Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Do you feel that something is wrong with your stomach after eating? What meal was responsible for that? Or was it the result of psychological distress?
Different types of foods, and even your psychological state, can affect your digestive system, but the irritants differ from one person to another, according to the official account of the Gulf Health Council in a tweet on “Twitter” in a guide to the stomach.
These gastrointestinal irritants include:
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Spices and hot foods
Consuming spicy foods in high quantities causes gastric juice to back up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing heartburn (heartburn).
Most spicy foods contain a compound called capsaicin, which irritates the lining of the stomach and intestines, and this leads to the stomach accelerating the digestion process to get rid of it as soon as possible, which leads to diarrhea.
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High fat food
Fat is one of the foods that digest slowly, which leads to the stay of food for a longer time in the stomach, and a feeling of nausea and bloating.
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Anxiety and stress
And psychological factors affect the intestines, and this means that stress, anxiety, or depression affects the movement and contractions of the digestive system.
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Processed food
Processed foods include sausages, mortadella (processed meats), and canned fruit.
Its nutritional value is low because it contains fats, high amounts of salts, and sugars, in addition to its lack of dietary fiber, which causes constipation and indigestion.
The guide also referred to nutritional behaviors that positively affect your digestive system, including good chewing of food, as it facilitates digestion, organizing meals, and drinking more water.