Stomach-Friendly Foods: 5 Food Groups That Are Easy to Digest When You Have an Eating Disorder

When the body is faced with food disorders, such as food poisoning or acute gastroenteritis, a person faces an important task - to choose foods that will be as gentle as possible on the gastrointestinal tract. Experts recommend paying attention to five main groups of easily digestible foods in such situations.

First, these are white flour products. Although in general, most people are advised to increase their fiber intake, in case of gastrointestinal disorders, temporarily giving preference to refined options such as white rice, white bread and white pasta may be a smarter decision. The fact is that the fiber contained in whole grains can aggravate symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea, since it is a difficult-to-digest component.

Secondly, peeled, canned or stewed fruits deserve special attention. Fresh fruits, rich in fiber and seeds, can be too heavy for digestion in case of gastrointestinal disorders. Instead, it’s better to choose softer options, such as ripe bananas, melon, stewed plums, or canned peaches without added sugar.

Thirdly, experts recommend paying attention to well-cooked vegetables. As with fruits, raw vegetables can be more difficult to digest, while their cooked versions, such as stewed zucchini, pumpkin, spinach, potatoes, green beans, beets, and carrots, become softer and easier to digest.

The fourth group is tender protein foods. Although animal proteins themselves do not contain fiber, hard or fatty options can still be difficult to digest. Therefore, it is better to choose easily digestible protein sources with low to moderate fat content, such as eggs or lean ground meat.

And finally, the fifth group is soups, smoothies and purees. The way you prepare foods can significantly affect their digestibility. Chopping, mixing and pureeing can help reduce the size of fiber particles, making plant foods softer and more gentle on the digestive system.

Experts emphasize that temporarily including these easily digestible foods in your diet can give your gastrointestinal tract a little rest, reducing the load on it and helping to alleviate symptoms of disorders. This allows the body to recover and then return to a more varied and balanced diet.

It should be noted that the concept of easily digestible foods is not limited to their texture and fiber content. Factors such as fat content, acidity and complexity of chemical composition also play an important role. Therefore, when choosing “stomach-friendly” foods, it is worth considering the complex effect of all these characteristics on the digestive system.