Зміст
Sometimes after eating, we feel heavy and deprived of energy due to foods that are too difficult to digest and remain in the intestines for a long time. They can also cause various stomach problems such as flatulence, indigestion, belching or digestive discomfort. The only thing we dream about them is to lie down and wait out this time. Foods that are difficult to digest are also especially dangerous for people with intestinal diseases, incl. irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis. What foods block the intestines the longest, and how long does it take to digest them?
Hammer the intestine: Fast food
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that fast food is one of the hardest to digest, like burgers or fries. Cooked quickly, they provide a cheap and tasty alternative to a hearty meal, which unfortunately does not have a positive health impact. They are a lot of spenders, that is, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and at the same time they are high in calories. It can take up to 24 hours to digest them.
Hammer the intestine: Cream cakes
Cakes with butter, cream, cottage cheese and sugar are also a calorie bomb. These are all meringues, napoleon, tiramisu or syrniki. They are not digested too quickly, so they can remain in the stomach and intestines for up to 12 hours. In addition, the lactose in dairy products can cause gas, stomach pain and diarrhea. Instead of creamy cakes, you should choose more easily digestible desserts, for example, watermelon, which takes less than a quarter of an hour to digest.
Hammer the intestine: Pizza
Popular pizza is also one of the foods that linger in the intestines for a long time. In the version with cheese and tomato, it can be digested for up to six hours. It takes even longer for pizzas with a lot of toppings, such as meat or cheese. Just one or two Italian pizzas replace a decent dinner, and often we cannot resist the next portion.
Pork meat products Fatty meats and fried foods are also difficult to digest and are high in calories. These are mainly pork products, one of the most consumed types of meat in Poland. Ribs, bacon, bacon, pork neck, or sausages with fat and cholesterol can take up to eight hours to digest. So, it’s better to skip these foods or keep them to a minimum. Lean pork loin or lean ham is also a better choice – these pieces of pork are only 20 calories more than chicken breast. It should also be remembered that fried meat can irritate the stomach and cause even more digestive discomfort.
Hammer the intestine: Legumes
Pods such as beans, peas, soybeans, and chickpeas are a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals that provide many benefits to the body. However, they are not quickly digestible foods, they remain in the stomach for about 4–5 hours. All due to the content of oligosaccharides, that is, carbohydrates consisting of 2–10 molecules of simple sugars, incl. stachyose, raffinose and verbaxose. These compounds are digested by bacteria in the large intestine, but gases and gases are produced. Therefore, it is best not to combine legumes with other hard-to-digest foods. You can also soak them for 12 hours to soften them and minimize unwanted effects.
Hammer the intestine: Mushrooms
Although mushrooms are low in calories and high in water, they are not easily digested. Their cell walls contain chitin, a polysaccharide that is not digested by stomach acids. Therefore, fungi remain in the digestive system for a long time, even several hours. It is also worth stewing them in your own sauce, not in a sauce with cream or dressing, and add digestive herbs such as thyme, marjoram, rosemary or savory to them. A combination of mushrooms and meat, or even less alcohol, should also be avoided. In such cases, they are even more resistant to digestion.
Hammer the intestine: Nuts
Nuts are a very healthy snack, they contain essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. They have an excellent effect on the circulatory and nervous systems, lower blood pressure and maintain concentration. However, if consumed excessively, they can cause gas, upset stomach, and stomach pain. All thanks to the phytates and tannins present in them, which are very difficult to digest. So be moderate and eat a few nuts a day. It is also recommended soaking them before eating to make them more digestible.
