A List of Foods That Are Easy To Digest

Everybody is concerned about their health these days. And the best way to do so is to eat healthily. Eating healthily is important and knowing what type of food you are eating is even more important. The reason is that there are foods that can be easily digestible and there are foods that are not easily digestible. Therefore, eating food based on their digestive credibility is important. It can reduce different types of problems and issues that you can face.

Easily digestible foods

When we talk about; “what are easily digestible foods? we come to know that there are certain foods that are low in fiber. And they are regarded as easily digestible foods. The reason is very simple: fiber is a healthy part of a diet because it is fruits in passing stool

and vegetables. Therefore, it does not get digested by your body. Because of this, when it passes through your large intestine it can cause problems. These problems can be;

• Gas
• Bloating
• Difficulty in passing the stool (difficulty in pooping)

Thus, eating food that is low in fiber can help you reduce the amount of undigested food material, and hence, this may aid in soothing the problems that can occur.

Foods that are easy to digest can help with several symptoms and conditions caused by difficulty digesting foods. Some of these are given below:

• Temporary nausea
• Diarrhea
• Gastroenteritis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Diverticulitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Foods that promote easy digestion

Now as we know that food can be divided into two types easy to digest and difficult to digest. So, the food that can easily be digested can be:

• Toast (bread)
• White rice
• Bananas
• Low-fat or fat-free milk and other dairy products; if lactose triggers symptoms, try lactose-free products or dairy alternatives like oat milk or coconut milk.
• Cooked, canned, or frozen vegetables.
• Eggs
• Sweet potatoes
• Chicken
• Salmon
• Gelatin
• Saltine crackers
• Oatmeal
• Skinless, seedless cooked fruits, such as apples, or applesauce with no sugar added.
• Pulp-free fruit juices and vegetable juices (those with GERD may wish to avoid citrus and tomato).

All these foods promote easy digestion and can reduce the chances of the above-mentioned conditions that one can face.

Types of foods that can be considered easily digestible foods

Canned or cooked fruits and vegetables

It is notable that, like all fruits, whole vegetables have a lot of fiber as well. But once they are cooked, the fiber will break down and become easier to digest. You can cook your vegetables at home or find canned varieties on the shelves at your local grocery store. There are many good choices of canned or cooked ones that you can take into consideration. These choices include:

• Yellow squash without seeds
• Spinach
• Pumpkin
• Beet
• Green beans
• Carrots
• Meat products and protein

Meat products or poultry are the main sources of lean protein. The lean protein contains chicken, turkey, and fish. They are easily digestible. If you are a vegetarian, you can try incorporating eggs, creamy nut butter, or tofu for added protein. Apart from this, another important thing that you need to keep in mind is that the method of cooking also plays a very crucial role therefore, instead of frying it you can grill, boil, bake or poach it.

Grains

Grains are the healthiest foods that you can consume in your diet. Therefore, you can add these grains that will aid;

• White or refined bread or rolls
• Plain bagels
• White toast
• White crackers

You can cook grains to reduce the level of fiber, or you can find low-fiber dry or cooked cereals at the grocery store.

Types of foods that you need to avoid

Apart from high-fiber food, there are certainly other factors that can contribute to the range of those that you need to avoid. These foods are considered to be difficult to digest because of certain reasons. The reasons can be like:

• Frying
• Carbonation
• Caffeinated
• Excessive spicy

These factors can also cause difficulty in the digestion of food.

The foods that you can avoid are as follows:

Fruits

Fruits are rich in fiber. Especially those fruits that contain skins and seeds. And they are as follows:

• Dried fruits
• Canned fruit cocktail
• Pineapple
• Coconut
• Frozen or fresh berries
• Vegetables

It is stated that raw vegetables should be avoided as they are enriched with fiber than cooked or canned vegetables. Therefore, you need to avoid vegetables such as;

• Corn
• Mushrooms
• Stir-fry vegetables
• Stewed tomatoes
• Potato skins
• Dried beans
• Peas
• Legumes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Onion
• Cabbage
• Brussels sprouts
• Peppers
• Other food products that can be avoided

There are food products such as;

• Meat with casings, such as hot dogs, sausages, and kielbasa
• Lunch meats
• Meats with whole spices
• Shellfish
• Granola
• Browns rice or wild rice
• Whole grain bread
• Whole grain pasta
• Jams and jellies
• Carbonated drinks
• Caffeinated drinks
• Alcohol

All these food products need to be avoided as they are hard to digest. There are some other foods and ingredients that can trigger indigestion in various people.

They include:

• spicy foods and hot chili peppers
• fatty foods, including red meats
• fried foods, such as French fries and onion rings
• acidic foods, including oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit
• artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols

Therefore, you can have a soft food diet also known as a bland diet. A bland diet is made up of foods that are very easy to digest and comforting for the stomach as well. They have a soft texture, and they are low in fiber. We can say that the idea is to eat foods that are easy to swallow and that you don’t need to chew much. You’ll need to avoid spicy, fried, or gassy foods.

Who should eat a soft food diet?

It is very practical that your doctor will let you know if you need to eat a soft food diet. Your doctor might suggest you eat a soft food diet in situations like these:

After surgery: After surgery, it is common that doctors to suggest a soft food diet. He or she would recommend it if you had surgery on your;

• Mouth
• Tooth
• Head
• Neck
• Stomach

The doctors ask you to eat a soft diet because it helps with digestion as it is easier to get digested. The digestive tract will not work hard to break down the food.

Types of soft food diets

There are two types of soft foods diet:

• Mechanical soft diet – mechanical soft diet is a diet that includes foods that you don’t need to chew as much. You will need to eat things with different textures and thicknesses that are chopped, ground, mashed, or puréed. These foods are soft and tender, and easy to digest.

• Puréed soft diet -. Puréed soft diet is a type of diet in which you will only eat foods that you do not need to chew at all. As the name implies, you can eat meals that include puréed foods or liquid foods. Liquids can be added to make swallowing easier.

Conclusion

It is important to consult with your doctor or dietitian if you want to include and try to experience significant changes in your diet. Because before cutting down all the hard-to-digest food and replacing it with easy-to-digest one, you should know about the different types of foods that you need to consume.

Another thing is that you need to record what you have eaten, what time of day you have eaten it, and how the food makes you feel. That way, you can identify and avoid foods that cause gas, bloating stomach pain, or other discomforts.

This information can be given to doctors as well during diagnosis.