VeggieBoards banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Vegan digestive problems.

8K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Capstan 
#1 ·
I think this is a common "detox" symptom of becoming vegan overnight but I have developed such bad gas that it makes me feel constantly sick and sometimes bed-bound... Any advice eagerly wanted.
 
#2 ·
A common mistake when some switch from a SAD to a vegan diet is to overload on protein. This usually comes with an overload of beans, quinoa, tofu etc... The misconception is how much protein one really needs. Unfortunately this is over emphasized in the SAD diet.

Your gut flora needs time to change. The amount of time is different for everyone.

Research food combining.

Eat your fruits before a meal or by themselves.

Eat probiotic foods.

You can use a product like Beano, when eating beans and crusiferous veggies.

Try to eat as much raw food as you can.

Let us know how it's going
 
#3 ·
Well, some people do say they get gas when first going veg, but I always thought it more a combo of increased fiber and/or improperly cooked foods, esp beans, or more cruciferous veggies.
It was the very opposite for me. Meat and eggs were a huge gas problem. My digestion and bloating went away.

What are you eating now that you didn't before? Or what are eating more often?

For me, it's raw vegetables that give me horrid bloating. Last time I ate a raw zucchini I was in awful pain, and praying for gas to relieve me at either end, but it never came. Just swollen tummy pain for a long time.

Food combining is only a factor for some> It's just now something I'm noticing, like certain fruits with certain proteins.

fennel and ginger are a couple things you could try. Chew a few fennel seeds, or any type of ginger-tea is nice
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks everyone for your advice!

One of the things I am eating a lot of it is a sauce my mum taught me that goes with everything - handy for uni. This is a cooked down sauce made of tomato purée, aubergine, peppers, courgette, onion, garlic and some spices. I also have a shake on a daily basis containing water, almond milk, bananas, dates and cinnamon blended together. Other things I am eating more often in my diet include rice, pasta, polenta, soy protein burgers, and that kind of thing! :)

However, I find it weird that I have a stomach ache and loads of gas, but I do not have abdominal pains or a hard stomach. This makes me wonder whether it's not digestive problems overall but something more specific?

Thank you again!
 
#4 ·
Tea and walking!

If I can have a walk after a meal, then I find the bloating and subsequant gas aren't really a huge problem.

Tea is also quite good, either just before a meal or a little while after it.

Hope you're feeling better soon! Oh and I second the idea of you telling us what you're eating, we might be able to help out!

(And wash any canned beans you're eating, those make you fart).
 
#6 ·
That looks like good food. Food combining corrects more than just digestion. When the different chemical composition of different food types like starches, sugar, and protein combine together it creates a more complicated solution in the stomach, it is hard to explain, there are a few different ways to describe it, but it kind-of changes from a simple energy to a messed up one that the body just has problems with. I'd say it creates toxins.
The cleaner the diet the more that the body notices bad stuff.
It might have something to do with livelier enzyme energies etc. in simple non-processed foods.
Stomach aches, bloating and gas are an outcome sometimes. I get that happening and have to learn to correct to prevent it. I don't have digestive problems much at all from bad combining like the internet says. But get an almost instant feeling of intoxication-stress (that's why I believe it creates toxins).
A quick change to a pure diet can create a detox that can create (a very temporary) sickness and a bed-ridden condition. But it would have to be a dramatic change.
Of course under-cooked legumes is the main cause of the symptoms of such gas, bloating and ache.
Spending some time (a day or so) drinking lots of orange or apple juice (not from concentrate) helps cleanse stuff from the stomach.
There really is a lot of things that transitioning brings about. Better ways of relating to the body. Before getting to the good energy we have to get rid of the bad energy and learn how to relate to the changes.
Please excuse my childish joking in previous posts, it looks like you are serious and that's a good thing.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the reply! I should have mentioned I've been vegan for over a month now - I didn't become vegan last night and now have random gas hehe.

When you talk about food combining, do you mean combining different fats and carbs etc. or do you mean literally not eating two vegetables at once haha?!

I would say my diet changed pretty drastically. I come from a family who eat meat and dairy for every single meal, so I was smashing in the murder before I literally cut to vegan overnight and since then all I eat is fruit, vegetables and a few other things here and there. My body has always been pretty sensitive so perhaps I'm just an extreme example of my body detoxing?

Either way I'll try to stick to as simple meals as possible, thanks :)
 
#8 · (Edited)
Chewing food thoroughly is very important for easier digestion.

Of the foods you mention, though, I'd suspect the soy burgers. For people sensitive to soy (like me) the description you gave of your symptoms sounds like me after eating soy.

Mylicon (Gas-x) helps with gas symptoms. So does having a friend bang on your back like they are burping a baby. Drinking enough water and getting some exercise can help. And (when alone lol) you can get on your hands and knees with your butt in the air, and often some gas is released.

Hope you feel better soon. :)
 
#9 ·
I agree with Vanilla Gorilla that people tend to overload on proteins when switching from SAD to VEG. For example breads or beans. Although potatoes, rice, and greens are protein rich, though, they are easier on the digestion than say bread or beans. Focus on eating fruits and greens throughout the day.


-Cassie K, Vegans Living Off the Land
 
#11 ·
If you would, do a search on food combining and food combing charts. And get an idea on it. One of many possible examples... fruits eaten with legumes for example would likely cause problems.
But under-cooked legumes do to. Heck who doesn't get gas when pigging out on beans?
There isn't much of a reason for gas to be caused by the stopping of eating animal products in itself. It is likely something else. Most people receive better feelings of health after.
Like the others said it could be soy.
Becoming healthier by changing to a better diet is capable of being taken way farther than one can imagine. There is a lot to learn and a lot of work. Also everybody's body has different conditions that need to be focused on. You, like most of us will always have to finding answers-solutions to whatever improvements that need to be made.
When making a vegan transition there are different things going on in the body... And that is getting rid of a life-long addiction and (bad) energy supply which is not always an easy matter.
One thing is very much certain. Natures whole foods, prepared well, fresh and raw if possible, combined well, is rarely a cause of problems. It is over-processing and our need for complicated extravagance that the body has problems with. Like the others said, lots of water and exercise is helpful also.
When the stomach isn't happy with whats going on in there... any quality juice or even a day or two of just fruits is great for cleansing.
Glad to hear that you are transitioning, we all like what you are doing. And let us know more if you would.
 
#12 ·
^I take exception!
Fresh, raw, organic vegetables are my worst nightmare! Zucchini, carrots, radishes all cause extreme pain with the upper part of my stomach rock hard. No gas, no burps, just like I;ve eaten mulch. It can take hours to be relieved. Leafy greens, cucumbers, peppers and snap peas are okay, I do have lots of salad

Lately I've been noticing problems with having fruit and protein together, but that's mostly just gas and not pain.

I can eat beans by themselves, or with cooked veggies, without digestive issues at all.
 
#14 ·
Surely you've looked into this?
Suggestions....
1 Stomach flora / destroyed by chlorine in tap water or other things / try probiotics /.
2 Enzyme production / preservatives, cooked foods, carbonation (as in soda) destroy them.
3 Metabolism has lots to do with digestion.
4 Certain Vitamins and minerals can be relative to digestion - assimilation of certain nutrients.
???? When something is wrong there is an answer. ??
 
#16 ·
Enzymes and Bifido

"Say Yes To Beans" and other digestive enzymes works for me. Usually, if I go off beans and switch to faux meat and then go back to beans I get gas for the first week, so I take the enzymes and then it's gone.

Bifido and other Probiotics: Lower your sugar intake, it doesn't help with good gut flora. Stevia is also, sadly, bad for gut flora (http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2014/11/stevia-kills-good-gut-bacteria-one.html), and since I'm not giving that up, high amounts of Bifido helped alleviate a lot of painful gas and also my mood improved.
 
#17 ·
its the shake! cut out the shake for a few days and see what happens.

i have started to consistently drink a scoop of vega one diluted in water on the daily and depending on what else i consume it can build up some serious gut pressure also.

vega is great and has my ideal carb to fat and protein ratio though so i wont give it up, just learning to work around it.

also i have heard (and always practiced) when preparing garlic cloves (especially raw) that slicing lengthwise down the middle and removing the "chute" core can prevent gastric anomalies and ease digestion.

good luck :)
 
#19 ·
I have had digestive issues for years but I've been Vegan one year and my symptoms are getting worse! I am reading the Low-Fodmap Diet now. I also am bed-ridden for a day when i get sick. I know i'm not eating right and i'm losing weight. Google Fodmaps or check out this book! Hope it helps.
 
#21 ·
Gas and Bloating can occur on a vegan diet due to Fiber Overload. This occurs only if you gut bacteria is not healthy.

The other reasons are processed foods like soy and Soy Milk.
These cause gas and bloating as they are highly processed. Even if natural Soy is one of the worst beans to digest.

So ease of the soy and take a kefir supplement. Also for the moment avoid grains like wheat because the fiber in them are the hardest to digest
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top