Why is meat digested slowly?

 Why is meat digested slowly?

Who doesn't love meat dishes? There are many people who consider weddings, parties and feasts as incomplete without meat dishes. Meat is also a food rich in nutrients, but it takes a long time to digest.

Meat contains elements such as fat, protein, minerals and minerals. Since meat contains a lot of protein, it remains in the stomach for a long time after eating. Because it takes more time to digest protein food than carbohydrate food. To put it simply, it does not take time to digest meat, it takes time to digest fat.

Carbohydrates and fiber-rich foods are digested within a few hours, while fat in meat is digested only after bile is released from the liver into the small intestine.

There are also different types of meat. The meat is tender, tough, with lots of bones and lots of fat. It is easy to digest the meat of khasi, goat or sheep, while hard, fibrous, red meat takes a long time to digest.

Khasi and venison are classified as red meat, while chicken and fish are classified as white meat. Rabbit meat is cooked the fastest. Because it is very soft. Besides, chicken meat and fish are easy to digest.

How to cook meat

Meat can be eaten in many ways. It can be eaten by boiling, sauteing, using, frying, making jhol, making gravy. Generally, it is customary to eat a lot of meat by burning, frying, and frying it. But eating more than this is beneficial for health. It is also easy to digest. Because the fat in the cooked meat melts and the spices including oil are reduced, it is physically beneficial. The meat may not be cooked properly if eaten after frying.Burnt meat is hard to chew if the inside is not cooked properly. Due to which, when a large piece of meat is in the stomach, it is slow to digest. It is easier to digest if you make small pieces of meat and cook it like a soup.

Chewing process

How meat or other food is chewed makes a difference in the digestive process. If you eat meat and chew it in your mouth for a long time, it is easier to digest it, but if you do not chew it properly, it will take time to digest it.

If the time is not favorable

In Nepali society, it is customary to eat 'heavy' food like meat in the evening, which is wrong. Eating meat in the evening takes a long time to digest because there is no physical activity. Therefore, it is better to eat meat in the morning or in the afternoon for better digestion. If you sleep three hours after eating dinner, it will be easier to digest.

Digestive capacity

How long it takes to digest meat also depends on a person's digestive capacity. Compared to people with strong digestion, it is difficult for those with weak digestion to digest meat. In general, children and elderly people have weak digestion, so it is better for them to eat less meat.

In general, meat is suitable for children and the elderly as their digestion process is weak, so they should consume less meat dishes. If you eat too much, it can cause constipation, stomach upset and even problems in the anus.

Illness also plays a role in poor digestion. People with long-term illness, stomach, intestines, and cholesterol have poor digestive capacity compared to others. They may find it very difficult to digest meat. Therefore, it is better for sick people to eat meat dishes in a balanced way.

How much meat to eat?

In Nepali society, meat is not eaten in a balanced way. The habit of not eating for a long time and eating too much at once brings problems. Therefore, a normal person should eat 100 grams of meat in a day.

(Stomach and Hepatologist Dr. Paudel is working at Civil Hospital in Nayabaneshwar. Based on a conversation with him by online journalist Renu Twanabasu)