How does digestion work in the body? Everything you need to know about how food is digested

Choosing food products in the supermarket and preparing food from them, we first of all think about the calorie content of food, its chemical composition and shelf life, but we don’t ask ourselves the question: how much food is digested? Meanwhile, the process of assimilation of different nutrients occurs in different ways. And how food is digested affects our well-being and health. The time of digestion of food for different products is different, and therefore mixed food can create heaviness in the stomach, enhance the processes of fermentation and decay, clogging the body with toxins. But first things first…

The food we eat, after entering the body, is a source of nutrients necessary for growth, energy, metabolic processes. The body is a real chemical laboratory, where food must be broken down into chemical components, and then used for its intended purpose. The time of digestion of food in different departments varies significantly.

Food passes through the digestive system, making a series of transformations in each department, mechanical and enzymatic:

1. In the mouth, food is crushed and moistened with saliva. In saliva, the enzyme amylase begins the breakdown of carbohydrates.
2. Several enzymes are already “working” in the stomach, aimed at digesting proteins and fats, curdling dairy products. Hydrochloric acid helps break down, destroying microbes along the way and neutralizing some poisons. Absorption of nutrients does not occur in the stomach. Products are there for a maximum of 3-4 hours.
3. Enzymes continue to work in the duodenum, decomposing food into even smaller components, turning it into gruel. Here, the absorption of substances into the intestine partially begins.
4. There is already an active process of absorption of the chemical components of food that enter the bloodstream, are cleared in the liver and blow to their destination (cells). All these processes take 7-8 hours.
5. Remaining batteries are absorbed. Here, the remains of undigested food (slags) can be up to 20 hours.
6. Waste products are excreted from the body through the large intestine.

The organs of the gastrointestinal tract push food through the digestive tract with the help of periodic contractions of smooth muscles, this process is called peristalsis. It is not difficult to calculate how much time the body spends on digesting food. The entire digestion process takes approximately 24 hours. From several kilograms of food eaten per day and 2-3 liters of liquid drunk, 200-300 g of undigested residues are excreted.

Important! Even before eating, a conditioned reflex “wakes up”: saliva is released for hunger, and gastric juice for tasty smells. Enzymes also begin to be released at a certain time if you eat strictly on time.

Digestion in the stomach

A person who is prone to overeating throws various products into his body, as if it were a firebox. But firewood burns for about the same time, and different foods need different times to digest. Knowing how much this or that product is processed, you can competently approach the creation of the menu, choosing food that decomposes in about the same time.

Important! Proteins, fats and carbohydrates take different times to break down. Try not to eat too often, knowing that the previous portion is still in the stomach. If you add hard-to-digest foods to the diet, then it is provided. Also, stop eating at least 4 hours before bedtime.

Food groups by digestibility time

All products can be divided into four groups according to the duration of their processing by the stomach. How long does it take to digest what we eat?

Group 1. This includes mainly carbohydrates, processing time: 30-35 minutes. These are broths, light salads, natural juices, as well as fresh (raw) vegetables and fruits.

Group 3. These are products containing starch and complex carbohydrates, processing time: 2-3 hours. This includes nuts, legumes, cottage cheese, hard cheese, potatoes and cereals.

Group 4. This list includes foods that are digested longer than others or are not digested at all. These are coffee, canned food, stew, mushrooms, bread and pasta.

Digestion time table of individual foods in the stomach

The table shows that carbohydrates are digested the fastest in the body. Next in ascending order are proteins and fats.

Important! Water without impurities does not need to be digested. It passes almost immediately into the intestines, which takes 10-15 minutes. In addition, it is an important component of our body, because every cell of the body is 80% water.

In addition to the types of products, other factors also play an important role in the speed of digestion.

What affects the duration of digestion?

1. Temperature. Hot foods take longer to digest than cold foods. For example, okroshka takes less time to digest in the stomach than borscht or casserole from the oven.
2. Meal time. The most active food is processed during the day, at lunchtime. Food taken at breakfast and dinner needs more time before it ends up in the intestines.
3. Treatment. In cooked and fried foods, enzymes characteristic of raw food are destroyed during the cooking process, and the stomach absorbs them one and a half times longer.
4. Combination. How and with what a person mixes products depends on their processing. For example, an apple takes half an hour to digest, and hard cheese takes five hours.
5. A soft-boiled egg is processed by the body faster than a hard-boiled one.

Important! You do not need to eat until the stomach is free from the previous portion of food. Then the problem of excess weight will be solved by itself, and without heavy and strict diets it is easy to lose the hated kilograms.

Basics of separate nutrition

Often tasty and healthy food are mutually exclusive concepts. Even so-called haute cuisine dishes often consist of products with different absorption times by the body. Therefore, a restaurant menu suitable for special occasions should not be made your daily meal.

It is useful to eat foods with the same digestion time at one time. And only after the complete assimilation of the nutrients received by the body, be taken for the next intake of food absorption. A diet that contains mixed foods with different digestion times leads to "clutter" of the gastrointestinal tract, as some foods have already been digested, while others have not yet been digested.

With such inconsistent nutrition, the processes of fermentation and decay begin, which are accompanied by bloating, belching and flatulence. Further, there is an accumulation in the intestines of toxins. Over time, they will interfere with the absorption of food, as the intestinal walls become slagged. Digestive disorders are also possible.

The principles of separate nutrition are based on the following rules:

• a single serving should contain compatible products that are mastered at the same time;
• the interval between meals should be at least 2 hours (the only exception is fruits);
• do not mix solid food with drinks;
• liquid foods should be consumed before meals, not after it;
• chew food slowly and thoroughly, and do not swallow in pieces.
• be sure to add dry herbs and a variety of spices to food, as they contribute to the production of enzymes.

All this will help the work of the digestive tract, good health, lightness. So you avoid overeating and.

We often try to indulge ourselves by including in the diet products that are little or completely incompatible. But eating delicious doesn't mean eating right. Here it is necessary to think over the menu in order to combine business with pleasure. Unfortunately, we do not always have enough time, energy and desire for this. However, in order not to bring your body to illness, it is worth taking the time to develop a balanced daily menu.

Anton Palaznikov

Gastroenterologist, therapist

Work experience more than 7 years.

Professional skills: diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary system.

Various properties of the human digestive system directly depend on its age. Even in the mother's womb, the first mechanisms of digestion are launched in a child. This is such a unique phenomenon, because the life of a little man has not actually begun yet. Gradually, during life, the digestive process in the stomach of an adult becomes more and more slow. How exactly does digestion and assimilation of food occur in the human body, how does digestion occur in the stomach, what does it depend on and how long do these processes take in adults and children?

Digestion and age addiction

The period of processing and assimilation of food are two different concepts. The time frame for this work depends on various factors. Processing is the period during which food is in the stomach, that is, the period during which proteins and fats are broken down. Processing and assimilation of carbohydrates in the body has significant differences. When food enters the esophagus, digestive enzymes break down the complex components of food, and their absorption takes place through the stomach. So, how much food is digested in the stomach?

The food that got into the stomach stays there from half an hour to 360 minutes. In the stomach, under the action of acids and gastric juice, there is a splitting and partial absorption of nutrients in the small intestine (after about 360-420 minutes). Everything that remains undigested passes into the large intestine, where it can stay for a long period (perhaps a day), after which it comes out naturally. How much the stomach digests food can only be understood when all these internal “movements” have passed, it is impossible to speed them up. Water in its pure form is a single liquid that does not need to stagnate in the stomach. When you use a large amount of it on an empty stomach, it almost immediately goes to the intestines.

In an adult and a child, each food requires digestion in different ways, the hours spent on the work of the intestines also differ.

For example, why do newborn babies eat only breast milk, artificial dry substitute or bovine milk? This is due to the fact that their still unformed stomach is capable of assimilating only milk proteins. It takes 120-180 minutes to break down breast milk, and more than 240 minutes for cow or goat milk. Only after 6-7 years the stomach will be able to finally form and increase in volume. Then the duration of assimilation of food will be longer than at a younger age.

Unlike adults, children at this age will take 2 times less effort for the duration of digestion from the prescribed norm for an adult. By the age of 10-12, the coefficient will be approximately 1.5 of the norm. And boys and girls from 15 and older will need as much time as an adult. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that men have a faster metabolism than women. In elderly people (70-80 years), digestion generally lasts twice as long as in adults.

Categories of food and digestion period

All the food that we eat can be divided into 4 categories according to the duration spent on its processing and assimilation in the stomach:

• carbohydrate (the fastest food);
• protein (medium);
• oily (long);
• food digestible with difficulty (too long).

Let's move on to a more detailed description of the categories:

What kind of food is better to eat in order to speed up the function of the stomach for a fast and high-quality metabolism? In order not to harm, but, on the contrary, to help the stomach speed up the metabolism, firstly, you need to eat those delicacies that are digested quickly. Secondly: food belonging to category 4 is not recommended to be consumed daily. Replace pork with chicken, as it contains half the fat. If you suffer from diabetes, then eat everything edible from categories 1 and 2, exclude only sweets - cake, cookies, jam, chocolate. Honey is allowed to be eaten, as it is considered a healthy food for bee production. Nutritionists recommend replacing sugar with honey.

In a rational and balanced diet, there is a condition called the glycemic index and the table attached to it. GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) is an indicator that reflects the speed with which this or that edible product is retained in the body and how it is broken down. The GI table contains a list of high, medium, and low GI foods. GI has a significant impact on the ability to lose weight and obesity.

What affects the digestibility of food?

Under conditions of normal nutrition, the passages of food intake are very simple, the passages of assimilation are a little more complicated, since the efficiency of digestion can vary significantly. It is strongly influenced by such factors:

1. well-being;
2. performance of each of the organs;
3. metabolic rate;
4. hunger or satiety;
5. food processing and much more.

Let's consider some of them. For example, why, when comparing the processing of food of a hungry and well-fed person, the assimilation moves will be completely different from each other? Because when a person eats normally, in moderation, he has a good appetite, then his metabolism will be good and the digestibility of food will be wonderful. If there is no feeling of hunger, food is consumed without measure, there is nothing to do, then digestibility will proceed in a sluggish form, and the energy consumption of the body will double. This will not bring anything good either for well-being or for internal organs.

The assimilation of food is influenced by the culinary processing of food: boiling, stewing, frying, etc. Porridges are quickly digested as they are boiled. Beef falls into the category of heavy grubs, especially when fried. Sauerkraut is a heavy delicacy and it is not easy for the body to digest it, so it is eaten in fasting, thereby replacing high-calorie products.

The number of dishes affects the body. If for lunch you take: borsch 1 serving, for the second - an omelet, a piece of bread, then the food will be absorbed well. Otherwise, if you take: borscht 2 servings, 2 slices of bread; chicken, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, for sweets - chocolate and coffee, you will only overload the body and good absorption will not shine for you. Very important is the measure in the use of food.

Of course, among other things, the course of assimilation is also influenced by gender, age, habits, characteristics of the organism, even nationality. As you can see, many factors fall under the influence of digestion, and all of them depend on something.

The interval spent on the digestion of food is a significant indicator, but usually no one takes it into account. Nutrients are a source of energy. By correctly arranging the components and calculating the time spent on the processing of a particular product, you can, without maintaining strict diets, always be in shape and not feel hungry. It is not necessary to keep an infinite number of numbers in your head, for this a colossal work of nutritionists has been done and a generally accepted table of digestion of food by time has been compiled. You should not layer meals unnecessarily, feelings of hunger, and if the body did not have time to process the product eaten the day before.

When using culinary delights, it is important to consider that the benefits, the time of absorption by the body and the release of nutrients depend on many factors. Freshness, the method of preparation of the additive, compatibility - everything is important and requires special attention.

The main stage of digestion of products is carried out in the stomach and can take from 30 minutes to 6 hours, while the processing period until the time of defecation takes approximately 20 hours.

The rate of digestion is determined by the moment when food enters the intestines, to simplify the task, consumption products must be properly systematized:

Considering the digestion time of food, you can significantly improve your health. Ignoring this indicator, a person carries an impressive amount of rotting food, which adversely affects health, causes diseases of the digestive system, and the cardiovascular system. Moreover, improper, unhealthy diet negatively affects life expectancy.

In order for the processing to be complete, it is important to follow simple rules:

1. By consuming at the same time products that require a different interval for digestion, the body is subjected to excessive stress, which makes no sense. Self-eaten boiled potatoes could get into the small intestine in an hour, when combined with pork, they are doomed to digestion for a long 6 hours.
2. The best solution for preparing your favorite dishes is a combination of products that require the same amount of time to process. This will use up a little more time than with a mono feed, but this approach is most acceptable when mixing.
3. Using vegetable oils as dressings for salads, it should be borne in mind that the processing time in the stomach will increase several times (2-3 times). Oil creates a shell on vegetables, which complicates the processing of salad ingredients by gastric juices and enzymes.
4. It is impossible to drink food immediately after taking it with teas, water, any drinks. After a meal, it is necessary to wait for the time for the transition of products from the stomach to the intestines. If the rule is violated, there is a decrease in the saturation of gastric juice, digestion worsens and the load on the digestive system increases. Water, diluting food, excludes full digestion, because of this, whole fragments of food penetrate the intestines and, as a result of the active action of putrefactive microorganisms, subject undigested food to decomposition and fermentation.
5. Drinking water in its pure form, without additional inclusions, it immediately enters the intestines without delay.
6. Any meal does not tolerate fuss. When consuming any product, it is necessary to chew food carefully, slowly. Thanks to this simple action, it is possible to significantly speed up the digestion process, since the stomach will not need to expend energy on grinding ingredients, and enzyme processing also takes place thoroughly in the oral cavity.
7. When eating food of animal origin, rich in protein, it is important to understand that when heated, it is digested for 2-3 hours, then it passes into the thin section to continue the breakdown of valuable components from food components.
8. It takes less time to digest cold dishes, proteins do not have time to digest and enter the small intestine, where they create favorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria, which later cause discomfort in the digestive apparatus (gas formation, constipation). It is the use of cooled or chilled food that leads to the accumulation of excess weight and the acquisition of a diagnosis - obesity.
9. The best time to ferment food is at lunchtime. If there is a need to mix incompatible products, then it is better to do this during the day. Breakfast and dinner do not fully use the reserves of the body. In the morning he has not yet woken up, in the evening he is already ready for bed.
10. Night time is a period of rest. During this period, the food lies in the stomach as a dead weight until the moment of awakening. Deposits of products are decomposed and have a negative impact on the body.

The digestion time of food in the human stomach can be controlled. It is important to understand how quickly each product undergoes enzymatic processing.

The most popular and commonly used ingredients are presented in the table.

Table - how much food is digested in the human stomach

The conclusion is obvious. The residence time of food in the stomach is ambiguous, the value can change. It can be adjusted and controlled. Maintaining the health of the body is not difficult, it is enough to be attentive to what enters the mouth. Food should be wholesome, healthy and not create discomfort. With the rational use of food, you can avoid feeling hungry between meals.

Digestion is a very complex process. Currently, seven out of ten people suffer from indigestion. These are not only diseases such as gastritis or ulcers, but also flatulence, constipation and bloating.

To avoid all this, it is enough to know how the digestive system works and try to help and support its work.

The process of digestion in the stomach

Digestion begins in the mouth. Food is mechanically crushed by teeth and the enzymes of saliva, which is secreted by three pairs of salivary glands. Once crushed, food is swallowed through the pharynx through muscle movements and tongue reflexes. Then it enters the esophagus.

The esophagus is a muscular canal about 25 cm long that runs along the chest. Its function is to guide food into the stomach with coordinated circular contractions. The passage of food from the esophagus to the stomach is regulated by a muscular valve - the sphincter.

The stomach is located between the esophagus and the duodenum. This is a muscular organ with several folds, capable of holding 2 to 4 liters of liquid and solid substances. The mucous membrane of the stomach is supplied with numerous glands that secrete gastric juice, hydrochloric acid and mucus.

The work of the stomach consists of several functions:

• in it the food continues to break down mechanically through numerous contractions;
• the food mass is processed with gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid, which, in turn, breaks down proteins into shorter chains of amino acids;
• a protective environment is created in the stomach due to the same hydrochloric acid (pH from 1 to 3), which has an antibacterial effect;
• The stomach absorbs water, sugar, salt and other substances.

The mucus produced by the gastric glands is located on the inner walls of the stomach and protects it from the aggression of hydrochloric acid and the special enzyme pepsin. If the lining of the stomach is very weak, an ulcer may form.

Next, the food enters the intestines. The intestines are divided into two parts: the small intestine and the large intestine, which differ in shape and function. The small intestine (more than 10 meters in length) consists of three parts: the duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

In the small intestine, the chemical transformation of food is completed due to the participation of various juices:

• pancreatic juice acting on carbohydrates, proteins and lipids;
• enteral juice completes digestion;
• bile produced by the liver contains salts for lipid digestion.

Absorption of substances necessary for the body occurs in the small intestine.

The large intestine (about two meters) is the end of the digestive tract. It is divided into three parts: the blind, large and rectum.

The main function of the large intestine is to accumulate food debris and facilitate its expulsion. Its task is to remove water. The large intestine is home to important symbiotic bacteria (called gut flora) necessary for the production of certain vitamins, such as B and K.

Factors Affecting Digestion

Food processing lasts an average of 3-4 hours, but this time is absolutely approximate.

There are several factors that affect the rate of digestion of foods:

Different foods require different processing times.

Digestion time increases in proportion to the fat content of the food and decreases with thorough chewing of food, properly cooked foods, and when eating food that has a liquid consistency.

Fruit and vegetable smoothies digest much faster than solid foods. But there is an exception, whole milk requires a rather long digestion time, even though it is liquid.

It is important to consider that protein foods are not "friends" with starchy foods, and carbohydrates are not compatible with foods with high acidity.

Therefore, if you have meat and eggs, it is better to supplement them with fresh vegetables, rather than bread or potatoes. And if there is pasta, then you can add fruits such as kiwi or pineapple.

The most harmful combination is meat and dairy products, because the casein contained in milk does not allow the proteins in meat to be broken down, which means that digestion is slow and difficult.

The golden rule for aiding digestion is fruit consumption. Fruits are easily digested alone, but it is difficult and long to split with other foods.

Natural remedies are great for helping the digestive process - herbal tea, fennel seeds, artichoke, rosemary, sage, chamomile and so on. Another "home" remedy is a teaspoon of baking soda with hot water and a few drops of lemon.

Grapefruit juice and apple peel decoction are also useful. Adding a small amount of ginger, mint, or cardamom to meals can greatly improve digestion.

Digestion time for some foods

Food reaches the final stage of digestion after 6-8 hours. The removal of waste and undigested residues begins about 24 hours after the start of a meal and can even take several days.

The average time for the passage of undigested food residues in the human intestine is 50 hours.

Features of hot and cold food

Excessively cold and hot foods cause difficulty in digesting food.

Low temperatures are the enemies of our stomach. When taking very cold food, irritation of the mucous membrane of the digestive system occurs, as a result of which bloating, dysentery and vomiting may occur.

Cold food significantly slows down, and in some cases even stops, digestion. Hot food, on the contrary, helps to empty the intestines faster. It is strictly forbidden to eat hot and cold food at the same time.

Three categories of food mixing

Most digestive problems are due to the wrong combination of foods. There are three mixing groups:

1. The first group is food that is digested during the same time, while not undergoing any heat treatment. Various fats and sugar should not be added to it.
2. The second group is food that, when mixed, is digested for the same time, but various fats, sugar, spices, and oils can be added to it. The duration of the processing of food by the body increases, because the breakdown of oil and sugar requires additional time.
3. The third group - products with different digestion times, different heat treatments and with the addition of oil or fat are combined.

For good digestion, you just need to follow some basic rules of nutrition.

Under no circumstances should you overeat. Ideally, if the food during each meal will contain from 400 to 800 kcal, depending on the actions performed: intense physical or mental activity.

Dividing food into several meals is necessary to facilitate digestion. Three meals a day, even with some snacks, is enough to meet the daily needs of 1200-2400 kcal.

It is preferable to follow the regime, the breaks between meals should be at least 3-4 hours, so that the stomach has time to calmly digest food.

Stress can have consequences for both the stomach and intestines. It is advisable to take food in a calm state.

Slow chewing for a long time is important in order to avoid excessive air intake and not suffer from indigestion.

It is necessary to limit the consumption of sweets after meals, because the presence of sugars in the stomach makes the digestion of starches and proteins much more difficult.

Therefore, the key to good health and mood is a perfectly functioning digestive system. The combination of all of the above factors contributes to the normal functioning of the intestines.

In contact with

Sometimes, without being a doctor, it is worth delving into the details of the digestion process, assessing how long food passes through the gastrointestinal tract, and comparing the absorption of foods by duration. Why know how to digest food quickly? The body of the dock in this matter, let him deal with it. Because the unconscious choice of unsuccessful combinations makes the stomach work harder and provokes the occurrence of complications. Let's see why it is important to know the digestion time of food.

How many hours does a person digest food

The fuel consumed in the form of food is essential for the functioning of the body. Without the necessary nutrients, the development, repair and protection of cells is impossible. Eaten foods go a long way before becoming the bricks needed for the body, however, the energy costs of processing and the time of digestion of food are highly dependent on the food belonging to a certain class.

The answer to the question of how much food is digested in the stomach may surprise you with a range: from half an hour to 6 hours. How long does it take for food to enter the intestines? After 7-8 hours of moving through the small intestine with parallel splitting, the food passes into the large intestine, where it can stay for about 20 hours. To sum up, how much food fuel will be processed to feces as much as possible (we apologize for the terminology “off the table”): around 1.5 days.

Digestion time in the stomach:

It is necessary to separate the concepts of "digestion" and "assimilation". The first determines how long the food is in the stomach, undergoing processing in the form of splitting into simple chemical compounds. The second involves the absorption of the received elements and their use to replenish energy needs, regenerate cellular tissues, and maintain the viability of organs and systems.

The end date of protein processing is significantly different from the indicators of how much carbohydrates and fats are absorbed over the same period. For the first, the splitting process coincides with the moment of digestion, facilitating further absorption, for the second, digestion is already transferred to the intestines (complex carbohydrates), delaying penetration into the blood.

It is important to understand how much food is in the stomach, to distinguish between the time of digestion of products and the time of assimilation. Doctors are not recommended to mix meals, throwing in a new batch of "fuel" before the old one is completely processed. In our article, digestion will also mean complete assimilation for ease of orientation.

What is absorbed the fastest (table)

The period indicating how long the food enters the intestines after being processed in the stomach is the rate of digestion. Products sometimes differ in directly opposite characteristics with respect to this parameter.

The table of digestion of food by time will help to systematize indicators and divide food into groups.

It became clear how much food is digested in the stomach. The table reflects approximate product grouping vectors, presenting the big picture. However, certain ways of processing and mixing ingredients can affect the absorption of food. We single out three stages of complicating the life of the gastrointestinal tract:

• The same digestion time, no heat treatment, fats and sugar are not mixed.
• The same digestion time, sugar or butter, spices are added.
• Different digestion times, different processing and preparation methods, oils or fats are added.

In the third situation, it will be especially difficult for the body to assimilate the incoming fuel due to fats, which create a film that repels gastric juice, and stretching the processing time of the “material”. As can be seen from the table, meat and mushrooms are digested the longest. Take this into account when planning a menu, especially for children: fast-digesting food is preferable for a child.

A feeling of heaviness and lack of appetite will tell you how long the food actually takes to digest. The simple compatibility of the components in terms of processing time and the pacification of fanaticism from fats will improve overall well-being.

A competent analysis of the data, how much food is digested, will allow you to build an infallible nutrition system that is ideally suited to the body. There are a number of general rules, following which will greatly facilitate the work of the digestive tract:

1. Try not to mix products of different time parameters so as not to burden the stomach.

2. Strive to create recipes and combinations within the same time group.

3. The addition of oils increases the duration of food digestion by an average of 2-3 hours.

4. Dilution of undigested food with any liquid will reduce the concentration of gastric juice, complicate the processing of "material" and clog the intestines with undigested residues subject to fermentation.

6. Boiled and fried foods lose some of their useful properties and lose their original structure, so the digestion time increases by 1.5 times.

7. Cold food is processed faster and can lead to obesity due to a violation of the absorption process. The feeling of hunger returns faster, the processes of absorption and utilization are disrupted, the intestines undergo decay processes. In particular, this rule applies to protein foods, which should be digested for at least 4 hours, and leave the body cold in 30 minutes.

8. Keep in mind that the most favorable time for processing the “material” is lunchtime, so it is fashionable to quench the thirst for mixing incompatible categories without consequences. Breakfast and dinner do not differ in such activity, so try to select foods of the same digestion time and quick assimilation.

9. When asked if food is digested during sleep, the answer will be a call to simple logic. Night time is a period of rest and recovery for the whole organism, including the gastrointestinal tract. Eating before bed is tantamount to filling the stomach with useless rotten food, since the body will digest and assimilate the fuel fermented during the night only in the morning.

Despite the visual isolation and independence of the gastrointestinal tract, the indicators of how many hours food is digested in the stomach sometimes directly depend on our conscious choice. Make it easier for your body.

How the stomach digests food: video

The best time for various products

The indicator of how many hours food is digested in the stomach directly depends on the nature of the material itself. This topic has already been touched upon by the above table “The time of digestion of foods in the human stomach”, now we will analyze the categories in more detail.

Cereals and legumes

• Let's take cereal. Buckwheat - digestion time will stop at 3 hours.
• The digestion time of rice in the stomach is 3 hours.
• The digestion time of millet porridge is 3 hours.
• How much barley is digested? Also 3 hours.
• The digestion time of oatmeal is 3 hours.
• How much is oatmeal digested in water (from flakes)? Only 1.5 hours.
• Is corn digestible in the human body? Yes, if there is enough weight in the body to secrete the necessary enzymes. The procedure will take 2.3 hours (corn grits).
• Let's move on to beans. How long does it take to digest lentils? The answer is 3 hours.
• How much peas are digested (dry) - 3.3 hours.
• The digestion time of green peas will stop at 2.4 hours.
• How much beans are digested in the stomach? At least 3 hours.

Many are interested in how much rice porridge is digested in the stomach - the same as regular rice - 3 hours. The time for assimilation of semolina porridge is slightly less - 2 hours. Boiled corn takes approximately 2.5 hours to digest, depending on the ripeness of the cob. And the most easily digestible cereals, as you probably already understood, are familiar from childhood - an ideal quickly digestible porridge for children and adults.

Meat

• How much pork is digested depends on the part: tenderloin - 3.3 hours, loin - 4.3 hours.
• The digestion time of lamb converges at 3.3 hours.
• How long does it take to digest chicken breast? About 3.2 hours.
• How much duck meat is digested? Approximately 3.3 hours
• How many hours meat (beef) is digested does not depend on the part. Approximately 3.3 hours.
• How many dumplings are digested in the stomach - 3.3 hours.
• The digestion time of fat can exceed a day.

The rate of digestion of meat in the stomach also depends on the method of its preparation. For example, the digestion time of ground beef will be reduced if you add pureed vegetables such as zucchini or carrots when cooking ground beef patties. But jelly from pork legs will be digested for a very long time - more than 5 hours. Chicken jelly is digested a little faster - about 3-3.5 hours.

Seafood

• How long fish is digested depends on the variety: low-fat (cod) will fit in 30 minutes, fatty (herring, salmon, trout) - 50-80 minutes. A hake is quickly digested in the stomach - no more than 2 hours.
• How long do shrimp digest? About 2.3 hours.
• Assimilation of sea cocktails will take approximately 3 hours.

When compiling a menu, do not forget about such a factor as the compatibility of various products.

Vegetables

• How long does a potato take to digest? Young - 2 hours.
• How long does a fried potato take to digest? Already 3-4 hours. Boiled - only 2-3 hours. How long does a baked potato take to digest? Young - about 2 hours.
• How are raw carrots digested? For 3 hours. The question why carrots are not absorbed without oil is not entirely correct: vitamin A is poorly absorbed, since it is fat-soluble. With oil, carrots take longer to digest, but the benefits are higher.
• How much fresh cabbage (white cabbage) is digested - 3 hours.
• How long does sauerkraut take to digest in the stomach? About 4 hours.
• How much is boiled beets digested? This will take approximately 50 minutes.
• How long does a cucumber take to digest? An average of 30 minutes (like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, herbs).
• Vegetable corn is not digested for more than 45 minutes (cook without oil).

Now you know which vegetables are poorly digested: cabbage, fried potatoes, celery root will also take a long time to digest. The rate of assimilation of lean cabbage soup also depends on the time of assimilation of cabbage and will be approximately 3 hours. Why else soup can be digested for a long time: tough meat for broth, the use of too fatty a piece of meat for broth, a high content of vermicelli and long-digestible cereals.

Fruit

• Consider kiwi. The digestion time will be 20-30 minutes.
• How much an orange is digested - 30 minutes.
• How many tangerines are digested - also 30 minutes.
• Let's take a grapefruit. The digestion time is 30 minutes.
• How long does it take to digest an apple? The process will take 40 minutes.
• How much is a banana digested? Approximately 45-50 minutes.
• Wondering how long a pineapple takes to digest? The answer is 40-60 minutes.
• How long does a mango take to digest? About 2 hours.

There are other types of fruits that are digested for a long time by the gastrointestinal tract. For example, do you know how much persimmon is digested in the human stomach? Almost 3 hours! Therefore, you should not eat this product at night.

Animal products

• How much milk is digested - 2 hours.
• How long does curd take to digest? Approximately 2.5 hours. Is the cottage cheese low fat? About 2.4 hours.
• How much cheese is digested - 3.3 hours.
• I wonder how much kefir is digested? 1.4 to 2 hours (non-greasy - fatty).
• The digestion time of ryazhenka will be 2 hours.
• How long does yogurt take to digest? Approximately 2 hours.
• For gourmets: how long does ice cream take to digest? The process takes 2.3 hours.
• How long a boiled egg is digested - 2.2 hours. What about egg white? The same indicators.
• How much fried eggs are digested depends on the volume. A dish of two hard-boiled eggs - 2-3 hours.
• How long does an omelet take to digest? A little over 2 hours.

flour products

• The time of digestion of bread in the stomach depends on the type of flour: from 3.1 hours (wheat) to 3.3 hours (rye).
• The question of how much bread is digested is difficult. The product has a lot of fiber (100 grams = 4 loaves of rye bread), which is digested for a long time.
• How long does pasta take to digest? Approximately 3.2 hours.

Sweets (honey, nuts, chocolate)

• How much marshmallow is digested - 2 hours.
• The digestion time of chocolate will be 2 hours.
• How much is halva digested? Approximately 3 hours.
• Peanuts, like other nuts, are digested on average 3 hours, but the process can be accelerated if the product is crushed and soaked.
• Let's take dry fruits. Digestion time varies from 2 hours (raisins, dates) to 3 (prunes, pears).
• The digestion time of honey is 1.2 hours.

Liquids

• Coffee with milk is not digested, as tannin and milk proteins form an indigestible emulsion.
• The digestion time of tea in the stomach will be about an hour.
• How long does water stay in the stomach? Together with food - about an hour. The liquid, drunk on an empty stomach, immediately enters the intestines. It is absorbed at one time about 350 ml (concerns water and food).
• How long does soup take to digest? Vegetable broth - 20 minutes, meat - depends on the base and ingredients, difficult to determine.

The residence time of food in the human stomach is an extremely variable value, but it can be easily brought under control. Follow simple rules for eating, combine the right ingredients at the right time to avoid overloading the digestive tract and causing fermentation, choose the right time. It's easy to be healthy.