10 Big Dietary No-No's For "Sensitive Intestines" Sufferers | Gastrointestinal Disorders slideshows | Body & Health Conditions center

Fried Foods Are Like Hell To Your Intestine

Fried foods are the worst foods for people with a sensitive intestine, or for people who have suffered with gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric ulcers, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) before. You might be interested to know why fried foods are thought to be the worst. This is because fried foods, especially deep fried items, are high in fat and cholesterol. No doubt, your body needs cholesterol but the cholesterol and fats found in these foods are harmful for the body. They carry low density lipids (LDL) which are very hard for intestine to digest, and if your intestine is sensitive, it won’t be able to process these foods.

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Go Easy On Citrus Fruits

Fruits, vegetables, or any natural products are good for a healthy body with a proper functioning intestine. But people with sensitive intestines have to think before they leap. Some fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, and lemons contain citrus. These citrus fruits are high in fiber and can cause intestinal distress for people with sensitive or mal-functioning intestines. These fruits can also cause distress in healthy people, but only rarely. To keep yourself away from trouble, you should go easy on grapefruits, oranges, and other fruits which have high levels of citrus. However, you can have other healthy fruits such as banana, apple, pineapple and others as much as you want.

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Say No To Artificial Sugars

No doubt, artificial sugar is a replacement for natural sugar. But have you ever tried to find out what the possible side effects of artificial sugar are? In the first place, doctors always recommend consuming only natural sugar but in limited amounts. Artificial sugars such as Sorbitol, Maltilol, Mannitol, Aspartame, Acesulfame, and many more are not recommended any more because they are found to cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea. If your digestive system is a bit weak or if you are one of the people with a sensitive gut, you should avoid any kind of artificial sweeteners including sugar-free gums. Eating more than fifty grams of Sorbitol a day can cause intestinal problems.

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Avoid Foods Rich In Fiber

There are actually two kinds of fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Foods rich in fiber are not quite harmful for your digestive system but these foods are hard to digest. For the people with a sensitive intestine, such foods can really cause big trouble. Soluble fiber is broken down in the large intestine by bacteria and it causes gas. Soluble fiber is found mostly in vegetables such as cabbage or broccoli. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, goes all the way down through intestine undigested and is known to cause little gas and distress. A healthy digestive system may tolerate such foods, but sensitive systems have to struggle a lot.

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Beans – Cramping And Gas

Beans are a common source of trouble for people with sensitive intestines. They are known to cause cramping and gas in the human body. This is because beans contain indigestible sugars that are hard for a sensitive intestine to process. The human body lacks enzymes needed to break down the sugars present in beans. Bacteria present in our intestine do the job instead, and that results in release of gas. After the bacteria start the process, a person may experience intestinal spasms with gas. People with sensitive intestines are advised to soak dried beans for couple of hours to eliminate indigestible sugars to some extent.

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Cabbage — Indigestible Sugar

Vegetables like cabbage and its family members have an excess amount of fiber. As told earlier, fiber is not the food of choice if your intestine is fragile. Cabbage is almost the same as beans. It also has a high level of indigestible sugars which make cabbage a "gassy" food. Any food that has high fiber tends to produce more gas. This is because the bacteria present in the body help in the digestion of such foods. Whenever bacteria decompose the food, they produce gas. This gas results in intestinal discomfort and distress. It should be kept in mind that this process helps to relieve constipation.

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Stay Away From Fructose Sweetened Drinks

You'll definitely find a lot of different kinds of drinks in stores, but most of these drinks are fructose-sweetened drinks. Sodas and even diet sodas fall into this group. Such drinks may sound very light and pleasant for a human body but in reality these drinks are hard for the intestine to digest. Having these drinks in excess can lead to many digestive disorders, including abdominal cramps, diarrhea and bloating. People with a history of gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis, pancreatitis, IBD, IBS and peptic or duodenal ulcers are advised to stay away from fructose=sweetened drinks. These drinks are not only harmful for your digestive system, but also play a role in gaining excess weight.

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Spicy Foods Are The Worst Choice

Spicy foods do smell delicious and seem to be scrumptious, but how will your intestines react to these foods? Spicy foods are okay for healthy people, but are strictly prohibited for people with sensitive gastrointestinal systems. People with a history of gastric or intestinal disease ingesting this food are literally forcing themselves into severe complications such as perforation of the gut, cancer, and so on. Even food with a small amount of spices can cause heartburn, indigestion, bloody or black stools, hematemesis (blood in vomiting), indigestion, and many more problems. People with sensitive intestines should completely avoid the consumption of spicy foods.

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Dairy Products – Diarrhea

A sensitive intestine means the digestive system that does not have the tendency to digest the food properly under normal circumstances. Some children are born with a sensitive digestive system. There is an enzyme named lactase that is found in the digestive system. The function of this enzyme is to help the digestive system digest lactose. Lactose is primarily found in dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt. People with a lactase deficiency are not allowed to consume any dairy product. If they do, their digestive system cannot digest and process this food as a result of which diarrhea occurs immediately.

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Don’t Take Diarrhea Easy - Treat It Carefully

Diarrhea is a very common symptom of gastric or intestinal disorders. Diarrhea should not be taken lightly, as it can cause a life threatening complication: dehydration. So if you are suffering from diarrhea, make sure that you get proper medical treatment and don’t develop any of the complications of diarrhea. Diarrhea excretes all the water from the body including the essential minerals and vitamins that are usually reabsorbed by your kidneys before excretion. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids including water which is the most essential factor for every organ of the body. Eat a soft diet that your intestine can digest easily instead of consuming fried or spicy foods.