digestion times

Hi,  I'm not a doctor but I believe that different foods take different times to digest. Also there may be a differences between men and women, individuals, etc. Heavy things like meat may take up to 4 or more hours but fruits and veggies may not take that long. The sites I read indicate it takes 30 to 40 minutes for a salad.

I have seen pieces of food that I just ate come out and not to be gross but I believe corn is very tough for the body to digest and sometimes does not get digested at all (especially if swallowed whole something I have to be careful about as it gets stuck in the catheter).

This all makes sense to me but if you are concerned about it, you should check with your doctor.  I hope this helps. Have a beautiful and stress free day.  Mary

Normal, perfectly normal.

Digestive times indicated are always for 'coloned' people so that takes into account the time that the food needs to transit the colon...we have shorter systems and shorter times.

As an indicator of approximate times:

Fruits: 20 mins 

Veggetables: Ditto

Carbohydrates like rice and pasta or breads: 2-3hrs

Yogurt and soft cheeses: 1-2hrs

Hard cheeses: up to 6hrs

Fish: 3hrs

White meats and fowl: 3-5hrs

Red meats: 6+hrs

Do not forget that if you mix carbs and proteins you are going to multiply those times due to digestive conflict which could explain why meat and potatoes or chicken with rice may take up to 12hrs.

Sharon

Yes my digestion has always been fast. The difference for me is eggs, cheese etc will attack me almost immediately. Not so with all root vegetables.

thanks guys Its nice to know its normal for us!!

great list sharon!

i've got fast digestive times as well.  do any of you think nutriment absorption is compromised?  and if so, how to best compensate.  thanks, janet

Yes I feel lack of absorption compromises our ability to maintain a balanced benefit from many of out diets.

I take a good quality multi vit and mineral tablet each day.

Initially my surgeon said to me that if I am gaining weight than I am absorbing...That was the 70's and we have come a long way since.

I used to juice including major mineral-rich foods like parsley, cilantro and other herbs now I just blend...don't bother throwing away all of the goodness (and it slows digestion to allow me to absorb a bit more).

Some things are absorbed through our stomachs (not many) like sugars, alcohol and certain meds but most foods absorb through our small bowels. Most foods were not meant to stick around that long in them so we technically should have enough gut leftover to absorb most elements. 

The micronutrients are another story. Most people these days do not get enough of them and processed foods and industrial farming deprive us of most of these elements. 

Supplements are essential. But not for all of us.

I just did a 30 day run of magnesium, copper/gold/silver, cobalt/zinc/selenium...I haven't slept so well since I started taking it. It took it 2 days to kick in and I have had over 2 months of uninterrupted sleep cycles. I fought off a nasty lung bug in a week and have been the Eveready bunny for weeks. 

I finished the treatment 5 days ago. 

I am exhausted again. So maybe I needed it more than I thought.

My old GP used to set me up, 4xs/yr, with a micronutrient regimen to get me through the seasons. It worked wonders.

A good naturopath or nutritionist can help make you up a list and they can test your hair to see what is missing.

Sharon

Yes a hair analysis reveals so much. I became very ill around the age of 35.  ME type symptoms.  No help from GPs. Got myself to York here and saw alternative doctor. Brilliant. Yes is showed up magnesium deficiency, selenium and chromium levels so low. very strict healthy diet which I still remember to keep to.  It does work.