Over-stimulation of the bowel can lead to diarrhea and dehydration. If you’re rarely having trouble with constipation, but you’d like to slow down your bowel movements, check out the right foods that can help you out, from the BRAT diet staples, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, to more foods that have a similar effect.
If you don’t have any diagnosed digestive disorder, but you’d like to avoid multiple bowel movements a day, try some of the foods that slow down digestion, from the right kind of fats to probiotics that can help out.
Foods with Monounsaturated Fats
Eating fats can slow down your digestive tract, but you should always focus on the healthy kinds of fats, and avoid fried fats. Raw nuts, from walnuts to cashews, are a healthy option, so are avocados and cold water fatty fish. However, eating too many fats, even monounsaturated, can also lead to constipation, and make you feel bloated.
White Rice
When you’re struggling with diarrhea, plain white rice of one of the best foods that slow down digestion. You can also opt for plain boiled pasta, but forget about whole grain pasta or brown rice, they simply don’t have the same effect. You don’t need extra fiber when you want to slow down your digestive track temporarily.
Probiotic Yogurt
From Greek yogurt to kefir, yogurts with probiotics can help restore some balance to your digestive system when it’s going too fast. While most dairy is not recommended when your digestive tract is struggling, yogurt that contain probiotics are a good option. Remember that the natural options work better than creamy low-fat yogurt with probiotics.
Bananas
If you’re dealing with diarrhea, one of the best foods that slow down digestion are bananas. They’re very easy to digest and they can also replenish your electrolytes. Avoid green bananas, and make sure you’re munching on ripe ones if you want to benefit from this fruit. High in magnesium and potassium, they can also help when you’re struggling with an upset stomach.
Boiled Potatoes
Another great starch that can help you out when you want to slow down your digestive tract a bit, potatoes work best when you peel and boil them. You can mash them, but avoid adding any butter, since this kind of fat can cause more problems. What you can always add to them if you’re not satisfied with the taste is a little salt, but avoid any spicy condiments.
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Peeled Fruit
Just like potato skins should be avoided, fruit skins can cause trouble when you’re having diarrhea. As long as you avoid plums and apricots, they can be one of the best foods that slow down digestion. Whether fresh or canned, peeled fruit can be a good option when you need to give your digestive tract a rest.
White Toast
As part of the BRAT diet, white toast is a much when you have stomach trouble and you’re also experiencing diarrhea. Avoid whole toast, you don’t need the extra fiber. However, if you want to slow down digestion without those symptoms, you shouldn’t be filling up on white toast. It’s still easy to digest, but it will also mean plenty of calories.
Lean Meat
Protein is also one of the foods that slow down digestion, particularly carbs. Lean meat can help, but it’s important to keep the animal fat levels as low as possible. Try skinless and lean chicken, and stay away from any fatty cuts. In order to quality as lean, a cut of meat should have less than 10 grams of fat in a 3-ounce serving.
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Applesauce
Apples without the skin are a good option to managing diarrhea, but you can simply go for applesauce. It’s important to avoid the skins, since they can cause more trouble when you’re dealing with an upset stomach. Apples can help slow down digestion thanks to pectin, and other fruits rich in it are pears, quinces, gooseberries, guavas and oranges.
Fiber Rich Foods
When you’re looking for foods that slow down digestion if you don’t have an upset stomach, fiber is great. From whole grains and oatmeal to lentils and pecans, fiber rich foods can regulate your blood sugar levels by slowing down glucose absorption.
