There is fibre in the plant food.But the fibre cannot be digested.Then how can it be digested in the herbivores?
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Ruminants, such as cows, have a stomach with several compartments. Cows, like all herbivores, eat grasses and other plant material. Plants contain cellulose, which is very hard to digest (even for an herbivore). ... They “chew their cud” to help break down the cellulose even further.
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Dietary fiber is similar to a piece of metal or plastic, when it comes to being digested - it just passes thru the digestive track.
Dietary fiber is made of cellulose, and provides “inert mass” to the food while it is moving down the digestive track. However, the enzymes and acid present in our digestive system does not impact the breakdown of complex cellulosic fiber. Think of it as a cotton ball that traverses through your digestive track, sweeping out and removing any detritus that remains stuck to the walls or inaccessible places in your intestines.
So, dietary fiber plays a key role in keeping you healthy, but it does not get broken down by the digestive juices and enzymes.
Farm animals (herbivores in general) have a much more elaborate and complicated digestive process, and they maintain a more diverse microbiome (bacteria in the digestive track) as compared to humans. They have bacteria in their gut that are capable of feeding on cellulose and breaking it down into smaller units that are more easily digested. Therefore, herbivores and omnivores have the capability to digest complex cellulose substrates (e.g. grass and leaves) whereas humans do not
Dietary fiber is made of cellulose, and provides “inert mass” to the food while it is moving down the digestive track. However, the enzymes and acid present in our digestive system does not impact the breakdown of complex cellulosic fiber. Think of it as a cotton ball that traverses through your digestive track, sweeping out and removing any detritus that remains stuck to the walls or inaccessible places in your intestines.
So, dietary fiber plays a key role in keeping you healthy, but it does not get broken down by the digestive juices and enzymes.
Farm animals (herbivores in general) have a much more elaborate and complicated digestive process, and they maintain a more diverse microbiome (bacteria in the digestive track) as compared to humans. They have bacteria in their gut that are capable of feeding on cellulose and breaking it down into smaller units that are more easily digested. Therefore, herbivores and omnivores have the capability to digest complex cellulose substrates (e.g. grass and leaves) whereas humans do not
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