How Long Does It Take To Digest Meat And What You Can Do About It

Water, juices or any kind of drinks are the simplest and fastest to digest. The more complex the food, the longer it takes to digest.There are also other factors like metabolism, age and body type that play a role in breaking down of food. However, fats take the longest to digest. So the question is how long does meat take to completely break down?

It takes about two to four days for meat to get digested according to Sheela Seharawat, a dietitian from the Diet Clinic. Is that a scary thing? Well, not if you balance out your meaty meals in a way that the process becomes faster. The obvious one is having lots of water. Other than that try these tried and tested methods to help the meat digestion process along.

Exercise Your Mouth

Chewing your meat instead of gobbling it down helps big time. Breaking down your food by chewing multiple times releases the gastric juices and makes the stomach acidic, making it easier to break down that greasy steak.

Pair It With Pineapple

Or you can also have a bowlful of it just before your heavy lunch. The bromelain is an enzyme which is found in its natural form in pineapple that breaks the bonds between proteins helping along the digestion process.

For The Love Of Papaya

If you love Papaya then you can choose to eat this along with the meat or before and watch it work it’s magic as you won’t feel bloated after a meaty meal. This happens due to papain, an enzyme found in papaya that makes digestion smoother.

Yoghurt To The Rescue

Adding probiotics to your meal will aid digestion due to the presence of the friendly bacteria that help break down the food. You can try having yoghurt or kefir or any other probiotic that you prefer.

Cut Down On Fat

Give preference to portions of meat which are low on fat or choose meats like fish, poultry, seafood or veal. Low fat meat is a great option if you have a hard time digesting meat but love eating it all the same. Plus you’ll be on the healthier side.

Let The Meat Do The Work

Marinade the meat in a way that it breaks down easy and give your stomach a break. How? Choose acidic elements like lemon or vinegar and marinade the meat overnight in this. That way it digests faster.

Nevertheless, meat does take time to go down and all these methods ensure that you don’t develop any stomach disorders while consuming meat. Try to eat in moderation and pair your meat with sufficient vegetables to have well balanced and wholesome meal.