Swollen with a heavy stomach? Food that helps relieve digestion

Sif you need lighter meals that do not leave you with a feeling of heart attack and ‘heavy stomach’, then you should start betting on easily digestible foods. 

The Health website highlights five groups, poor in fiber and fat, and therefore easier to digest.

1. White flour products

Although refined flour – white – is unadvised for a healthier diet, these options are usually indicated in case of digestive problems. 

Fibre-rich foods, such as whole grains, can increase the amount of undigested foods that pass through the digestive system and accelerate intestinal motility, making them more harmful than beneficial if you have symptoms such as abdominal swelling and diarrhea.

Temporarily opting for these low-fiber foods can give your intestines a rest when you have some digestive discomfort.

2. Hulled fruit, preserved or cooked

Fresh fruits rich in fiber, especially peels and seeds, can be difficult to digest.

Most of the fruit's dietary fiber is found in the peels and seeds. For example, raspberries are among the fruits with the highest fiber content due to their large seeds.

If you have digestive symptoms such as nausea or diarrhoea, it may be useful to choose fruits with low fiber content, such as mature bananas or melon. Removing the peel of fruit such as apples and pears is also recommended when you have digestive problems.

3. Boiled vegetables

Raw vegetables, as well as fresh fruit, are harder to digest than cooked vegetables.

The cell walls of the plants soften when the vegetables are cooked. Its components (such as starch) become more accessible to body digestive enzymes.

Vegetables easily digested when well cooked: 

– Pumpkin; 
– Spinach;
– Potatoes;
– Beetroot; 
- Carrots.

4. Soft proteins

Although animal protein does not contain fiber, it may be harder to digest if it is harder, fibrous and fat-rich.

Choose soft and easy to chew proteins with low or moderate fat content. Examples include scrambled eggs and lean minced meat.

5. Soups, smoothies and mashed potatoes

The way food is prepared can affect your digestibility. 

Although texture modification strategies, such as the use of blenders, do not alter the fiber content of food, these can help reduce the size of fiber particles in foods of plant origin, which, in turn, can make them softer for the digestive system.

What are the most difficult foods to digest?

Here are some of the most difficult foods to digest: 

– plants rich in fibres and/or raw, such as broccoli or raw cauliflower, artichokes, garlic and onions;
– Beans, chickpeas and lentils; 
– whole nuts and seeds;
– Popcorns;
– acidic foods such as citrus fruit and tomato products;
– Spicy food;
– Alcohol;
Drinks with caffeine, such as coffee and black tea;
– Fat-rich and fried foods;
– Sausages; 
– Artificial sweeteners.