Sweetcorn Digestion

[Chappers]

I noticed recently whilst examining my stools...something which we are supposed to do, it's not just me being wierd...that after eating sweetcorn, there's a high number of undigested kernels. Are they actually whole, undigested kernels or are they the...coating for want of a better word? Is there something wrong with my stomach that they don't get digested? A friend recently mentioned a similar thing but with peas.

[ICEMANSAV]

High Octane conversation I can imagine...

Sweetcorn is generally renowned for poor digestion and so are peanuts etc. I am sure a more learned AB'er will highlight the actual reasoning?

[cascarelli]

Thanks, I was just eating a sandwich

[Miss Inquiry]

I have read somewhere (in either You are what you eat's Gillian's book or that 10 years younger woman's book) that you can test just how good your digestive system is doing a sweetcorn test. You need to eat a few tablespoons of sweetcorn and depending on how quickly it turns up again you can see just how healthy your digestive system is.

[Chappers]

I guess that chewing the sweetcorn better would make it digest more thoroughly?

What kinda turnaround are we looking at here? 2 days? More? Less?

[PinkFizz]

I watched a programme once which said that if you have undigested sweetcorn in your number two's then it means that you aren't chewing your food properly,and merely swallowing it,if this helps.

[BigMac]

Most people experience the same thing - and with other vegetables, too.

As far as I can recall, it shows you are not chewing your food properly - the enzymes etc in the stomach are very good but some things need to be broken down more before reaching it. Saliva does this and so the more you chew the greater the chance that the food will already have started breaking down before it reaches the stomach.

[admarlow]

oh my god I was thinking about this , this morning! And I was also wondering if it doesn't get digested how can it be one of you 5 a day!?!??!

[mandimoo]

the skins are clear, and the contents yellow. the skins are indigestable roughage. it would therefore follow that if you didnt chew you food thoroughly enough to squeeze the digestable yellow part out, it would remain encased in the indigestible skin and thus appearing complete in your poo.

[shaneystar2]

It only looks whole because the corn casings retain their shape .Each individual kernel has a lot of cellulose in it, the stuff that cell walls are made of in plants. Humans can't digest cellulose which is why we can't eat grass, so it passes straight through you.

[beejaybee]

I have a colostomy, so see a lot of what does not get digested properly. Mushrooms, peppers, peas, tomato skins are just a few.