How to eat hard-to-digest foods: chocolate, spicy, creamy mashed potatoes, etc.

118. How should you eat foods that are difficult to digest?

Chocolate, fried foods, creamy mashed potatoes, ice cream... these delicious treats are widely loved, but they are not suitable for everyone. If you have a sensitive stomach, then knowing how to properly consume these foods is something you need to pay attention to.

Fried foods like French fries and fried chicken nuggets are high in fat and oil, and these substances can accumulate in the stomach and cause illness. When oil is heated to high temperatures, it produces a substance called "acrylic acid," which the digestive system cannot digest and absorb. If you already have gastroenteritis or other similar conditions, you should eat less of these high-fat, oily fried foods to avoid discomfort such as diarrhea and nausea.

Actually, satisfying your cravings doesn't necessarily mean eating fried food. For example, if you want that crunchy treat, eating only salty potato chips is definitely not the way to go. You can find other ways to prepare potato chips, such as baking, or choose fat-free or low-fat options like hollow popcorn or crispy crackers. Here, we'll introduce some ways to eat some common, hard-to-digest foods.

chocolate

Consuming large amounts of chocolate not only leads to a high intake of fat, but can also cause significant discomfort for those already suffering from gastrointestinal issues. This is because chocolate can cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, allowing stomach acid to reflux and irritate the pharynx and esophagus.

When choosing a type of chocolate, dark chocolate is a good option. This is because dark chocolate contains many minerals beneficial to the human body, such as phosphorus, calcium, copper, iron, and magnesium. Among all types of chocolate, it has the lowest fat and sugar content. Furthermore, dark chocolate can help prevent atherosclerosis and lower blood pressure. However, even the best things should not be consumed in excess; no more than two pieces per day is recommended.

Spicy food

Jalapenos or red chili peppers can irritate the lining of the esophagus, causing an unpleasant heartburn sensation and significantly increasing the burden on the digestive system. Even if you try to cool it down by adding sour cream, the irritation will still be significant, and forcibly adding other foods may cause additional side effects.

For people who are prone to feeling hot or have poor digestion, if they really can't resist the temptation of spicy food, they can eat some mildly spicy food in moderation and eat less green and red chili peppers.

Creamy mashed potatoes

Potatoes are a high-protein, low-calorie food containing various trace elements and vitamins, making them a relatively ideal food for weight loss. Almost no food is more popular than a bowl of mashed potatoes. This is why mashed potatoes are always ranked first when people talk about weight-loss foods.

However, adding cheese or cream to mashed potatoes will significantly reduce its weight-loss benefits. In the United States, there are 30 to 50 million people who are lactose intolerant. If you belong to this group, you are even less suitable for enjoying creamy mashed potatoes. This is because the cheese, cream, or milk added to mashed potatoes can be too much for your stomach to handle.

Therefore, it's best not to buy takeout mashed potatoes. You can easily make your own pure, natural mashed potatoes at home by cooking or steaming fresh potatoes without adding any seasonings.

Citrus juice

Acidic beverages can be very irritating to the esophagus and can also stimulate sensory nerves, causing the irritated area to become red and swollen.

If the first thing you do after waking up in the morning is drink a large glass of citrus juice, the acidity in your stomach and intestines will increase. If you drink sweet lemon water, which contains a high concentration of fructose, you need to be even more careful, because excessive sugar intake often easily leads to diarrhea.

Citrus juice is rich in vitamin C and is suitable for regular consumption. The key is to choose the right time to drink it so as not to affect the esophagus and stomach. The best time to drink acidic fruit juices like citrus juice is with meals or between meals.

ice cream

One quick way to determine if you are lactose intolerant is to sit down and eat a large bowl of ice cream. If you experience gas, abdominal cramps, or bloating, it means you should avoid dairy-rich foods.

Consuming excessive amounts of cold foods such as iced drinks, popsicles, and ice cream can significantly impair the normal functioning of the digestive system, making food difficult to digest and absorb, and damaging the spleen and stomach. While these foods may taste delicious at the time, they can lead to decreased appetite over time and further irritate the spleen and stomach, creating a vicious cycle of abdominal pain and bloating.

If you don't want to completely give up refreshing frozen foods, the best solution is to switch to lactose-free frozen options, such as porridge made from rice flour or beans. However, even if you are not lactose intolerant, it's still best not to eat too much, as ice cream is high in fat, and fat stays in the stomach for a long time. Therefore, it's advisable to eat less raw, cold ice cream.

Cabbage and broccoli are both top choices among cruciferous vegetables, rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, and possess remarkable anti-aging and anti-cancer effects. However, even with their high nutritional value and fiber content, these vegetables are not entirely healthy. High-fiber vegetables can easily stretch the stomach, leading to gas buildup in the intestines. The solution is simple: blanch them in hot water before eating to soften them, thus neutralizing the gas-producing sulfur compounds.