Sweet potatoes contain an oxidase enzyme, which can easily produce large amounts of carbon dioxide gas in the human gastrointestinal tract. If you eat too many sweet potatoes, it can cause bloating, belching, and flatulence. Sweet potatoes are high in sugar, and eating too many can produce a large amount of stomach acid, making people feel a "burning sensation" in their chest.
When the stomach is stimulated by acid, its contractions are strengthened. At this time, the cardiac sphincter muscle at the junction of the stomach and the esophagus relaxes, and the stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing a person to regurgitate sour fluid. When there is too much sugar, the body cannot absorb it all at once, and the remainder ferments in the intestines, which can also cause abdominal discomfort.
Therefore, the current popular health trend of eating sweet potatoes is not suitable for everyone. If you experience symptoms of diarrhea after eating them, you should not force yourself. Eating brown rice can have the same health benefits.
1. Sweet potatoes should not be eaten with persimmons
According to experts from the Chinese Nutrition Society, sweet potatoes and persimmons should not be consumed at the same time within a short period. If large quantities are eaten, they should be separated by at least five hours. If consumed together, the sugar in sweet potatoes ferments in the stomach, increasing stomach acid secretion. This reacts with the tannins and pectin in persimmons, causing a precipitate to form and harden. In large quantities, this can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding or a stomach ulcer. If you feel discomfort in your stomach, you must go to the hospital for a gastroscopy to check for gastric bleeding or a stomach ulcer.
2. Sweet potatoes should not be eaten with sweets
Sweet potatoes are high in sugar. Eating them on an empty stomach can produce a large amount of stomach acid. When there is too much stomach acid, it can irritate the gastric mucosa and cause acid reflux, giving people a burning sensation. Sweet potatoes also contain an oxidase enzyme that produces a large amount of carbon dioxide gas in the gastrointestinal tract, easily causing symptoms like bloating and belching.
3. Do not eat the skin of sweet potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes should not be eaten with the skin on. This is because sweet potatoes contaminated with black spot disease are difficult to identify after being baked. Therefore, sweet potatoes with black spots or those that are scorched should not be eaten, as they may cause poisoning. Moreover, sweet potatoes sold on the street are baked with coal. When coal burns, it produces harmful substances such as sulfur dioxide, and eating too much of these street-baked sweet potatoes is detrimental to your health.
4. People with conditions such as stomach ulcers and bloating should especially avoid eating sweet potatoes
The sugar in sweet potatoes produces a large amount of stomach acid in the stomach, increasing intra-abdominal pressure. For people with a sensitive stomach, this can irritate ulcers or the gastric mucosa, leading to discomfort. Furthermore, sweet potatoes cannot be eaten with very sweet things because sweet potatoes are sweet themselves. Eating them with other sweets can increase the likelihood of gastroesophageal reflux.