Foods Tough to Digest

Some food tastes good but if consumed above the limit adds calories and at the same time also they become tough to digest. There are particular foods   that are calorie crazy and they are tough to handle by the digestive system.

Sometimes even good food becomes troublesome for people with gastrointestinal problems.

The foods below are rated to be the most tough to digest foods: Chicken nuggets, spicy foods, chocolate, citrus juice, mashed potatoes, raw onions, ice cream, broccoli are among them.

Chicken Nuggets:

Whenever something is dipped in batter and fried deeply it becomes a substance that is hard on the gut. The foods that are fried like this are greasy and the fat content in them is increased. This is a trouble for the digestive system. It becomes even more a serious issue if you already suffer from inflammatory disease. Greasy foods are very problematic and cause nausea and diarrhea. To avoid all this, the chicken can be baked instead of frying it so deeply with batter. It is advisable to avoid greasy snacks like potato chips also.  To get the salty crunchy sensation you can add something taking into consideration that it does not result in any sort of indigestion.

Spicy Food:

Many of us like spicy food. Pepper is an important ingredient which makes the food very spicy. Hot pepper like cayenne and jalapeno add a wonderful spicy kick to the food. At the same time they also cause irritation of the esophagus on the way down when they are taken. As a result it leads to an unpleasant heart burn like feeling after consuming the spicy food.  Though the heart burn can be temporarily reduced by taking sour cream or something like that, the spicy food still creates the same amount of irritation. It is better to opt for milder varieties of spicy foods than to mask the spicy foods with high- fat cream. This helps in easy digestion.

image by Tom Robbrecht

Chocolate:

Many of the children have a craze for eating more chocolates. It is a bitter truth that this chocolate causes many unfortunate consequences. This rich delicacy does not lead to problem if consumed at a smaller rate. When over eaten, chocolates become a problem to digestion. Taking one toffee at a time is fine but not two or three. Anyone suffering from gastro esophageal reflux disease is bound to experience digestion problem no matter even if they consume small portion of chocolate. This is because of the fact that chocolate causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax thus allowing the stomach acid to come back up.  Also chocolates have a diuretic effect and worsen dehydration in case if it results in diarrhea.

image by wikipedia

Citrus Juices:

These citrus juices are acidic drinks and cause irritation of esophagus thereby stimulating the sensory nerves. This makes the nerves to feel more inflamed. It might create acid reflux feel but in reality it is just irritation. In fact the extra acid of the drink can cause other problems in the stomach. In case if the person has not eaten for hours, the gut is already full of acid and intake of more acidic drinks can cause stomach ache. Drinking lemonade that is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup you can observe that huge influx of sugar is often a cause of diarrhea. Taking large amount of citrus juices also result in dehydration.

image by wikipedia

Mashed Potatoes:

There can be no one except very few people who have an aversion towards eating potatoes. They usually top the list of ‘comfort foods’ as they are easy to prepare and give a very good taste.  Potatoes are the favorite dish of all especially children. In case if a person is lactose intolerant he or she cannot find potatoes as comfort food. Since the mashed potatoes are loaded with milk or even very heavy cream they become a problem to digestion for such persons. It is always better to consume mashed potatoes that are prepared at home using lactose free whole milk to safeguard yourself from the problems of indigestion.

image by Cheri Neufeld

Raw Onion:

Raw Onions and other items including garlic, leeks and shallots contain a variety of phytonutrient components.  Most of the people include them in all food they make. Raw onions are made use in preparing salad. The components present in raw onions and garlic very often seem to offer healthy and heart protective benefits. At the same time these components also cause stomach distress. The problem causing compounds can be de activated by cooking but it also deactivates the good stuff also. Therefore it is good to use a mixture of  cooked and raw onions by which the benefits can be enjoyed without suffering the consequences.

image by Photage50

Ice cream:

It is quiet surprising to see that ice cream is included in this list of tough foods to digest. You can quickly determine if you are lactose intolerant if you sit with a big bowl of ice cream.  The symptoms would be bloating, cramping and gastric problems. This is a warning from your digestive system to stay away from the diary products as much as possible. In such cases the alternative can be switching to lactose free frozen treats. It can be something made from soy or rice milk. Though you are not lactose intolerant eating a lot of ice cream will give you some stomach trouble. This is because ice cream contains fat and fat lingers in the stomach longer than the other foods before getting digested. Too much of fat can lead to steatorrhea which is a painful condition. It also increases peristaltic activity which in turn leads to more bowel movements.

image by wikipedia

Broccoli and raw cabbage:

The vegetables are fiber and nutrient rich and are incredibly healthy. There is no doubt about it but they are also well known for causing gas build up in the stomach.

Cooking them will deactivate the sulfur that causes gas problems. Even blanching them slightly will help in preventing indigestion. Raw fruits and vegetables act as a stimulant in the digestive system. As a result it causes even a narrow opening to become blocked.