

Good choices in this food category include: Peeling the skin and removing the seeds from fruit and vegetables will help lower the amount of fiber. Whole fruits contain high amounts of fiber, but cooking them helps break down the fiber significantly, which makes it easier to digest.

As a result, the fiber passes through your large intestine and may cause a number of issues, from gas to bloating to difficult-to-pass stool.Įating foods that are low in fiber lessens the amount of undigested material and may ease your symptoms. This is because fiber - while a healthy part of the diet - is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that isn’t digested by your body. If a person is especially nutritionally deficient, this could indicate the presence of a food allergy or intolerance.Foods that are easy to digest tend to be low in fiber. Sometimes a doctor may order blood testing to test for low blood counts due to gastrointestinal bleeding or the presence of nutritional deficiencies. The test may look for the presence of blood, fat, or undigested food materials. This test involves collecting a sample of stool and sending it to a laboratory for evaluation. If a doctor is concerned about the presence of undigested food in the stool as well as other symptoms, they may order a stool test.

These are just a few examples of conditions associated with the presence of undigested food. In this condition, your body doesn’t have enough of the lactase enzyme to digest lactose, a carbohydrate lactose. This condition may be caused by an overly sensitive colon. The pancreas may not be making enough enzymes to properly break down food particles. This is a form of inflammatory bowel disease, where a person experiences significant inflammation in their digestive tract. The body can’t properly break down gluten, a protein found in many foods, especially bread products. These symptoms could indicate an underlying condition.

Examples of high-fiber food particles that often remain largely undigested include: This helps propel food material forward for digestion. Stool that’s bulkier stimulates the walls of the intestines to move. However, eating fiber can be beneficial, because it adds bulk to the stool. While the body can break down most foods, fiber remains largely undigested. The most common cause of undigested food in stool is fibrous food.
