12 Best Easy-To-Digest Foods For a Healthy Life

Let us think of the process of preparing sweet potatoes before speaking about easy-to-digest foods!

Harvest the pinky-soft sweet potatoes from the soil. Wash them with tender care with clean water. The baby pinky sweet potatoes are ready to boil. The lustrous dusky pink colour induces interest in eating it soon.

The sweet potatoes are boiled in steam. The steam escaping from the sides of the pot fills all over the place cooking and increases the interest in eating it. The steamy sweet potatoes are spreading their mouth-watering aroma into the nose.

The first bite, gee, it’s addictive. The sweet and semi-solid state induces all our taste buds and goes all the way slipping into the throat. It is one of the easy-to-digest foods that we come across in our daily lives.

It sounds luscious and delicious, right?

I think I’ve made a yummy start. But why did we start with sweet potatoes? Because it is one of the easy-to-digest foods out there. And this article includes a list of 10 easy-to-digest foods.

But before going into that, let’s understand a few things.

Appetite vs. Cravings

A periodical appetite is a reason to eat, and cravings are a desire to eat something in particular. Cravings occur in people of any age group. A normal appetite usually occurs due to hard work and metabolism.

Cravings are pseudo¹-appetites that happen at any time with or without hunger. The difference between normal appetite and cravings should be well known for people who strive for a nutritious, healthy diet.

Importance of a Nutritious Food

The food that we intake frames our metabolism and other chemical reactions that take place in our bodies. The pros and cons of food should be analyzed before intake. The finest foods also have their side effects as well.

So it is our prime responsibility to verify the nutritious value of the food that we eat. Foods that are supersaturated with nutrients are easy-to-digest foods.

Foods that are easy to digest are usually considered healthy sources. Such types of foods can help ease several conditions.

Following are some conditions that can be aided through easy-to-digest foods:

1. Inflammatory bowel disease
2. Diarrhoea
3. Temporary nausea
4. Diverticulitis
5. Gastroesophageal reflux disease
6. Gastroenteritis

Choosing the right food or easy-to-digest foods can help you feel better after the consumption of food.

Most foods that are low in fibre are considered as easy to be digest foods. Although fibre is one of the important parts of our regular diets, it is also a portion that isn’t digested by our bodies.

As a result, fibres go through the large intestine undigested, which further might cause bloating issues and uneasy stool discharge.

So, consuming foods that are low in fibre will ultimately help ease all complications associated with digestion.

This article will mention some of the easy-to-digest foods that you can add to your regular diet to easily develop a healthier lifestyle and avoid all complications.

12 Easy-to-digest foods

1. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a wholesome package of nutritional benefits. The freshly harvested state of this vegetable is suitable for intake.

Pros

This soft pinky vegetable eases digestion and helps to maintain a stable metabolism.  Sweet potatoes have a limited level of protein, fat, and iron. The high level of carbs and potassium makes us strengthened and active to do the rest of our activities.

The mashed sweet potato is the finest feast for toddlers, and it also stays easy to digest. Sweet potato is known for boosting immunity as well as having good properties that keep your skin healthy.

Cons

Persons who intake beta-blockers are supposed to avoid this vegetable to eliminate undesirable health effects. Sweet potatoes, if taken excessively, can be a cause of kidney stones. And in the worst conditions, it can cause kidney failure. Diabetic people may see some problems in sugar levels because of their sweet potato intake.

2. Cooked Vegetables

Vegetables are the best choice for people who like to have a nutritious diet. There are edible vegetables in their raw state, and some vegetables come under the edible nature only if cooked. Vegetables like carrots, bitter gourd, snake gourd, and pumpkin are nutritious for people of diverse age groups.

Pros

The green-coloured vegetables are considered prominent among the easy-to-digest foods. Leafy veggies are preferred in the greeny vegetable list as they feed gut bacteria with their nutrients.

Gut bacteria is a beneficial bacteria that helps in the smooth digestion of foods. The intake of vegetables makes us saturated with nutrients that are needed for a healthy body.

Cons

Some vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are not easy to digest. Brinjal intake is allergic for a few people, and it causes itchy skin. Raw vegetables stay hard to digest when compared to cooked vegetables.

3. Saltine crackers

A wholesome snack that meets the struggles of digestion is none other than Saltine crackers. An upset stomach would be able to digest food if we eat saltine crackers. Crackers are usually preferred to digest foods.

Pros

Saltine crackers are easy to digest with any combination of food. Do consume saltine crackers regularly if you have nausea, digestive problems, or pregnancy allergies. As a final note, the saltine crackers efficiently solve digestive issues.

Cons

Saltine crackers have a supersaturated level of salt that limits their usage for people who have high blood pressure. A large amount of trans fat also renders side effects.

4. Brown Rice

A cereal that is more reliable and beneficial is rice. Rice is usually synonymized with white-coloured hush-free grain.  Rice is easy to digest in times of sickness. But there are divisions in it as rice is considered a wholesome and nutritional one. Let us analyze the two great divisions of it.

White Rice Vs. Brown Rice

Brown rice has natural nutrients without any nutrient loss due to the hush-removing process, whereas boiled white rice has low fibre and gives off its nutrients at polishing.

White rice is easily available in grocery stores. White rice is usually preferred to eat like porridge or boiled with any veggie or meat.

Enriched White rice also has several nutrients that could help digest foods and make a healthy diet. Enriched white rice is also an emerging area of food research.

5. Bread

One of the valuable foods that ease our digestive issues is bread, white bread. The white bread spread with nut butter makes a yummy meal. It has fermentable carbohydrates in it. As we did for rice, we can analyze the features of white bread and wheat bread.

White bread Vs. Wheat bread

White bread can be helpful with temporary digestive problems, but bread made up of wheat has many nutritious values compared to the latter. Raw bread, i.e., raw forms of wheat and white bread, could cause health issues. A whole-wheat toast is preferred to eliminate the side effects of eating raw white bread.

A gluten-free bread option is a wise option as gluten-free bread products render great benefits to our health. Gluten is a void component that elevates the mere weight of the body. Gluten-free bread products are safe to eat. This option comes under easy-to-digest food.

6. Dairy Products

The most industrialized food factories include dairy industries the account of their high nutritious value. Right from toddlers to aged people, dairy products are inevitable in their daily food habits.

Pros

They are categorized under low-fibre foods and also one of the high fatty foods. They digest food easily and eliminate nausea ²after the intake of oily foods. The by-products of the dairy industry are also easy to digest and prescribed medicine for digestive problems. The milk is taken in the form of nut milk and low-fat milk.

These dairy products are calcium and vitamin-D-rich products so they take care of your bones’ health. The same goes for the teeth. It also gets help from the calcium present in dairy products.

Relying on dairy products more during the weight loss journey is better than relying on any other type of food product. Dairy products have a good amount of protein in them so it is an integral part of the diet of the people who are following them to gain muscles.

Cons

Lactose intolerant problem prevails for many people around us. Dairy products are not prescribed for such persons who are lactose intolerant, even though it has low fibre. A little more intake than normal can make a person nauseous.

Although dairy products are easy to digest, they can cause bloating and digestive problems if taken excessively. Commercial dairy products can lead to acne problems. Skim milk is one of the most adversely effective products to be consumed.

Tea varieties like Green tea, Lemon Tea, and Herbal tea have many nutritional values, and they are a healthy alternative to milk.

7. Fiber Oatmeal

Fibre oatmeal is one of the recommended foods to eat when you are facing digestive problems. The need for oatmeal arises if you plan a low-fibre diet. Folate vitamin K oatmeal is also preferred in the option of taking oatmeal as easy-to-digest food.

Pros

The upset stomach conditions will ease if we take oatmeal. This is one of the easy-to-digest foods that have soluble fibre in it. Oatmeal has a high level of carbs and proteins in it. This, in turn, fills your battery with high energy for the day.

It is one of the most nutritious meals one can have. Whole oats are extremely rich in antioxidants and thus they also help in lowering cholesterol and decreasing the damage from cholesterol³.  It has low fat and high protein and carbs so it can help lose weight. It also helps with constipation.

Cons

It is a tasteless meal that is prepared with a single grain. It is easy to digest, but it is not a wholesome food that gives you many nutritional values. It merely gives you energy. It may cause bloating in your stomach. Excessive eating of it can lead to weight gain. And as it isn’t giving enough energy, you may be required to eat it more, which eventually leads you to gain weight.

8. Fruit Jellies

Another snack that is lined up here is fruit jellies. It is a typical gelatin dessert that attracts people of any age group.

Pros

It is easy to digest and solves digestive problems. The jiggling state of jelly is favourable for easy digestion. It is colourful and easy to bite for small children and people having tooth problems. It can provide energy during stress and exercise. It also improves the health of hair and skin and reduces the risk of kidney stones.

Cons

Some jellies are loaded with artificial sweeteners like grapefruit artificial sweeteners which make our health worse. It sometimes increases blood sugar levels and also creates problems like bloating and diarrhoea. If taken too frequently in excess it leads to problems like weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

9. Ginger-added Foods

Ginger is the famous ingredient we prefer to solve digestive problems. The ideal option to digest foods is ginger-added food materials. Ginger has beneficial effects on certain digestive enzymes such as trypsin and pancreatic enzymes⁴.

Pros

Acts as a catalyst for indigestion and is a well-known easy-to-digest ingredient. It has many health benefits that could help our metabolism. Its tea can cure morning sickness and nausea. It has properties that can help with weight loss and also are helpful to people having osteoarthritis.

It helps in lowering blood sugar which eventually makes the chances of heart disease lesser. It can be helpful to people with chronic indigestion. It is extremely helpful to women as it significantly reduces menstrual pain⁵. It also can help lower cholesterol levels. It contains properties that can help prevent cancer.

Cons

Over-intake leads to the burning of internal organs. It can cause rashes on the skin if taken more than normal. Its excessive intake can cause gas, heartburn, discomfort in the stomach, irritation in the mouth, etc.

10. Vegetable and fruit juices

The liquefied form of fruits and vegetables stays the best brunch for busy ones. They are preferred as a healthy snack for weak people.

Pros

Vegetable juices come under the easy-to-digest category. They contain nutrition equal to cooked fruits and cooked cereals. The risk of adjusting to various cooking methods is eliminated if we consume juices in our diet. Eating vegetables can help defend the inflammation in your body.

It can help in improving blood pressure levels. Most Vegetables are fibre-rich so it increases the fibre intake. They are also proven to be extremely helpful to eye health. It is also beneficial for the skin. It reduces the risk of heart disease and levels blood sugar levels.

Cons

Juices with added sugar and chillness may cause harm to our immune system. Drinking juice to attain all the health benefits of fruits and vegetables is not possible. Try fruit and vegetable intake as much as possible.

Some vegetables have a high level of sodium in them. This high level of sodium can sometimes become a problem for the kidneys. Vegetables cause more gas and bloating compared to other foods. Eating too many vegetables leads to indigestion.

11. Bananas

Bananas are usually preferred to speed up the digestion process. They come under a soft foods diet that has soluble fibre. The nutrition in the fruit stays fruitful for skinny people to get their energy for a whole day. Bananas are preferred to be eaten after a feast to speed up digestion.

Pros

Bananas have an actual amount of potassium, soluble fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants for stabilizing a healthy digestive system. It protects the immunity system by producing a large number of white blood cells. They help bananas with digestive issues and help in solving an upset stomach.

Type 2 Diabetes patients can eat bananas without second thoughts as it makes the insulin level stable. Potassium present in the banana is important for the health of the heart, as it is important for blood pressure management. Bananas is a potassium-rich fruit so enough intake of banana can improve your heart health.

Banana is full of antioxidants, which help the body in many ways and eating a banana or two can make your stomach full. As we talked about potassium being helpful for heart health, it is helpful for kidney health as well. Another pro of bananas is that they are the easiest food to add to your diet. And it is almost impossible that someone does not like to eat bananas unless they are allergic to them.

Cons

Even bananas are loaded with a large number of nutritional benefits, and it has cons too. The calories present in bananas are high, but it is not wholesome food against appetite. High intake can lead to high potassium levels in our bodies. It can also lead to weight loss as it makes you feel whole for a longer period, and you are less supposed to eat anything.

Eating too many bananas can lead to increased blood sugar levels and constipation. Excessive eating of bananas can lead to migraines. It can make you sleepy and tired. Eating bananas that are not properly ripe can lead to stomach aches and abdominal pain.

12. Ajwain or Bishop’s Weed

Ajwain, also known as bishop’s weed, is a beneficial element for digesting certain foods. It is a spice material used in foods to add a unique aroma and taste to them. Eating foods with ajwain seeds can ease the digestion process.

Pros

The Ajwain seeds are important in Indian cuisine with nutritious importance. Despite their nutritional benefits, they are widely used for adding taste to foods. It is used as a medicine for improving the digestive system.

Daily use of it makes digestion smooth and reduces the acidity in your stomach. It can be sued to treat the common cold, ear or toothache, clean wounds, etc. Having it in your regular diet can help you with grey hair. This means it puts a barrier to the greying process of hair. It eases the pain caused by arthritis.

Cons

Pregnant ladies should not use it as it stays harmful to fetal development in the womb. There is no evidence for oral intake of ajwain seeds. Add ajwain seeds to foods but do not take them in raw form. Overconsumption may lead to gas production in the stomach, which leads to reflux and acidity. It might be allergic to some people. A higher amount of oral intake of ajwain is not advisable as it can be poisoning.

Exceptions in the List of Easy-to-digest Foods

1. Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are filled with Vitamin C and adequate nutrition which are indispensable for metabolism.

The intake of these fruits refreshes our minds and body. However, overconsumption of these fruits leads to acidity, irritation, and indigestion. An upset stomach is the final result of excessive intake of these acidic foods.

2. Green beans

Green beans are healthy supplements with risk in the easy-to-digest category. Some green beans are hard to digest by our digestive system. They are high-fibre foods without lean protein. The lean protein presence makes it the best choice of easy-to-digest foods.

Dietary plans

The vital thing that one could practice if he encounters a health deficiency is planning a diet. The diet plan should include every nutrient in it. It should not compromise anything indigenous for our survival.

FODMAP Diet

The FODMAP diet includes the essential carbohydrates that are inevitable for a person to gain strength. The FODMAP diet⁶ categorizes food consumed in a particular order so that it can render great benefits. A low fodmap diet is applicable for normal persons.

The low fodmap diet comprises proteins and grain nutrition but fails to supplement every need of an individual. Try to make better plans other than a Fodmap diet plan to get better results.

Key Takeaways

Choices are abundant in this world, like a grocery store, but it is hard to choose. The finest decisions and malicious activities could originate from the same person as everyone cannot please others in all their deeds.

Try to stay vigilant without being carried away by modernized kinds of stuff that prevail around us. The best lifestyle one could inhibit is ensuring nutrients ⁷and health benefits in whatever food we intake. The finest lifestyle would be that lifestyle of a healthy diet.

So, always plan a proper diet. Include food items that fall under easy-to-digest foods. These foods will not only provide much-needed nutrition but will keep you away from all food-related complications.

You can lead a happy and healthy life. Make the choice today.

Do let us know your thoughts on this article.

FAQs

1. Which foods are easy to digest?

Ans. Following are some of the foods which are easy to digest:

• Toast.
• White rice.
• Bananas.
• Applesauce.
• Eggs.
• Sweet potatoes.
• Chicken.
• Salmon.

2. Which food will cure my sensitive digestive system?

Ans. Following are the foods that will help you cure your sensitive digestive system:

• Yoghurt.
• Bananas.
• Whole Grains.
• Ginger.
• Sourdough.
• Greens.
• Pineapple/Papaya.
• Applesauce.

3. What are some of the foods which are hard to digest?

Ans. Some of the foods which are hard to digest are as follows:

• Fried Foods.
• Citrus Fruits.
• Artificial Sugar.
• Too Much Fiber.
• Beans.
• Cabbage and Its Cousins.
• Fructose.
• Spicy Foods.

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Last Updated on March 21, 2024 by Suchi