Sweet potatoes contain an oxidase enzyme that easily produces a large amount of carbon dioxide gas in the human gastrointestinal tract. Eating too many sweet potatoes 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 "heartburn."
The stomach contracts more strongly due to the stimulation from the acid. At this time, the cardiac sphincter muscle at the junction of the stomach and esophagus relaxes, allowing the stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus, causing a person to regurgitate sour fluid. An excess of sugar that the body cannot absorb at once will ferment in the intestines, also causing stomach discomfort.
Therefore, the currently popular health practice of eating sweet potatoes is not suitable for everyone. If you experience diarrhea after eating them, it's best not to force it. Eating brown rice can have the same health benefits.
Sweet potatoes are low in calories and quite filling, making them a good weight-loss food whether consumed as a staple or a side dish.
Liu, an elderly gentleman who loves whole grains, told reporters that a few days ago, he ate several sweet potatoes at dinner and then, less than half an hour later, ate a persimmon. That evening, while watching TV, his stomach started to hurt.
Sweet potatoes should not be eaten with persimmons.
According to Mr. Gao, an expert from the Chinese Nutrition Association, sweet potatoes and persimmons should not be consumed in a short period. If large quantities are eaten, they should be separated by at least five hours.
If eaten together, the sugar in sweet potatoes ferments in the stomach, increasing gastric acid secretion. This reacts with the tannins and pectin in persimmons, causing a precipitate to form and harden. In severe cases with large amounts, this can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding or a stomach ulcer.
If you feel discomfort in your stomach, be sure to go to the hospital for a gastroscopy to check for gastric bleeding or a stomach ulcer.
When should you eat sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes lack protein and lipids, so they should be eaten with vegetables, fruits, and protein-rich foods to avoid nutritional imbalance. Most importantly, it's best to eat sweet potatoes during the golden mealtime: lunch.
This is because the calcium in sweet potatoes requires 4 to 5 hours for absorption in the body. The sunlight exposure in the afternoon can then promote calcium absorption.
In this way, eating sweet potatoes at lunch allows the calcium to be fully absorbed before dinner, without affecting the absorption of calcium from other foods consumed at dinner. (Source: 39 Health Community)