Fried foods, chocolate, ice cream, creamy mashed potatoes... these delicious foods loved by the masses are not actually suitable for everyone. Here are the nine most common foods that can easily cause stomach problems:
1. 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 dietary fiber and various nutrients, these vegetables cannot be completely trusted as healthy. Because high-fiber vegetables can help expand your stomach capacity, easily leading to an accumulation of excess gas in the digestive tract.
2. Chocolate
Consuming large amounts of chocolate not only brings excess calories, but people suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have experienced the uncomfortable stimulation after eating chocolate. This is because chocolate can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, causing stomach acid to reflux and irritate the esophagus and throat.
3. Citrus Juice
Acidic drinks can irritate the esophagus, stimulating sensory nerves and causing the affected area to become red and swollen.
If the first thing you do in the morning is drink a large glass of citrus juice, you will increase the acidity in your stomach and intestines. If you are drinking sweet lemonade with a high concentration of fructose at this time, you should be even more careful, because excessive sugar intake can cause diarrhea.
4. Beans
Beans are notorious for causing indigestion. The oligosaccharides in beans, such as stachyose and raffinose, are fermented by intestinal bacteria, which can produce gas and lead to symptoms like belching, borborygmus, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Patients with severe peptic ulcers should not eat 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.
5. 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 gastrointestinal discomfort, such as gas and abdominal cramps. However, cooking seems to neutralize the compounds that cause this discomfort.
6. Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are a low-calorie, high-protein food rich in various vitamins and trace elements, known as an ideal food for weight loss. It seems nothing is more popular than a bowl of mashed potatoes. This is why mashed potatoes are always listed as a top "convenient food."
Mashed potatoes with cream or cheese, however, are not as good as they seem. In the United States, there are 30 to 50 million people who are lactose intolerant. If you are one of them, creamy mashed potatoes are not for you. This is because the milk, cream, or cheese added to mashed potatoes can make your stomach very uncomfortable.
7. Ice Cream
There is no quick way to determine if you are lactose intolerant; you'll only know after you sit down and eat a large 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.
Eating too many cold raw 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. Although they are delicious at the time, they can later lead to a decreased appetite and create a vicious cycle of stimulating the spleen and stomach, causing bloating and abdominal pain.
8. Fried Foods
Fried foods like fried chicken nuggets and french fries are inevitably high in oil and fat, and the accumulation of these two substances in the stomach can cause illness. Oil produces a substance called "acrylamide" at high temperatures, which is difficult to digest.
Tara Gidus, a nutritionist for the official Viagra direct sales website in Orlando, Florida, says: "If you already suffer from diseases like gastroenteritis, you should be especially careful to eat less oily and high-fat fried foods, otherwise it may cause some uncomfortable symptoms, such as nausea and diarrhea."
9. Spicy Foods
Red chili peppers or jalapeños can irritate the inner lining of the esophagus, causing a bothersome heartburn sensation after eating and increasing the burden on the stomach. Even if you try to cool it down with sour cream, you'll get the same irritation. Moreover, adding things like sour cream can lead to other side effects.