Which Foods Are the Easiest to Digest?

4.30.2025 0 comments

Author: Trisha Houghton, CNS, ASIST

Dealing with gut trouble? You’re one of billions struggling with this issue. An astounding 40% of individuals worldwide grapple with digestive issues like upset stomach, stomach pain, constipation, and diarrhea.1

Even though digestive discomfort is as common as the day is long, remember – you’re not powerless. You can fine-tune your diet to reduce or prevent discomfort. Continue reading as we dive into the top 8 easiest foods to digest.

What Makes a Food Easy-To-Digest?

Before we reveal the most easily digestible foods, we’ll share what makes any given food item easy for your digestive system to handle.

Easy to digest foods usually boast one or more of these characteristics:

• Low insoluble fiber – Yes, fiber is a digestion essential. But, if you’re experiencing digestive discomfort, foods with a high insoluble fiber content can worsen the situation. Insoluble fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate; your system simply cannot break it down. However, it provides bulk to the stool which can help maintain regular bowl movements. So, in high amounts, it’s more likely to cause issues during digestion.2
• Low fat – Foods that have a high fat content can jumpstart acid reflux symptoms, diarrhea, contractions of the colon, and more.3 Those who want a happy gut should limit their intake of fatty foods and incorporate more low-fat foods into their daily meals.
• Soft food textures – Individuals hoping to improve their digestion would do well to opt for foods that have a soft texture. They’re easier to swallow than other foods and tend to be easily digestible. Your GI system won’t have to exert as much effort to digest soft food items as it would with tougher food options.

Other qualities of easy to digest foods include mild flavoring, low lactose, simple carbs, and high water content.

Top Easily-Digestible Foods

Some foods are much easier to break down than others. So, we urge you to add the top 8 easily-digestible foods below into your diet.

1. Bananas: Gentle on the Stomach and Nutrient-Rich

Bananas are equally delicious and gentle on the tummy – a major win if you want to give your GI tract a break. The fruit is low in fiber, soft in texture, and contains simple carbohydrates.4

Bananas are also a great source of pectin, which helps to soften stools and ward off constipation. In addition to that, green bananas are rich in resistant starch, a prebiotic that feeds good gut bacteria in your large intestine.5 For these reasons, you can rest assured that green bananas won’t give your digestive system trouble.

You can eat your green bananas right out of the peel or blend them up and add them to your go-to smoothie.

2. White Rice: Simple Carbohydrates for Energy

If you want to prevent or improve gut issues, try some white rice. Throw it in a pot and steam or boil it until it’s fluffy and soft. Then, eat it alone or as an accompaniment to lean cuts of meat, like skinless chicken breast, for an energy boost.

Wondering why white rice is so good for digestion?6 Much like bananas, cooked white rice is soft and relatively bland – it’s also a simple carb that’s low in fiber. According to the Cleveland Clinic, low fiber foods in this category can be helpful in cases of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and troublesome food digestion.7

Other refined grain products, like organic white bread and fortified cereals, are also helpful for gastrointestinal issues.

3. Applesauce: Fiber and Pectin for Digestion

Applesauce (without added sugar or spices) is ideal for digestion because of its low insoluble fiber content. When apples are cooked down into a sauce, the insoluble fiber breaks down.

Applesauce also contains pectin, a special type of fiber known to improve digestion.8 Furthermore, its prebiotic properties make for easier digestion, giving your gut bacteria the nutrition they need to thrive.9

Applesauce alone can feel one-dimensional – pair it with white toast for a light, delicious meal.

4. Bone Broth: Soothing and Nutrient-Dense

If you’ve tried solid foods and your stomach won’t cooperate, skip the solids and go with a liquid like bone broth. It’s extremely soothing to your gut, and your body will process it very quickly.

It also has a lot of healthy nutrients, one of which is glutamic acid, an amino acid that turns into glutamine and helps to support your intestinal wall.10 It’s also believed to help with leaky gut.

You can buy it pre-made or slow-simmer your own bones, herbs, and raw vegetables for at least 12 hours. Enjoy it as a base for chicken soup (organic canned options are okay as a backup) paired with easy to digest, rice.

5. Yogurt: Probiotics to Support Gut Health

As a fermented food, yogurt can be highly beneficial for your gut. And it’s all because of its digestion-supporting probiotics.11

Before you worry about the lactose, remember that yogurt has fermented dairy – there’s less lactose in it than unfermented dairy.12 Plus, the bacteria in yogurt can help break down lactose.13 For those lactose sensitive individuals who want to give dairy yogurt a try, this can be a good option or simply use non-dairy yogurt made with coconut, almond, or oat milk.

Reach for plain, unsweetened yogurt fortified with live cultures and dress it up with soft fruits like bananas and peeled peaches. You can also switch your yogurt out for kefir, another source of fermented, low fat dairy.

6. Oatmeal: Soluble Fiber for Smooth Digestion

Not all fiber is potentially harsh on the digestive system. Soluble fiber – the main fiber in oatmeal – is not.

The soluble fiber in oatmeal forms a jelly-like texture during digestion, which can reduce negative gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, it contains iron, carbs, B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, all of which can give you a sustained energy boost.14

Boil your oats in water until they’re soft and creamy. Then, top them off with soft fruits (skip the seeds if your stomach is sensitive to them).

7. Sweet Potatoes: Soft Texture and High Fiber

Eating high fiber foods could seem counterproductive if you’re hoping for gentle digestion. But sweet potatoes are different. Not only do they have a soft texture, but they also have soluble fiber, which is known to foster bowel health, improved digestion, and regularity.

And, according to several scientific studies, these potatoes and other high-fiber diets have been linked to a lower risk of developing cancers of the colorectal system.15

For a quick meal, boil, microwave, or air fry your sweet potatoes with the skins removed. Pair them with a soft protein like chicken or salmon.

8. Boiled or Poached Eggs: Protein Without Hard Digestive Work

It can be hard to get sufficient dietary protein when protecting your digestive tract. But as long as you don’t have an egg allergy, boiled or poached eggs, which are high in lean protein, cause little digestive strain due to their low fiber and soft texture.

Note that if you do experience upset you may have an undiscovered egg allergy. Though you can eat both the egg white and the yolk, remember that the whites are lower in fat and therefore can be the easiest part of the egg to digest.16

They’re delicious alone but go well with white rice or white toast.

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Tips for Choosing and Preparing a Gut-Friendly Meal

You can choose all the right foods, but if they aren’t carefully prepared, digestive issues could quickly follow.

When selecting and prepping gut-friendly meals, keep the below information in mind:

• Cooking items usually makes them much easier to digest.

• Foods with low insoluble fiber are more easily digested.

• It’s critical to watch the seasoning; strong spices (chili, garlic, onion) and too much salt can be counterproductive.

• Drinking liquids like water and fruit juices with meals aids in gut health/digestion.

Water-containing foods and liquids play a substantial role in how your digestive system breaks down food (from your mouth to your large intestine) and helps prevent constipation.17

When to Consider an Easy-to-Digest Diet

Are you unsure whether you need to take it easy on your gut?

You may want to consider an easy-to-digest diet when you have one of the following conditions:

• Chronic medical conditions (IBS, GERD, IBD, ulcers, Crohn’s disease, etc.)
• Morning sickness
• Food poisoning
• Stomach bug
• Surgery recovery
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Bloating

Note: If you have an upset stomach or suspect you may be suffering from one or more medical conditions, contact a healthcare professional, like your primary care physician (PCP) or a registered dietitian.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What foods are hard to digest as you get older?

Achieving healthy digestion from certain foods can be difficult as you age. You may need to alter your diet to avoid or limit hard to digest foods like:

• High-fat meat/red meat
• Spicy foods
• Fresh fruits (citrus fruits, especially)
• Whole grains
• Cabbage
• Raw veggies
• Beans
• Dairy products
• Alcohol
• Salty foods

All of the above foods can become harder to process internally as you enter advanced age.

What foods can settle your stomach?

To soothe an upset stomach, go with tummy-settling foods like saltine crackers, soup broth, bananas, applesauce, and white rice. In fact, the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast)is recommended for an upset stomach. However, due to its lack of essential nutrients it’s likely only a good resource for no more than a few days.

What foods clog your gut?

The thought that foods can “clog” your gut is a myth. However, some foods can impede healthy gastrointestinal processing, make you feel crummy, or slow gut motility. Watch out for fried foods and anything fatty or processed (like hot dogs).

Resources

1. New survey finds forty percent of Americans’ daily lives are disrupted by digestive troubles
2. 5 Food Groups That Are Easy to Digest
3. Low Fat Diet
4. Simple Carbohydrates vs. Complex Carbohydrates
5. 11 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Bananas
6. Health Benefits of Rice
7. High Fiber and Low Fiber Foods
8. What is Pectin: A Unique Fiber Explained
9. Health Benefits of Applesauce
10. How to Make Bone Broth, Plus Health Benefits
11. Everything You Need to Know About Yogurt
12. Effects of Fermentation on Yogurt
13. How Yogurt Supports Healthy Digestion
14. Foods That Boost Your Energy
15. What’s to Know About Sweet Potatoes?
16. 11 Foods That Are Easy to Digest
17. Your Digestive System and How It Works

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