Here are our 5 top easy to digest foods, and a few you should avoid if you’re having digestion problems. Learn more about easy to digest foods with MyVybe.
We have all suffered from illness from time to time, and with that struggled to keep food down, or have lost our appetite for foods altogether. But food is vital for our bodies to work in the wonderful ways that it does. So, if you are struggling with your digestion, or are suffering from bloating, heartburn or any other food related discomfort then you have arrived at the right place! In this article we will be talking about easy to digest foods, as well as the ones you should steer clear of, if you’re having digestive issues. So, carry on reading to find out more.
Foods that are low in fibre are considered easy to digest foods. Fibre, albeit a health part of any diet, found in fruits, grains and vegetables isn’t actually digested into the body. The fibre passes through the large intestine, undigested, and can therefore cause issues, such as, trapped wind, bloating and constipation.
You should try and aim for the recommended daily intake of 30g of fibre a day. For healthy bowel movement, you can get fibre from a number of sources:
Be aware that with some cereals and grains you may suffer from bloating, if this is causing you issues, you can get your fibre from other sources.
Now that we have had a short introduction into digestion and how to look after it, lets get into the top 5 easy to digest foods, so you can get started on that shopping list!
This may seem like a random choice, and of course it is seasonal, but the watermelon fruit is mostly made up of water. They do a great job of hydrating the body, especially if you are suffering from diarrhoea issues, and due to the fruit’s low fibre content, the fruits vitamins just get absorbed, which leaves very little for the large intestine to digest.
Proteins are a valued category of every diet, but when it comes to choosing easy to digest foods in the protein category, you will want to go for ones that are lean and low-fat. Make sure that when you are preparing your protein choice, that it is done so with as minimal fat as possible. White meats, such as chicken or turkey, tend to be a healthier choice over red meats, such as lamb, beef or pork.
When eating your sweet potatoes, ditch the skins. Sweet potatoes are more nutritional and tastier than most other easy to digest vegetables. Just bake them as normal, and try not to add any fatty substances to your piping hot potato.
This may seem controversial as a banana has up to 3.1 grams of fibre making up its nutritional content, but bananas are full of other great vitamins too, such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium, to name a few.
Make sure your banana is as brown as possible, sometimes seen as the end of their shelf life, but the riper the better. Greener, under-ripe bananas have more resistant against starches, which are hard to digest and feed the bacteria in your gut. However, when your banana is nice and brown, this resistance to starches turns to sugars, which are great for the gut.
Eggs, especially hard boiled, are great easy to digest foods. This is because to make a hard boiled egg, all you need is water to cook it. Whereas with other egg making preparations, you need oils, milk or even sometimes butter to get your finished piece.
If you feel as though you are having a tough time digesting, and the above foods aren’t working for you, then you should seek advice from a medical professional. Of course, on top of eating all these great food sources, you should remain as hydrated as possible, to ensure best possible digestion and body function.
That’s the end of our guide on easy to digest foods. Of course, there are plenty more out there and looking after you gut isn’t just about minding the food you eat, if you want to learn more about foods and what they cause, why not read our article on foods that cause heartburn?.
Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/good-foods-to-help-your-digestion/
https://www.healthline.com/health/easy-to-digest-foods#takeaway
