- Fried foods slow gastric emptying, worsening bloating and digestive discomfort
- Slow digestion from fried foods causes heaviness, reflux, and gut microbiome issues
- Reducing fried food improves gut motility and results in lighter digestion
Digestive problems like bloating, acidity and heaviness after meals have become increasingly common. Now, Harvard and Stanford-trained gastroenterologist and hepatologist Saurabh Sethi is explaining how certain foods may be silently affecting gut health and slowing digestion.
In a recent video shared on social media, Dr Sethi speaks about one common type of food that, according to him, can make bloating worse: fried food.
“This food slows down your gut and makes bloating worse,” he says in the video.
According to Dr Sethi, fried foods are harder for the body to digest because they slow gastric emptying, the process through which food moves from the stomach into the intestine. When digestion slows down, food remains in the stomach and gut for a longer period, leaving people feeling heavy and uncomfortable after eating.
“This can lead to heaviness, bloating and reflux,” he explains. He also says that regularly consuming deep-fried foods may negatively affect the gut microbiome over time.
Dr Sethi further explains that making small changes to eating habits can significantly improve digestion.
“Better motility, less reflux, lighter digestion,” he says while discussing the benefits of reducing fried food intake.
Instead of deep-fried meals and snacks, he recommends healthier cooking methods such as baking, grilling, sautéing, or using an air fryer.
This is not the first time Dr Sethi has spoken about foods linked to gut health and digestion. In an earlier video shared in March, the doctor revealed some of his favourite high-fibre foods and snacks that support digestion and help prevent bloating.
His list included seeds such as chia seeds, basil or sabja seeds, pumpkin seeds, and ground flaxseeds. He also recommended fibre-rich snacks like walnuts, dry-roasted peanuts, and fox nuts or makhanas, which are considered easier to digest than many packaged snacks. Air-popped popcorn also made it to the list because it is lighter than butter-loaded or fried popcorn.
Among grains, Dr Sethi recommended steel-cut oats, sprouted bread, and sourdough bread for better digestion and long-lasting energy. He also mentioned plant-based proteins like tofu and tempeh. Click here to read the full story.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
