When it comes to how long it takes to digest food, you may not even know. But this is one very interesting and important topic everyone should know.
Knowing will help you understand the kind of foods that are available to humans and what to eat per time. In fact, eating with the right information will change your health forever.
From vegetables to processed foods which most people load up on, in this article, you will know how long it takes to digest food and offer your body good nutrients.
If you read this article to the end, you will begin to be more mindful of what you eat.
Interestingly, being more mindful of what you eat benefits you a lot.
Let us look at different foods and how long it takes them to digest each time you eat them.
01/11 How Long Does It Take To Digest Food?
Digestion time is a process of breaking down big food particles into tiny particles to absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream.
Indeed, complete digestion of food usually takes between 24 to 72 hours.
However, how long it takes your foods to digest can vary depending on various factors. Some are types of food consumed, individual metabolism, age, gender and overall health.
After eating, food passes through the stomach, small intestine and then the large intestine, where your body absorbs the remaining nutrients and water . It is also where waste is formed into stool (1).
The time it takes for this process to be completed varies from person to person.
If you ever feel that you get hungry quickly, or even feel full for long after eating some foods, you should read this article to the end.
02/11 Water
How fast water moves around your body organs is amazing. Water is absorbed immediately in the stomach and small intestine.
They help move food in your tract and ensure that your systems work better.
03/11 Seeds And Nuts
High fat seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, sesame take about 60 minutes to digest.
However, nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts take double this time.
04/11 How Long It Takes To Digest Processed Foods And Meat
This kind of foods are hard to digest. Some of them are packed with sugar, saturated fat, sodium, nitrates and preservatives.
These substances give you trouble while going through your digestive system. They do not feed the good bacteria in your intestine which are necessary for your good health.
They take 3-4 hours to digest. Some take even more hours.
When they digest, they promote the increase of bad bacteria in your gut.
05/11 Smoothies
Smoothie is an amazing blend of fruits and vegetables and it takes 20-30 minutes to digest.
You should increase intake of this kind of foods in your diet.
06/11 Vegetables
Vegetables that are high in water such as lettuce, celery, watercress, asparagus, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and radishes digest in 30-40 minutes.
Also, cooked leafy and cruciferous vegetables such as kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and bok choy digest in around 40-50 minutes.
Root vegetables like beetroot and carrot digest in 50-60 minutes.
Starchy vegetables such as corn, parsnips, pumpkin, squash, yams, butternut, sweet potatoes, potatoes and chestnuts digest in 60 minutes.
07/11 Grains And Beans
These are high fibre foods and they take longer to digest. As a result, they also make you stay full for long.
In this category are brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats and cornmeal take 90 minutes to digests.
Also, foods like lentils, chickpeas, peas, kidney beans and soy beans take 2-3 hours to digest.
08/11 Fruits
Watermelons digest in 20-25 minutes and various other melons take 30 minutes.
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Also, fruits like oranges, grapefruit and bananas take around 30 minutes to digest while apple, pear, cherries, kiwi take 40 minutes to digest.
09/11 Dairy products
Furthermore, skimmed milk and low-fat cheese take an hour and a half to digest (one hour 30 minutes).
10/11 Juices And Broths
The thing about how long it takes to digest food in this category is that it could load your blood with sugar if you are not selective.
Juices or broths do not contain any fiber and this makes them digest fast.
They can digest easily in just 15 minutes and this is the more reason you should take them with caution.
Foods that digest fast with processed sugar or added sweeteners could become hazardous for people who are sedentary.
11/11 Egg
Egg yolk digests in 30 minutes while the whole egg takes 45 minutes to digest.