Stomach aches: which foods can notoriously cause them?

Foods contain macronutrients and micronutrients that are essential for our health and well-being. They help the body and mind. But increasingly with use of processed foods, cases of allergies, insensitivities, and intolerances to these foods are on the rise. Often people notice that they get stomach pains and indigestion with certain foods. Which are the common foods that can induce stomach aches?

Foods and stomach aches

Foods are essential to keep us healthy. The macro- and micronutrients in these edible things are required for the proper functioning and structuring of our body. Carbs, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and water are vital in foods and for the body and mind. The various processes in our body would go haywire if we have less or none of these food constituents in our food.

But time is changing and so are our foods. In the olden days, food used to be fresh and often eaten raw or with minimal cooking. But in the modern days, more than 50% of our foods are from the processed and ultra-processed food categories. These are not fresh and consist of certain additives that can harm the body. The result is a lot of chronic diseases, obesity, metabolic derangements, and also poor gut health. Allergies, intolerances, and insensitivities to these foods is on the rise and stomach aches are a common complaint after ingestion of certain foods.

Foods that can cause stomach pains

Many people get stomach pains or indigestion and bloating with certain foods. Some may vomit or even have loose motions after consuming them. Nutritionist Zeina Maktabi states:

“Your gut health plays a big role in how well you are able to digest and tolerate certain foods. That’s because our gut bugs play a major role in breaking down, digesting and absorbing the types of fibers or sugars in these foods. If you have low gut bug diversity or an imbalance then you are likely to feel the bloat, discomfort and pain”,

The foods notorious in causing this problem are:

Raw vegetables

These vegetables especially the green ones have a lot of fiber in them. Our body cannot digest fiber. The gut bacteria help in this. When we consume a lot of this fiber rich vegetables, there can be indigestion and bloating. If this happens, go less and slow. Cook the vegetables and do not take them raw.

Apple

Apple has a lot of fructose in it. If one feels bloated after eating it, it is due to fructose intolerance. This can happen if you have a imbalance of your healthy and bad gut bacteria. Improve the gut microbiome and then consume these fructose rich fruits.

Inulin

This is a tough kind of fiber. It is hard to digest it. In some people, it can cause stomach pains and indigestion. Hence, use foods with less of inulin in it. These include whole grains and those with acacia fiber in it.

Read more: Non-nutritive sweeteners can cause metabolic diseases: an analysis!

Sweeteners

These have sugar alcohols called polyols and these are difficult to digest in some. Hence foods containing these sweeteners may cause stomach pains in them.