food types

Question
Hello

Can I ask you a question about how we digest food?

I have been reading/learning about different types of foods. I read that some foods, such as processed foods, we digest very fast. While other foods, such as lettuce, we digest very slow. When we eat both, does the lettuce slow down the fast-digest foods, or does the fast-digest foods speed up the lettuce, or they go thru at different speeds?

Thanks for the time. I could not find the answer to this one on the internet.

Answer
Hello Scott!

   Thank you for your nutrition question.  Simple sugars such as processed foods require little digestion, and when a child eats a sweet food, such as a candy bar or a can of soda, the glucose level of the blood rises rapidly. In response, the pancreas secretes a large amount of insulin to keep blood glucose levels from rising too high. This large insulin response in turn tends to make the blood sugar fall to levels that are too low 3 to 5 hours after the candy bar or can of soda has been consumed. This tendency of blood glucose levels to fall may then lead to an adrenaline surge, which in turn can cause nervousness and irritability... The same roller-coaster ride of glucose and hormone levels is not experienced after eating complex carbohydrates such as lettuce or after eating a balanced meal because the digestion and absorption processes are much slower.

For more answers to your nutrition questions check out "Ask the Nutritionists" by George Rapitis at www.authorhouse.com

-George Rapitis, Bsc. Nutritionist
www.juiceblend.com

1. Prev:competitive eating
2. Next:calorie/fiber question