Vegetables high in water such as lettuce, celery, watercress, asparagus, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and radishes digest in 30-40 minutes.
Vegetables can take a bit longer to digest than fruit. However, lettuce, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables containing a lot of water will need just around 30 minutes to leave “stomach land” behind. Cruciferous vegetables including kale, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
Dr. Lee says the entire digestive process can take several hours. Food generally stays in your stomach between 40 and 120-plus minutes. Then add another 40 to 120 minutes for time spent in the small bowel. “The denser the food, meaning the more protein or fat it has, the longer it takes to digest,” notes Dr. Lee.
After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion, absorption of water and, finally, elimination of undigested food. It takes about 36 hours for food to move through the entire colon.
Foods that are easier to digest include toast, white rice, bananas, eggs, chicken, salmon, gelatine, applesauce, and oatmeal. Symptoms of digestive problems include acid reflux, bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Dumping syndrome is a condition in which food, especially food high in sugar, moves from your stomach into your small bowel too quickly after you eat. Sometimes called rapid gastric emptying, dumping syndrome most often occurs as a result of surgery on your stomach or esophagus.
Those with faster digestion experience more bloating and gas as well as poor digestion and a lower satisfaction when it comes to feeling full. Those who have a slower digestive process experience better hydration and digestion and more satisfaction with their meals.
Fatty foods, such as chips, burgers and fried foods, are harder to digest and can cause stomach pain and heartburn. Cut back on greasy fried foods to ease your stomach's workload. Try to eat more lean meat and fish, drink skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, and grill rather than fry foods.
Mashed potato
Potatoes are an easy to digest starchy food at the best of times but mashing them into a puree helps breaks down the fibres, making them even more of a doddle to digest. They also provide essential nutrients, including electrolyte-balancing potassium.
Yogurt is healthy and easily digestible even for those who suffer from lactose intolerance. The healthy bacteria not only optimises gut health which improves digestion, but it also helps to break down the lactose sugar, making it easier to digest.
Food that is high in fibre can be difficult to digest since the stomach needs more effort to break it down. High fibre food includes raw vegetables, lentils, beans and brown rice.
Sometimes, you may see undigested food fragments in stool. This usually is high-fiber vegetable matter, which usually isn't broken down and absorbed in your digestive tract. At times, undigested food is a sign of poor chewing and fast eating. Make sure that you chew your food well.
If you are eating a meal and very shortly afterward you need to use the bathroom, the cause is usually the gastrocolic reflex. The gastrocolic reflex is a reflex that stimulates contractions in the colon that can lead to using the bathroom shortly after eating a meal.
“I know ginger has some solid backing for helping with nausea and upset stomach – ginger tea, ginger ale, ginger candy or chews or freshly grated ginger,” she said. In addition to aiding the stomach, ginger also can help increase movement of the rest of the gastrointestinal system after you ate too much.
In addition to being packed with nutrients, eggs are usually easy to digest compared to some other high-protein foods, such as meat and legumes. Due to their sulphur content, eggs can contribute to intestinal gas for some individuals, but they are beneficial for other digestive symptoms.
Milk, cheese, and ice cream are all no-no's with an upset stomach. They're hard for your body to digest, in part because they're high in fat. Plain, nonfat yogurt may be OK sometimes, but start with a little and see how it goes.