
only once or twice in a
month.
Then lived the boy, his
heart and the dig-
buddies happily ever
after.