11 Foods to Avoid During Digestive Problems and Disorders Everyday Health Menu NewslettersSearch Digestive Health 11 Foods to Avoid When You' re Having Digestive Problems Indigestion can be miserable, so you want to do what you can to clear up your digestive problems. Start with good food choices, and avoid these hard-to-digest foods. By Christine BahlsMedically Reviewed by Kareem Sassi, MD Reviewed: June 21, 2017 Medically Reviewed Some people treat their bodies like a Ferrari; others, like a clunker. A Ferrari body is given a healthy diet with the right mix of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, salts, vitamins, and soluble and 253 Dairy Products Matt Armendariz/Offset.com One food group that can be hard to digest is dairy, mainly because of lactose, the sugar found in milk and other dairy products. When lactose isn’t digested properly, such as in people with 254 Acidic Foods Trent Lanz/Stocksy Tomato sauce and citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit, are acidic and can irritate the stomach lining, causing digestive problems. Many people don’t realize that carbonated beverages are also acidic. When you have an 255 Fatty Foods Marti´ Sans/Stocksy Fatty foods stimulate contractions in the digestive tract, which can either slow down the emptying of the stomach and worsen 256 Fried Foods Joshua Resnick/500px.com The problem with fried foods is the same as with fatty foods — they can move, undigested, through the body too quickly, leading to diarrhea, or stay in your digestive tract too long, causing you to feel full and bloated. Many fried foods are low in 257 Processed Foods iStock.com If you’re constipated, you should avoid 258 Artificial Sweetener Thinkstock The artificial sweetener perhaps most associated with digestive problems is 259 Alcohol Shutterstock If you’re feeling nauseated, the last thing you should have is an alcoholic drink. “It will probably make you sicker,” Kim says. As Krevsky explains, alcohol is toxic to the stomach lining and changes liver metabolism. Drinking too much can cause indigestion, among other health problems. Moderation is key. 260 Caffeine Juri Pozzi/Stocksy 261 Sweet or Salty Jeff Wasserman/Stocksy The body doesn’t like trying to digest foods that are super sweet or salty — it likes moderation. When you’re sick, “You want something that’s easily digested,” Kim says. “Some people are affected by sugar levels when they are 262 Spoiled Foods Brigitte Sporrer/GettyImages Many refrigerated foods can go bad, such as dated items like eggs, dairy products, and meat. Bacteria like 263 Spicy Foods Nataša Mandic/Stocksy If you're experiencing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, you’ll want to avoid food choices that stimulate the digestive system, and these include spicy foods, says Jung Kim, a registered dietitian and specialist with Clinical Nutritional Support Services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Spicy foods are “incredibly variable,” says Dr. Krevsky — they have no effect on some people, but cause indigestion for others. In general, you should choose bland foods when you’re having digestive problems, and be sure to avoid spices if you’re sensitive to them. 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