5 Best Food Groups That Are Easy To Digest

5 Best Food Groups That Are Easy To Digest

5 Best Food Groups That Are Easy To Digest

5 Best food groups that are easy to digest, easy to digest foods can help relieve digestive symptoms. They are typically low in fiber and fat, which makes them gentler on your stomach.

1. White Flour Products

Increasing fiber is generally beneficial. However, opting for lower-fiber foods can help if you have digestive upset.

Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that moves through your digestive tract without getting broken down.

High-fiber foods like whole grains can increase the amount of undigested food moving through the digestive system and speed up intestinal motility, making them more harmful than helpful if you’re experiencing symptoms like abdominal bloating and diarrhea.

Refined grain products like white rice, white bread, and white pasta have had their fiber removed. Temporarily opting for these lower fiber foods can give your intestines a break when you’re experiencing digestive discomfort.

2. Peeled, Canned, or Stewed Fruits

Fresh fruits high in fiber, especially in their peels and seeds, can be tough to digest.

The bulk of the dietary fiber in fruits is found in their peels and seeds. For example, raspberries are among the highest-fiber fruits due to their large seeds.

You may find it helpful to choose lower fiber fruits, like ripe bananas or melon, if you are struggling with digestive symptoms like nausea or diarrhea. Removing the skin on fruits like apples and pears is also recommended when you active have digestive issues.

Softer fruits like stewed plums or canned peaches are good options as well. Look for products packaged in water rather than syrup to avoid added sugar if you buy canned fruit.

3. Well-Cooked Vegetables

Raw vegetables, like fresh fruits, are harder to digest than cooked ones.

The plant cell walls become softer when vegetables are cooked. Their constituents (like starches) become more readily accessible to digestive enzymes in the body. They are gentler on the digestive system as a result.

Easy-to-digest vegetables include well-cooked:

• Zucchini and squash (with seeds removed)
• Spinach
• Potatoes (with skins removed)
• Green beans
• Beets
• Carrots

4. Soft Proteins

Though animal proteins don’t contain fiber, they can still be hard to digest if they are tough, chewy, or high in fat.

Choose tender, easy-to-chew proteins with low or moderate dietary fat content. Examples include: scrambled eggs and lean ground meats.

Plant-based proteins like smooth nut butters and soft scrambled tofu are nourishing options that are generally well tolerated.

5. Soups, Smoothies, and Purees

How food is prepared can affect its digestibility. While texture modification strategies like blending don’t change foods’ fiber content, they can help reduce the size of the fiber particles in plant foods, which can in turn make them gentler on the digestive system.

Consider raw versus cooked kale. Whereas raw kale is bulky and tough, cooked and blended kale is soft. This change in texture may improve digestibility.

The same goes for fibrous fruits, like berries, that are blended into smoothies. Pulverizing berries’ seeds in the blender won’t diminish their fiber content, but it can help kickstart the mechanical digestion process that normally begins in your mouth.

What Are the Hardest Foods To Digest?

Hard-to-digest foods may depend on the root cause of your symptoms. For example, peppermint tea can be problematic for people struggling with GERD, but helpful for people struggling with mild stomach upset or nausea.

Not all of the foods listed below will exacerbate your symptoms. The foods you can and can’t tolerate are individual and will depend on why you are experiencing digestive symptoms in the first place.

Commonly hard-to-digest foods can include:

• High-fiber and/or raw vegetables, like raw broccoli or cauliflower, artichokes, garlic, and onions
• Foods with tough fibers or thick stems, peels, and seeds, such as broccoli rabe, asparagus, and pomegranates
• Legumes, including beans, chickpeas, and lentils
• Whole nuts and seeds
• Popcorn
• Acidic foods like citrus fruits and tomato-based products
• Spicy foods
• Alcohol
• Caffeinated beverages like coffee and black teas
• High-fat and fried foods
• Processed meats, such as sausages and hot dogs
• Dried meats, such as jerky
• Dried fruit
• Artificial sweeteners

Who Might Need Easy To Digest Foods?

There are several reasons you might need to eat easily digestible foods.

Surgeries that involve the digestive tract often require a step-down diet that may start with clear liquids, followed by purees and other easy-to-digest foods before you can return to a normal diet. Eating easily digestible foods can lessen stress on the digestive system and promote healing post-surgery.

Sometimes it’s helpful to emphasize bland, easy-to-digest foods when experiencing severe gas, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

People diagnosed with any of the following medical conditions may also benefit from choosing easily digestible foods temporarily:

• Diverticulitis, a type of inflammation in the small intestine
• Active gastritis, a type of inflammation in the stomach
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Gastroparesis, or slowed stomach emptying
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flares

  Crohns & Colitis Foundation. What should I eat?

• Cancers requiring radiation therapy to the pelvis or lower abdomen

Exclusively eating easily digestible foods can feel limiting. If you’re experiencing ongoing digestive discomfort, it’s important to work with a gastroenterologist to determine the root cause of your symptoms. Meeting with a registered dietitian can also help you find a varied diet that is both nutritionally complete and well tolerated.