Have you ever defecated and found there are some foods that have not been destroyed in the feces? Is this a sign that the food is not well-digested by the body? Does this signify something dangerous to happen in the gut? Relax first, try to find the answer below why there can be Undigested Food in Stool.
Healthy feces generally have different forms, between one person and another. Feces, in general, are soft and not dense, so it is easy to secrete through the drain.
The cause of Undigested Food in Stool
The most common reason why the Undigested Food in Stool is that it is high in fiber. The body cannot destroy high-fiber foods like other foods. But this doesn’t mean it’s bad for you.
Thus, the existence of these high-fiber foods provides benefits. With the presence of these high-fiber foods, though indestructible, the food stimulates the intestines to move. This high fiber food makes the intestines easier to push food that comes into the anus.
Sometimes the food is not well-broken.
Bacteria in the body can generally break down foods consumed. But, sometimes higher intake of fiber is more difficult to digest. Corn, carrots, cereals, grains, and nuts are some of the hard to digest intake.
Almost all vegetable intakes contains complex carbohydrates that are difficult to convert into calories by the body. To make sure the body absorbs nutrients, try steamed vegetables first. This will soften it and make more nutrients easier to remove.
Not chewing well
Chewing food is very necessary to facilitate digestion in the body. Well, if You often chewing in a hurry, chances are many foods that go into the body are still in intact form.
If we do not chew food thoroughly, digestive enzymes will be difficult to work with food, so it is still intact when defecating.
The food is coated with harsh skin.
Some nuts and grains have a hard or thick layer of outer skin. This will complicate the digestive process. Moreover, the outer layer of the skin like corn is also difficult to be broken down by enzymes because it contains cellulose.
Usually, the outer part of the corn containing cellulose that is often still seen intact in feces. Nevertheless, the nutrients are still obtained from corn.
The metabolic rate slows down.
To digest food it takes 24-72 hours. In some people who have a slow metabolism, this will affect the body’s ability to digest food, including leaving the undigested Food in Stool.
Consumption of foods high in fiber.
Consumption of foods high in fiber, such as greens, corn and beans are usually not digested well in the gastrointestinal tract. This is because the enzymes that exist in the gastrointestinal tract do not digest well.
Bowel movements are faster than usual.
Health experts mention that if there are some people who have bowel movements faster than people in general, so the food moves through the digestive tract faster and ultimately makes the intestines do not digest the food perfectly. As a result, some of the undigested parts of the food are mixed together with stool.
Food passes rapidly inside the digestive tract.
Food passes rapidly inside the digestive tract, so it does not have time to be digested and converted into a fine form. One cause is due to bacterial infections in the gastrointestinal tract.
Read also: Foods to avoid before going to bed.
You have a health problem.
Seeing the undigested Food in Stool is a concern. But it can be a sign of serious health disorders, if accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea or drastic weight loss.
According to Freedburg, some health disorders like Celiac, Crohn and pancreatic insufficiency can trigger undigested Food in Stool.
