Fried foods, chocolate, ice cream, creamy mashed potatoes... these widely loved delicacies are not actually suitable for everyone. If you have a sensitive digestive system, it's recommended to check out the latest list from the US MSN website on the top 10 hardest-to-digest foods and how to eat them.
Fried Foods
Fried foods like chicken nuggets and french fries are inevitably high in oil and fat, and these substances can accumulate in the stomach, causing illness. Oil produces a substance called "acrylamide" at high temperatures, which is difficult to digest.
Tara Gidus, a nutritionist in Orlando, Florida, says: "If you already suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, it's especially important to eat less greasy, high-fat fried food, as it can cause discomfort such as nausea and diarrhea."
Solution: To satisfy your cravings, you can get a delicious taste without frying. For a crunchy experience, eating salty chips isn't healthy, but you can find other ways to prepare potato slices, such as baking instead of frying, or choose low-fat or fat-free foods like crisp crackers or hollow popcorn.
Spicy Foods
Red chili peppers or jalapenos can irritate the inner lining of the esophagus, causing an unpleasant burning sensation after eating and increasing the burden on the stomach.
Even if you add sour cream to cool it down, you still get the same irritation. Moreover, adding things like sour cream can lead to other side effects.
Solution: For those with a weak digestive system or a "heaty" body, if you really can't resist the temptation of spicy food, you might opt for milder spicy foods and eat fewer green and red chili peppers.
Chocolate
Consuming large amounts of chocolate not only brings excess calories, but also those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease have experienced the unpleasant irritation after eating chocolate. This is because chocolate can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, causing stomach acid to flow back and irritate the esophagus and throat.
Solution: When choosing chocolate, it's best to go for dark chocolate. This is because dark chocolate contains various beneficial minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and copper, and among all types of chocolate, it has the lowest sugar and fat content.
In addition, dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis. But even good things shouldn't be overindulged in; you should eat at most two small pieces a day.
Citrus Juice
Acidic drinks can irritate the esophagus, stimulating sensory nerves and causing the irritated area to become red and swollen.
If your first thing in the morning is to drink a large glass of citrus juice, you will increase the acidity in your stomach. If you're drinking sweet lemonade with a high concentration of fructose at this time, you should be even more careful, as excessive sugar intake can cause diarrhea.
Solution: Citrus juice is rich in vitamin C and suitable for regular consumption. You don't have to worry about irritating your esophagus as long as you choose the right time to drink it. The best time to drink citrus juice or other acidic fruit juices is with a meal or between meals.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are a low-calorie, high-protein food rich in various vitamins and trace elements, known as an ideal diet food. It seems nothing is more popular than a bowl of mashed potatoes. This is why when it comes to so-called "convenient foods," mashed potatoes is always at the top of the list. But mashed potatoes with cream or cheese are not as good as they seem. In the United States, 30 to 50 million people are lactose intolerant, and if you are one of them, you should not enjoy creamy mashed potatoes. This is because the milk, cream, or cheese added to the mashed potatoes can make your stomach very uncomfortable.
Solution: It's best not to buy takeout mashed potatoes. At home, you can easily make plain mashed potatoes with fresh potatoes, steamed or boiled without any seasonings.
Raw Onions
Onions, garlic, and chives are full of various nutrients and are very beneficial to health, such as protecting the heart, but they can also cause digestive discomfort like bloating and abdominal cramps. However, cooking seems to neutralize the nutrient compounds that cause this discomfort.
Solution: American nutrition expert Mary Ryan suggests using a mix of raw and cooked methods when eating these foods. This way, you can reap the health benefits without suffering the negative effects.
Ice Cream
There's no quick way to know if you're lactose intolerant; you'll only find out after you sit down and eat a big bowl of ice cream. When you experience bloating, abdominal cramps, and gas, these physical reactions are telling you to stay away from these dairy-rich foods.
Excessive consumption of cold foods like ice cream, popsicles, and iced beverages can affect the normal function of the digestive system, making food difficult to digest and easily damaging the spleen and stomach. While they are delicious to eat, they can later lead to a loss of appetite and stimulate the spleen and stomach, creating a vicious cycle of bloating and abdominal pain.
Solution: If you don't want to give up cool frozen foods, the only solution is to switch to lactose-free frozen foods, such as pastes made from beans or rice flour.
However, even if you're not lactose intolerant, ice cream contains a lot of fat, and fat stays in the stomach longer than other foods. Therefore, it's best to eat cold and raw foods in moderation or not at all.
Broccoli and Cabbage
Broccoli and cabbage are both outstanding members of the cruciferous vegetable family. They are not only rich in vitamins and dietary fiber but also have anti-cancer and anti-aging effects. However, even though they are rich in fiber and various nutrients, you can't completely trust that these vegetables are healthy for everyone. High-fiber vegetables can help expand your stomach capacity and easily lead to a buildup of excess gas in the digestive system.
Solution: The solution is simple. Just blanch them in hot water before eating to soften them, which will neutralize the sulfur compounds that produce gas. These two vegetables are best suited for cold salads and stir-frying.
Beans
Beans are notorious for causing indigestion. The oligosaccharides in beans, such as stachyose and raffinose, are fermented by intestinal bacteria, producing gas that can lead to symptoms like belching, rumbling, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Patients with severe peptic ulcers should not consume bean products because they are high in purines, which can promote gastric juice secretion. Patients with acute gastritis and chronic superficial gastritis should also avoid bean products to prevent stimulating gastric acid secretion and causing gastrointestinal bloating.
Solution: Cooking beans in soup form can aid in digestion. The added water helps to digest the large amount of fiber in beans, or you can simply cook them for a longer time. Additionally, gradually introduce bean products into your diet. This will slowly increase the enzymes needed to digest beans without causing side effects.