Gastroparesis, or slow digestion, is a digestive disorder that can strike anyone, including the young, old and those who are healthy. Diagnosing digestive disorders can be tricky, due to the vague and sometimes overlapping symptoms of each...
Slowing down digestion can benefit your metabolism and help you lose weight. According to the American Council on Exercise, when you eat foods that digest slowly, you help keep your body's blood sugar levels steady. Eating too many fast-digesting...
Fiber is a natural substance in plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Fiber in your diet can help lower your blood cholesterol, it can improve blood sugar levels if you have diabetes and it may help you lose weight,...
Fats, or lipids, are an essential part of your diet. According to nutritionist Elson Haas, M.D., lipids are part of every cell membrane and every organ and tissue in your body. Along with proteins and carbohydrates, lipids are a primary source of...
Digestion is a complex process that begins in your mouth, runs the length of several organs and ends with the excretion of wastes. In some individuals, the emptying of the digestive system can be delayed, a condition known as gastroparesis. This...
Food allergies cause changes in the digestive system, which can include diarrhea. Food allergies do not slow down the digestive system, however, food sensitivities and intolerances can. If you experience constipation after eating certain foods or...
Fiber can help slow digestion, especially the rate of carbohydrate digestion, according to the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Although lettuce has a reputation as a high-fiber food, its actual fiber content per serving is low, unless...
Approximately 60 percent of your body is made from water, an essential chemical that is involved in nearly every process from metabolism to respiration. According to MayoClinic.com, the average adult needs to drink eight to nine cups of water...
While the act of swallowing is conscious, once food passes into the stomach, it moves along through the rest of the gastrointestinal tract based upon the rate of peristalsis, or waves of muscular motion through the stomach and intestine. Since...
Your digestive system is a hardworking bodily function that involves your stomach, intestines and other important organs. Certain foods digest slower than others. Speed of digestion is not as important as efficient digestion. The ability for your...
Ice cream -- that summer indulgence -- makes childhood a little more perfect. Unfortunately for many children and adults, ice cream must be eaten in small doses because it takes so long to digest. Ice cream is mostly fat, and fat lingers in the...
With obesity described as a dilemma within the United States, a focus on maintaining a healthy diet has swept our nation, advising our citizens to make smart food choices while engaging in physical activity. Effective weight-loss strategies have...
All carbohydrates are not created equal. There are simple carbs, which digest very quickly, and complex carbs, which take longer to digest. According to the Nemours Foundation, complex carbs are further broken down into refined and unrefined...
Protein is a vital part of any healthy meal plan, as its main responsibility is to build and repair the tissues in the body. Proteins that come from plants, like legumes, contain fiber, while animal proteins, like meat, poultry and seafood,...
Rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates results in spikes in your blood sugar levels, followed by a crash, which leaves you feeling tired, irritable and hungry. This is why slowing down your carbohydrate digestion is a good way to ensure your...
Onions are pungent, flavorful vegetables that add several key nutrients to your meal, while providing minimal calories. They are full of powerful antioxidants that help ward off harmful free radicals, which are damaging compounds that feed on...
Your liver is your largest internal organ, situated on your right side below your ribcage. It performs many essential functions that keep your body healthy and in good condition. These include storing and releasing energy, making blood proteins...
If you are overweight or obese, you are at risk for several conditions that can have a negative impact on your digestion. Obesity also affects your ability to engage in regular physical activity, which can have a negative effect on your metabolic...
When you eat, you probably do not think about the digestion process taking place inside your body. You probably don't consider the impact the rate of digestion has on your health, or what foods digest at what speed. Carbohydrates are essential for...
If your child begins exhibiting a dramatic change in dietary habits, slow stomach digestion could be to blame. Delayed gastric emptying, or gastroparesis, refers to a disorder that causes the stomach to digest too slowly. The disorder could last a...
The life expectancy for Americans is 78.2, according to statistics released by the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention in 2011. A longer life span is the goal for many, but it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help keep...
As you age, physical changes take place on the inside as well as the outside of your body. Your ability to break down and digest food often decreases due to changes in the tissue, muscle and glands that secrete digestive enzymes as you get older....
As old age ensues, many of the natural bodily processes begin to slow and the body is left to rely on the remaining working parts to carry itself through the rest of its life. Therefore, the lifestyle that was lived becomes an important...
Foods that slow digestion can help stabilize glucose levels, preventing both hyper- and hypoglycemia -- high and low blood sugars. Dietary fat can slow digestion, help you feel full faster and stay satisfied longer, and may even help you lose...
Resistant starch is a type of fiber -- indigestible plant material that slows digestion -- and may help you feel satisfied with fewer calories, promoting weight loss. It's called resistant starch because it "resists" being digested in your small...
A healthy diet and regular exercise program usually go hand in hand in any pursuit of fitness or wellness. However, if you play sports or engage in rigorous athletic activity, you may have specific dietary needs for your levels of exertion....
Digestion is the body's process for breaking down foods that you have eaten. Some elements of these foods are used to produce energy and the remaining waste is prepared for excretion. Slow digestion can make you feel sluggish and may cause...
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can occur if you skip a meal, don't consume enough calories when eating, exercise too intensely or take too much diabetes medication. Although hypoglycemia doesn't cause serious health problems, it can make you...
Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar drops below 60 g/dL. If you have hypoglycemia, you probably have a problem handling the amount of carbohydrates you consume. You will find there are many different hypoglycemia diets, but most have the...
Include good carbohydrates in your daily diet. Learn how to adjust your diet to fit your specific health and nutrition needs in this free video on grocery shopping.