Starches are complex carbohydrates that produce vital energy when your body converts them to glucose during digestion. The starches in peas, corn, whole grains and potatoes provide fuel for your muscles, brain and other vital organs.
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The nutritional profiles of frozen and fresh vegetables are essentially the same, but the freezing process may cause slight changes in their vitamin content. The way you prepare vegetables at home can also affect the nutrients in these foods.
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Starting a new diet to lose weight, manage your blood sugar levels or reduce your risk of chronic disease might change your bowel patterns, especially in the first phases.
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A diet that includes raw fruits, vegetables and nuts may reduce the symptoms of an anal fistula and promote wound healing. Bowel movements can cause severe pain with an anal fistula, especially if digestive wastes are hard and difficult to pass.
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Pumpkin ranks high on the glycemic index, or GI, which suggests that the carbohydrates in this nutrient-rich vegetable could cause a marked increase in your blood sugar.
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Some gastrointestinal conditions that damage your digestive tract, such as inflammatory bowel disease or cancer, may require a surgical opening in your abdomen, which allows stool to leave your body. This surgery is medically known as an ileostomy, while the opening itself is called a stoma.
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If you’re planning your diet based on the glycemic index, or GI, of foods, you can add a fresh apple to a meal or snack without causing a marked increase in your blood sugar. The carbohydrates in a food determine how that food will affect your blood glucose levels.
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Iron supplements can produce gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea. If you have diarrhea, abdominal pain or other gastrointestinal symptoms and you’re taking iron supplements, consult your health-care provider to make sure that you’re taking the correct amount of iron to meet your nutritional needs.
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Dried figs have a moderate ranking on the glycemic index, or GI. If you’re planning meals and snacks based on the GI value of the foods you eat, you can eat dried figs without experiencing a rapid, marked increase in your blood sugar.
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A low glycemic diet can be compatible with your vegetarian eating plan if you emphasize complex carbohydrates that keep your blood sugar stable.
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An allergy to eggs can cause a range of reactions, from a mild rash to severe breathing difficulty. Egg allergies often begin in infancy or early childhood. As you grow older, your body may adjust to the proteins in eggs that trigger allergies, and you may be able to enjoy these nutritious foods.
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A balanced diet for ulcers can include nuts, as long as you can digest them without pain. If you have stomach pain after eating raw or roasted nuts, consider replacing whole nuts with creamy peanut butter or almond butter to benefit from the protein, minerals and heart-healthy fats that nuts provide.
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Diverticulosis, or the presence of small herniations in your intestinal lining, may occur when you exert pressure on your colon while straining to pass hard stools.
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Because your body digests pasta more slowly than many other starchy foods, pasta offers you sustained energy without causing fluctuations in your blood sugar.
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Although high-fiber foods trigger the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in some people who have this disorder, a high-fiber diet may regulate your bowel movements if you suffer from frequent constipation.
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Inhaling food into your lungs -- known as aspiration -- can cause serious complications, especially if you have a condition that makes you aspirate food or fluids on a regular basis. According to an article published in 2011 by "Critical Care Medicine,"
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Thanks to its soluble fiber content, a simple bowl of oatmeal offers plenty of sustained-release energy. Depending on the processing and preparation of the oats, oatmeal has a low to moderate effect on your blood glucose level and insulin production.
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Your bowels and other abdominal organs have slick, membranous surfaces that prevent them from sticking together when they make contact under normal circumstances. Adhesions may occur when tissues make contact and band together, most often after surgery. Over time, these tissue bands can grow thicker and stronger.
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As a dietary source of potassium, papaya may help lower your blood pressure. This tropical fruit -- grown in Hawaii, Florida, California, Mexico and Puerto Rico -- is rich in potassium, a mineral that counteracts the effects of sodium and helps you keep your blood pressure within a normal range.
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Drinking herbal tea may soothe the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can cause abdominal pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea or constipation. Caffeinated tea may aggravate IBS symptoms by stimulating bowel activity.
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