Hard To Digest: 11 Foods That Your Body Hates

Did You Know | Health

Hard To Digest: 11 Foods That Your Body Hates

Shared / Darwin Bell - Wikimedia

They're not life threatening conditions, but anyone who lives with chronic bloating or acid reflux will tell you how awful it can be.

These nagging stomach problems can have a devastating effect on your quality of life, and even embarrassing, uncomfortable gas can feel like a curse.

But the cause of your worst stomach symptoms could be right under your nose.

Plenty of ingredients - including healthy food - can wreak havoc on your stomach. These are 11 foods your body just hates to digest.

1. Mashed Potatoes

This classic side dish is soft, fluffy, and inviting, but also a serious pain for your stomach to digest.

On top of the starchy potatoes, most recipes are overflowing with milk or cream.

Top your serving with butter or margarine, and your stomach will have an even tougher time processing it.

Swapping the hard-to-digest dairy and fat ingredients in your mashed recipe will make a big difference, but having another potato side like boiled or roasted potatoes instead may be that wise choice.

2. Citrus Fruits And Juices

We may nag you to get your daily dose of vitamins, but you should still be careful about overindulging on citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.

Along with healthy nutrients, these fruits are chock full of citric acid that can irritate your throat and stomach.

Guzzling down citrus juice while dealing with acid reflux will only make your symptoms worse - so consider switching to flavored water instead.

Bear in mind that carbonated fruit-flavored drinks are also acidic, so you should try to limit your daily intake.

3. Beans

Beans, and the family of similar vegetables called legumes, make many lists of healthy ingredients because they're so rich in fiber.

But beans also contain a type of sugar called oligosaccharides that your body can struggled to digest.

So the more you eat, the more.... well, you know.

Soaking beans before you cook them seems to help reduce the bloating and gas you experience after a meal, so keep that in mind.

4. Alcohol

Who doesn't enjoy a drink (or two, or a few) to encourage digestion and conversation at the dinner table?

Well, we have bad news. Your drink of choice could actually be the cause of your bloating or acid reflux symptoms.

Alcohol is actually toxic to your stomach lining, and causes inflammation that leaves you feeling queasy.

The long-term effects of drinking on your liver can also lead to even more stomach issues.

But cheer up: moderate drinking shouldn't cause too many stomach issues, so just stick to a glass or two.

5. Cauliflower and Broccoli

What? Isn't every health magazine on the planet telling you to eat cauliflower right now?

Yes, these veggies are good and good for you, but they will also make you gassy.

The problem is they contain a complex sugar called raffinose, which encourages bloating inside your stomach.

Beans and Brussels sprouts have the same annoying problem, but you don't need to give up on your favorite veggies just yet.

Pairing these ingredients with probiotic foods like kefir can fight the bloat before it strikes.

6. Chocolate

Sorry, we have a pair of reasons why you should consider giving up that daily piece of chocolate.

Not only is milk chocolate full of stomach-bothering fats, but the caffeine in most varieties will also mess with your digestive system.

But we have a tasty solution:

Dark chocolate is less fatty than the regular stuff, and has a number of proven health benefits because it's full of antioxidants.

Yes, it's a little bitter, but keeping your stomach calm is worth the sacrifice.

7. Ice Cream

Along with dairy, which is already a strike for patients with lactose intolerance, ice cream is loaded with hard-to-digest fats.

Even if dairy doesn't bother you, one of the ingredients in this highly processed treat is bound to turn your stomach.

The easiest solution is just switching to one of the many dairy-free or low fat varieties on the market today.

A healthy frozen yogurt could also give you a sweet fix without the tummy trouble.

8. Sugar-Free Gum

It might seem like a healthy choice, but sugar-free gum is actually worse for your digestion than the real thing.

Chewing gum is a major cause of bloating in the first place: you swallow a lot of air as you chew.

But with sugar-free varieties, an artificial sweeterner called sorbitol can also create a gas buildup inside your somach.

The effect is so serious that some types of sugar-free gum are life-threating to dogs and cats.

Your best choice if you're hooked on gum? Break the habit once and for all.

9. Raw Onions

They're a great, tangy topping for a salad, but there's actually a good reason to pick these veggies off your plate.

Uncooked onions contain fibers called fructans that are known to cause gas and bloating.

Leeks and garlic are also rich in fructans.

On top of that, many people are also sensitive to onions and experience reactions that make their stomach issues even worse.

Cooked onions generally don't cause the same problem, so you can still enjoy them.

10. Anything Fried

The trouble with tasty fried foods is they are covered in oil.

Oily foods will either race through your stomach - causing diarrhea - or linger in your body and cause uncomfortable bloating.

Whenever you can, avoid greasy takeout and make fried recipes inside the oven instead of on the stove top.

Learning how to reduce the oil in your favorite recipes will also help beat the bloat.

11. Anything Spicy

Some people actually don't experience any stomach trouble from spicy foods. But the rest of us know we'll pay the price after a hot and spicy meal.

The flavorful spices irritate your esophagus and stomach lining, causing a reaction similar to heartburn after your meal.

If you can't resist those five-alarm chicken wings, try to avoid alcohol and caffeine, which will unsettle your stomach even more.

Probiotic foods and stomach-soothing ingredients like ginger can also control the worst of your symptoms.

[H/T: PopSugar, Manhattan Gastroenterology]

Do these foods upset your stomach?

I write about all sorts of things for Shared, especially weird facts, celebrity news, and viral stories.