The 9 Hardest Foods to Digest
Fried foods, chocolate, ice cream, creamy mashed potatoes... these widely popular delicacies are not actually suitable for everyone. Below, we list 9 of the hardest foods to digest.
Fried Foods
Fried foods like chicken nuggets and french fries are inevitably high in oil and fat, and the buildup of these two substances in the stomach can cause illness. Oil produces a substance called "acrylamide" at high temperatures, which is difficult to digest. "If you already suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, it's especially important to eat less greasy, high-fat fried food, otherwise it may cause some uncomfortable symptoms, such as nausea and diarrhea," says Tara Gidus, a nutritionist in Orlando, Florida.
Solution: To satisfy your cravings, you can get a delicious feeling without giving up fried foods. For example, if you want a crunchy experience, eating salty potato chips is certainly unhealthy, but you can find other ways to prepare potato slices, such as baking instead of frying, or choosing low-fat or fat-free foods like crisp crackers or hollow popcorn.
Spicy Foods
Red chili peppers or jalapeno peppers 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 something like 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 sensitive stomach or a "heaty" body, if you really can't resist the temptation of spicy food, you might choose some mildly spicy foods and eat fewer green and red chili peppers.
Chocolate
Consuming large amounts of chocolate not only brings excess calories, but also for those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), they have experienced the uncomfortable stimulation that comes after eating chocolate. This is because chocolate causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, allowing 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 for the human body, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and copper. Among all types of chocolate, it has the lowest sugar and fat content. Additionally, dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis. However, even good things shouldn't be eaten in excess; a maximum of two small pieces per day is recommended.
Citrus Juice
Acidic drinks can irritate the esophagus, stimulating sensory nerves and causing the irritated 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 at this time you are drinking sweet lemonade with a high concentration of fructose, you should be even more careful, because excessive sugar intake can cause diarrhea.
Solution: Citrus juice is rich in vitamin C and is suitable for regular consumption. As long as you choose the right time to drink it, you don't have to worry about irritating your esophagus. The best time to drink citrus juice or other acidic juices is with a meal or between meals.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are low in calories, high in protein, and contain various vitamins and trace elements, making them 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 "convenience 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, there are 30 to 50 million people with lactose intolerance, and if you are one of them, creamy mashed potatoes are not for you. 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 use fresh potatoes to steam or boil a pure, unseasoned mashed potato.
Raw Onions
Onions, garlic, and chives are full of various nutrients that 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 nutrient compounds that cause this discomfort.
Solution: American nutrition expert Mary Ryan suggests that when eating these foods, you can use a mixed raw and cooked method. This way, you can reap the health benefits without suffering the negative effects.
Ice Cream
There is no quick way to determine if you are lactose intolerant; you only find out after sitting down to 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 foods like ice cream, popsicles, and iced drinks can affect the normal functioning of the digestive system, making food difficult to digest and easily damaging the spleen and stomach. While delicious at the time, it can later lead to a loss of appetite and create a vicious cycle of bloating, abdominal pain, and further irritation to the stomach and spleen.
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 those made from beans or rice flour. But even if you are 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 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. But even though they are rich in dietary fiber and various nutrients, you can't completely trust that these vegetables are healthy. This is because high-fiber vegetables can help expand your stomach capacity and easily lead to a buildup of excess gas in the intestines.
Solution: The solution is simple. Just blanch them in hot water before eating to soften them, which will deactivate the sulfur compounds that cause 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, which can produce gas, leading to symptoms like belching, rumbling, 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.