In digesting food, the large intestine is the end of the line. It exists to absorb any water that remains in food matter that was not digested. It stores it and then eliminates it from the body. This organ is just below the right waist and has two parts: the cecum and the colon. It's about 4½ to 5 feet long, much shorter than the small intestine. However, it's much larger in diameter than the small intestine.

It takes from 12 to 25 hours to do its work of completing the digestive process. It does not break the food down. What hasn't already been done doesn't get done. It does absorb vitamins that bacteria in the colon create. What's most important is the absorption of water and the compacting of the feces so it may be eliminated.

The appendix is attached to the back of the large intestine at about the middle. This organ plays an important role in immunity with its lymphoid tissue. A blockage may occur in this appendage, which is the cause of what we know as appendicitis. The appendix can be removed without damage to the large intestine.

Over 700 kinds of bacteria live in the colon and they have much work to do. These bacteria help convert undigested fiber to fatty acids, for instance. At the same time, some of the bacteria help to neutralize the acid that results from this conversion. The bacteria also account for the production of Vitamin K and Biotin to be absorbed into the blood, not a significant amount but meaningful if vitamin intake is low. These are only a few of the important functions of the bacteria and the large intestine. Taken all together, our good health is dependent on the good health of the large intestine.

The most dreaded disease of the large intestine is colon cancer. Approximately 112,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Colon cancer usually begins as small, benign masses of cells called adenomatous polyps. When a polyp becomes malignant, it is cancer of the colon. There are things you can do to reduce your risk of colon cancer. Diet has been directly linked to this disease, and this is something you can do something about. ( Consulting a health professional is essential).

Changing out much of the processed and cooked food you eat for living and raw foods can make a difference. For example, your diet should consist of much more uncooked fruit, uncooked vegetables, nuts. Living foods are those that have sprouted. In living foods, the enzyme content is higher. A good example of living foods are sprouts. Nuts are in a dormant state, but if they are soaked in water and begin to sprout, then they become living food full of enzymes.

Digestion needs enzymes, complex organic substances that exist only in living cells and use digestion to bring about chemical changes in organic substances. These are vital to digestion. Without them, food is not utilized as it should be, which results in toxicity. When these toxic substances make their way to the large intestine, the bacterial environment is thrown off-balance, and the large intestine is unable to do its job.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari