How To Fasten Your Digestion (Opinion From Gastroenterologist)
Do you have digestion-related problems? Cheer up, as I will reveal top tips on how to digest food faster, irrespective of whichever food you ingest.
1. Avoid Junk Food
It’s not in doubt that fast foods such as French fries and sandwiches have low nutritional benefits on the body. For this reason, I suggest you spend more money on buying healthy food like kale, fish, and fruits.
2. Keep Your Body Fit
Regular exercises play a key role in enhancing food movement through the digestive system. Here’s the crazy part, exercises such as jogging can speed up digestion by over 10 hours. Do you suffer from constipation? The rousing news is that regular exercise is the surest way to remedy this digestive disorder.
3. Drink More And More Water
Another proven tip is to drink more water every day, preferably 4-5 liters of freshwater. Unfortunately, most beverages and juice contain little water. Water plays a crucial role in hastening digestion.
In addition to that, you ought to eat more fruits and vegetables to boost your daily fluid intake. Most people would be shocked to learn that water equally makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients from the ingested food.
4. Chew Your Food Properly
Some people have an unhealthy habit of eating food gluttonously without chewing it thoroughly. The more you chew the food, the easier the digestion becomes for your entire digestive system.
Proper food chewing ensures that digestion goes on smoothly from the mouth to the small intestines.
5. Avoid Binge Eating
It’s unthinkable to end a guide on how to digest food faster without discouraging overeating. Digestion specialists strongly recommend you take a maximum of 3 relatively light meals daily. The more you overeat, the worse your digestive system performs due to overloading.
Avoid the habit of eating too many heavy meals just because you feel the urge to eat. That habit might slowly degenerate into an eating disorder.
6. Be Stress Free
What’s stressing you up? It’s about time you resolved the matter to lower your stress levels. The higher the stress level the poorer the digestion becomes. Remember that the brain is in charge of all the other parts of the body including the digestive system.
Stress forces ‘’less important’’ body processes to slow down. Because of this, the mind forces your muscles to become stiffer. For this reason, the whole body goes into ‘defense mode’.
7 Signs of a Digestive Disorder
We often experience digestive system problems, but we brush them off as triggered by a bad eating habit. For example, we assume that you ate at a poorly maintained restaurant. Most of us think that taking a glass of water is a sufficient remedy.
It’s of utmost importance to learn digestive disorder symptoms, for you to know how to digest food faster. In light of this, I’d like to list the top 5 serious signs that suggest you may be suffering from a digestive disorder.
Below are some of these:
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Chronic Heart Burns
- Lower Abdominal Pain
- Fever
Astonishing Causes Of Digestive Disorders
Before you learn how to digest food faster, it’s more logical to comprehend the major triggers of a digestive disorder. Let us meditate on the utmost triggers of digestive disorders in people today.
I) Bacteria
Bacteria such as Shigella and Clostridium may infect the digestive system causing it to malfunction. Unfortunately, bacteria give rise to harmful toxins that damage the digestive system cells.
II) Stress
Depression tends to slow down major body functions, including digestion. Over time, the problem degenerates into a digestive disorder, particularly when the stress levels increase. For that reason, you need to manage stress as soon as possible.
One surefire way to manage depression is to work out regularly. Constant exercise triggers the production of endorphins in the brain. A sharp increase in dopamine suppresses stress-related hormones like cortisol.
III) Viruses
Consuming contaminated foods can introduce viruses into your digestive system. Viruses such as herpes can damage your digestive system triggering a debilitating digestive disorder.
Examples of viral ailments that severely weaken the digestive system include:
- Hepatitis A
- Viral Gastroenteritis
- Mumps
- Hepatitis B
IV) Anxiety
Any emotional distress such as anxiety and stress compels the body to shut down as it gets to a state of panic. The brain slowly releases a chemical to your digestive tract that slows down digestion.
The danger is that if anxiety continues for a while, the digestion problem degenerates into a chronic digestive disorder.
What are Digestive Tablets?
Digestive tablets are forms of medication that equip the body with digestive enzymes. The digestive system heavily relies on these enzymes to break down food for easier nutrient absorption by the body.
Digestive enzymes act as a catalyst for chemical processes that take place for nutrients to get absorbed in the body.
Why should you take approved digestion tablets?
Doctors recommend digestive enzyme pills to their patients due to tons of reasons. I always recommend you get a prescription lest you’ll buy useless tablets.
Let us dive deeper into some of the persuasive reasons to take digestive tablets.
– Bloating
Digestive tablets gradually help to reduce indigestion-related problems such as bloating. You must understand that bloating stems from improper food breakdown.
– Cures indigestion
Are you suffering from slow digestion? Breathe easily, as digestive tablets help to facilitate digestion. The tablets equip your body with digestive enzymes that break down food into smaller particles for nutrient absorption.
– Helps to manage IBS
A virus or a bacterium causes irritable bowel syndrome. Thankfully, digestive enzymes help to alleviate the severe symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) such as nausea and indigestion.
Top 7 Healthy Foods, and How Long it Takes to Digest Them
Now that we’re discussing how to digest food faster, I see it fit to talk about the top 5 healthy foods and how long it takes for them to get digested. Here are some eye-opening facts for you.
1. Chicken
Health specialists can confirm that chicken is among the healthiest foods ever. One sure evidence of this is the impressive health benefits this food guarantees. How long does it take to digest chicken?
On average, the digestive system takes 1.5 to 2 hours to digest fully. Understandably, tender chicken takes a shorter duration to get digested as opposed to tough chicken.
Therefore, it’s important that you thoroughly cook the chicken before you eat it. Additionally, it’s equally vital to tenderize the chicken as well.
2. Fish
Experts argue that different fish species take varying duration to get digested. To be genuine, salmon takes the shortest time to get digested. Your body only takes a maximum of 2 hours to digest this fish species.
Appallingly, the body can take as long as 48 hours to digest some tough fish species. That proves the urgent need to tenderize fish just before you start preparing it. That’s a closely guarded secret on how to digest food faster in the stomach.
3. Beef
Beef has over 10 different nutrients needed by your body. Remarkable minerals and vitamins are as below:
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin D
I strongly believe that the question you have in your mind is, how long does it take to digest meat? Sad to say, beef is among the foods that take the longest period to get digested.
Beef takes between 1 to 3 days to fully digested in the body. Because of this, it’s best if you eat beef at most twice a week. Don’t eat more than 3 ounces of beef lest you overload your digestive system.
4. Broccoli
How nutritious is broccoli? Studies prove beyond doubt that broccoli is incredibly beneficial to the body. Amazingly, this vegetable has loads of nutrients, namely:
- Fiber
- Calories
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Proteins
Funnily, the body takes between 45 to 50 minutes to digest broccoli. Some people crazily prefer to eat raw broccoli to cooked broccoli. The unfortunate news is that raw broccoli takes much longer to get digested in the body.
5. Lentils
Like other legumes, lentils have oodles of nutrients, notably:
- Proteins
- Vitamin K
- Fats
- Carbs
- Vitamin B
- Fiber
- Vitamin E
Here’s the exciting part, the digestive system takes between 2 to 3 hours to digest lentils. Amazingly, red lentils take much less time to get digested in the body.
6. Kales
Kales are among the few vegetables that equip the body with more than 30 calories. That might elucidate why these vegetables make one feel full for a long time. Further, kales are rich in scarce nutrients desperately needed by the body. Here are some of the top nutrients in kales.
- Vitamin K
- Iron
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
Recurrently, kales take between 40 to 50 minutes to fully digest in the body. Unknown to some people, poorly cooked vegetables might take much longer to get fully digested.
7. Kidney Beans
Majority of people tend to confuse kidney beans and red beans. Although both red and kidney beans are legumes, the former is slightly smaller. Well-cooked kidney beans take an average of 2 hours to digest in the stomach.
How nutritious are kidney beans? Inherently, kidney beans have multiple nutrients, like:
- Fiber
- Fat
- Copper
- Proteins
- Iron
- Vitamin K
- Potassium
Which foods digest quickly?
The speed of digestion varies depending on specific factors such as food type and the state of your digestive system. A healthy digestive tract will digest food much faster as compared to a sick one
Apart from that, different foods take varied periods to digest owing to the varying densities. The denser any given type of food is the longer it takes to digest.
With that knowledge in mind, I am willing to discuss the food that digests the most rapidly.
A. White Rice
Fortunately, white rice is a light meal and hence easy for the digestive tract to handle. Further, unlike brown rice, white rice contains little fiber (approximately 0.4 grams). Unfortunately, the body doesn’t digest fiber, hence the lower it is the better.
Ordinarily, the human body takes a minimum of 1 hour to digest white rice. However, in some cases, digestion might take a maximum of 120 minutes.
B. Toast
The general run of things is that the body digests bread for an average duration of 3 hours. Conversely, the body takes much less time to digest toast. Mark you, that the toast preparation process slowly divides complex carbohydrates into smaller elements.
Strangely, toasts have multiple health benefits such as fiber and calories. Apart from that, doctors recommend toast to diabetic people as it minimizes the fat content in the body.
C. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes take an average of an hour to digest in the body. That sounds too long, I need to know how to digest food faster. Is it possible to digest faster? Yes, it is! My advice to you is to cook it for 45-50 minutes.
Unfortunately, some city dwellers must not easily warm up to sweet potatoes. The shocking truth is that this food has limitless health benefits for the body. Studies show that sweet potatoes are rich in special nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, and minerals.
D. Boiled Eggs
I highly doubt there’s any other food that digests faster than a boiled egg. The yolk alone takes 30 minutes to fully digest in the stomach. On the other hand, the albumen digests in under 40 minutes.
Do you eat raw eggs once in a while? It may fascinate you to know that raw eggs take much longer to digest as compared to boiled eggs. Surprisingly, cooked eggs are of much healthier benefit to the body than raw eggs.
More often than not, the body only absorbs 50 % of the protein in a raw egg. In contrast, the body absorbs 90 % of the protein contained in boiled or fried eggs. Now you know how to digest food faster. Don’t you?
5. Turkey
Both beef and lamb meat take a minimum of 4 hours to digest thoroughly. Even worse than that has to be pork that digests in a staggering total duration of 5 hours. The thrilling news is that a turkey gets digested in under 2 hours in the stomach.
A combination of HCL and Pepsinogen is pertinent for the quick digestion of the turkey. After that, the body can absorb necessary nutrients such as:
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin K
- Sodium
- Iron
- Potassium
- Magnesium
FAQs Related To Digestion Problems
1. My doctor advised me to eat fiber-rich foods. How does fiber enhance digestion?
Fiber is essential in retaining water and congregates up stool. You must never forget that dietary fiber can either be soluble or insoluble. Both forms of dietary fiber enhance bowel movements as it softens the stool.
2. What are some of the digestive diseases I need to be wary of?
The following are some of the best digestive disorders you must know about.
- Diarrhea: Surprisingly, over 4 billion suffer from chronic diarrhea every year. Unfortunately, this digestive disorder has multiple possible causes. Because of this, it becomes quite difficult to treat it. For instance, you may need to ingest more fiber-rich food, take medication or drink more water.
- Gastroenteritis: This digestion problem is either triggered by either a virus or a bacterium. Common symptoms include throwing up, fever and diarrhea. The best remedy would be to drink up more water.
- Appendicitis: This digestive disease is about the inflammation of the body’s appendix. Patients experience excruciating pain in their lower abdomen.
3. My gastroenterologist confirmed that my digestive system is weakening. What are some of the best ways of enhancing the digestive system?
Over 60 million people globally are desperate to know how to digest food faster. Because of this, here are proven ways of accelerating food digestion.
- Add more vegetables to your intake
Vegetables are the easiest foods for the human body to digest. Unlike other foods, vegetables are unbelievably rich in fiber and hence can move through your digestive tract much more quickly.
Aside from that, veggies, as many people call them, contain a lot of water. Because of that, the digestive system can digest them in under 40 minutes.
- Do a workout before taking a meal
I am sure this sounds nonsensical but, trust me, it works magic. Exercise tends to stimulate the body’s metabolism, including the digestive tract. However, that is not a green light to chow down as much food as possible.
4. Are there fruits that I can eat to improve my digestive system?
Yes, there are! Digestion specialists encourage you to eat fruits regularly for your good. Are you wondering how to digest food faster? I urge you to consider adding any of the below fruits to your daily budget.
- Bananas: Each banana contains a minimum of 2.6 grams of fiber. Unknown to the majority of people, dietary fiber softens stool as well as makes it much bulkier. For that reason, it diminishes the risk of suffering from constipation.
- Oranges: Just like bananas, oranges equally contain a sufficient amount of fiber. This nutrient absorbs as much water as possible to soften stool.
- Apples: Are struggling with constipation? An apple a day will help to speed up digestion incredibly. Like other healthy fruits, apples comprise 2.4 grams of soluble fiber.
5. Are there drinks that can improve the digestive system?
Yes, there are! Those wondering how to digest food faster must know that some everyday drinks enhance food digestion.
- Ginger Tea: Surprisingly taking a cup of warm ginger tea can quicken digestion. Tea experts disclose that this drink stimulates the production of saliva and bile both of which assist in food digestion.
- Coffee: I am certain you didn’t know that relatively hot coffee can stimulate the entire digestive tract. Further, coffee helps to enhance bowel movement in a significant way. However, avoid consuming too much coffee as it may trigger chronic diarrhea.
- Orange Juice: Dieticians say that one orange contains over 2.0 grams of dietary fiber. How much more fiber do you think is in a glass of orange juice? That’s why this drink facilitates food digestion.
6. Is jaundice a sign of a digestive disorder?
Yes, it is! Jaundice is an illness that primarily affects the human skin and eyes. It usually stems from having excessive bilirubin in your hemoglobin. Bear in mind the fact that hemoglobin is in charge of carrying oxygen in your erythrocytes.
Too much build of bilirubin slowly damages and kills the red blood cells in the liver. As a consequence, less bilirubin gets to the digestive system to aid in the digestion process.
7. What is a natural way of speeding up digestion?
The intense discomfort and slow digestion trigger a deep desire to learn how to digest food faster. Fortunately for humanity, multiple studies have unearthed effective ways of enhancing digestion naturally. They include:
- Eat Food That Rich in Fiber: Soluble fiber is fundamental in facilitating bowel movement. Over and above that, dietary fiber equally softens stool hence thwarting constipation. Remarkably, high fiber can prevent health conditions such as ulcers and IBS.
- Chewing Food Properly: Poor chewing overloads the digestive system hence preventing proper nutrient absorption by the body. In light of this, it’s good to bite a reasonable chunk of food and chew it thoroughly.
- Adopting A Mindful Eating Habit: Weirdly, most people have very disturbing eating habits. For example, some people stuff too much food in their mouth and hence do not chew it properly.
8. I have a habit of overeating whenever I have a meal. How long does the brain take to register that the belly is full?
Most people overeat because they fail to listen to their bodies. It’s even worse if you start eating when you are extremely famished, as you are highly likely to eat too much. Research shows that the mind can take 15-20 minutes to realize that the stomach is full.
9. Does getting enough sleep to enhance digestion?
Digestive organs such as the mouth, stomach, and small intestines require ample time to rest and repair themselves. I advise you to adopt a left-side sleeping habit to facilitate digestion.
10. What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? What are symptoms of IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a digestive disorder that affects the large intestines. Patients suffering from IBS manifests through symptoms such as:
- Abdominal Pain
- Regular Peeing
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Flatulence
- Bloating
IBS doctors disclose that this disorder stems from stress or some specific types of food. Although IBS has no specific cure, the condition is manageable.
11. Do digestive enzymes alleviate cancer?
Healthcare experts admit that digestive enzymes can help one manage specific types of cancers. I must be quick to debunk the baseless myth that digestive tablets prevent cancer. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
12. Are there any side effects of taking digestive enzymes?
All dietary supplements have either mild or severe side effects on the body. In the same way, digestive enzymes have mild side effects. Thankfully, most of these side effects disappear on their own.
The following is a list of some of the most prevalent side effects you must brace yourself for when taking this.
- Rash
- Neck Pain
- Vomiting
- Migraines
13. Which health condition can digestive enzymes treat?
A digestive tablet is not just a solution for those that need to know how to digest food faster alone. Experts disclose that these supplements equally remedy other health conditions. Notable diseases include:
- Pancreatic cancer
- Celiac disease
- Digestive disorders
14. I prefer to eat green beans at least 4 times a week. How long does it take to digest?
Oftentimes, green beans take a minimum of 2 hours to digest. Why do green beans take that long? Well, we can attribute the slow digestion to high fiber and some sugar. Further, raffinose, a fiber type, is nearly impossible to digest.
That’s the primary reason why you feel gassy soon after eating green beans. Therefore, you should consider eating red beans instead. Additionally, ensure that you prepare these beans for not less than 45 minutes.
15. I am battling a digestive disorder. What foods should I avoid?
Firstly, you should avoid spicy foods as they trigger the digestive system. Therefore, these foods may worsen symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Secondly, don’t eat salty food too, as it may overload your already sickly digestive system.
My Final Words
In all fairness, different foods take varying durations to get digested in the body. However, it’s important to know how to digest food faster to end the discomfort of extra slow food digestion. I genuinely hope that you take advantage of the natural tips for speeding up digestion I discussed here at length for your benefit.