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| Forums: January 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Flatulence? | |||
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| Loves2Run
Joined: 01/03/10 Posts: 4 |
Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8:48 PM Okay maybe this is just me but I spent the entire day yesterday passing gas. It made me want to eat a pound of cheese just to clog myself up. Is this going to continue? Should I buy gas masks for my clients and co-workers? This always seems to happen to me whenever I get serious about eating healthy. Any suggestions? |
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daniel
 Posts: 17 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8:51 PM Try taking Beano right before you eat. It is sold in regular grocery stores. |
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| mommyof2nc
Joined: 12/31/09 Location: North Carolina Posts: 172 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8:53 PM It'll go away eventually but you may want to try Bean-O for now. Eventually you body will get used to the veggies and beans and you won't be so gassy anymore. |
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| healthynell
Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 31 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8:55 PM There are some ingredients in Beano that make it not vegan such as cod, flounder and redfish and maybe others like gelatin. Are there other alternatives? |
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Aviva0321
 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 18 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 9:19 PM I use Wholezymes from Whole Foods. The label says it's vegetarian. The source for most of the enzymes is various forms of aspergillus, and also pineapple and papaya. I'm not vouching for it's "vegan-ness"... it would be great if someone with some more knowledge than I have could chime in. I can, however, vouch for it's effectiveness! |
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| Mariberry
Joined: 01/02/10 Posts: 297 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 9:33 PM What the heck...let 'er rip! The only solution I know of to help somewhat is to ensure you rinse canned beans before using. All we are saying is "Give Peas a Chance" |
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VeganRecipeGuy
 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 9:59 PM For beans, soaking them over night, or even just barely sprouting them helps some of those bothersome complex sugars convert. In the morning I rinse them clear, then bring them to a boil in new water. Rinse them clear again, then leave them in the crockpot to slow cook all day. This three step method worked wonders for me and made the lifestyle shift possible.
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| rb
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:39 AM Have people really found it goes away over time? Yes, we are a repressed society, but we are also social creatures and it's not the most welcome thing, especially when you are with people who are not your family or closest friends! |
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| Jill Eckart
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 79 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 11:19 AM This may be too much information, but gas was a major problem for me in the beginning of going vegan. Like, major! I took some soy products out of my diet for a while because I realized that some of the heavily processed soy foods made the gas worse. And, then I have brought some back, but notice that it's bad when I eat processed foods, like pretzels, crackers, etc. I also realized that since I was eating more fiber, I needed to go to the bathroom more often and I was not allowing myself the time to do this or I would just hold it. This made my issues a lot worse. When I went to the bathroom right away I had less problems with gas. Hope this helps! This process helped me incredibly, I occasionally have problems, but not to the degree I did before. Best, Jill Eckart |
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1190 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 11:49 AM Digestion is my favorite topic! No need to be shy. Gas may initially be a problem when switching to a higher fiber diet. However, your body should adjust to your diet over time. We eat so little fiber in America, on average about 12 grams per day. We should be eating upwards of 40 grams per day. So you can imagine the shock in your colon of such a switch. Here are some tips to ease problems with gas: - Work your way up to the recommended 40 grams of fiber per day. Don't go from 10 to 40 overnight. Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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| babalonia
Joined: 01/04/10 Posts: 60 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:53 PM Try taking vegan acidophilus by VegLife. Works like a charm. Beano is not vegan. |
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| jgk177
Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 29 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 3:29 PM If you are eating tofu, and or soy, that could be the problem. I ate soy and soy products for years with no problem, and about 18 months ago, I started having problems with gas and bloating. I thought I had developed IBS, and asked a nutritionist that I was consulting with from time to time...she told me to stop eating any soy products for 48 hours and then see how I felt. the change was immediate. I now avoid soy, (which doesnt make being a vegan any easier), but it certainly makes my stomach happier. What I am able to have though is 'isolated soy protein" which is an ingredient in some of the meat replacements. This is apparently a common problem. Google gas from tofu...you will get all the info you need from that. Good luck. |
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| rb
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 5:03 PM I've been taking probiotics every day for the past month. It doesn't seem to affect this issue, which started with the vegan diet. I have not had tofu yet, so it can't be that. Just lots of legumes, some soy milk. It's encouraging that some people have mentioned it gets a lot better with time. |
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| shanna
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 5:49 PM In the "no embarrassment zone" on Dr. Oz the other day, somebody asked this question. His answer (after everyone stopped laughing) was that it's perfectly normal to pass gas 14 a day, on average, no matter what you're eating. And there's not much you can really do about it but accept it. However, when you first switch to a higher fiber diet it is worse. Your body will adjust. The other tips about rinsing and soaking beans, cooking them in fresh water, or adding more fiber gradually, all work. Another tip that I have read is going for a short walk after a meal. Plant foods have faster "transit times" through your system than heavier foods. So 30 minutes to an hour after eating is probably when things are going to get rumbly, but then you should also be ready to, er, eliminate them. And...um...on a healthier diet they'll be less unpleasantly scented. There, nobody wanted to say that. But seriously, thank goodness my husband went vegan too. |
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| luvarescue
Joined: 01/02/10 Posts: 14 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 7:34 PM Just keepin' it real, keepin' it real. I feel I could potentially provide an alternative energy source in my house. Damn, today was a really bad day. Majorly craving pumpkin seeds. In a meeting with the boss, had to hold my #2, and I though I might fly myself to the moon. I have always tooted a lot. Ever since high school. The toots now are not that stinky. I have been doing this for a year. I did just start taking a digestive enzyme. That seemed to help. I am also starting a probiotic, not for the gas but for general health reasons. I a not too concerned about it . . . |
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JamieR
 Location: Mendocino Coast, Northern California Posts: 116 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 4:09 AM I've found that kicking dairy has made me have LESS gas and digestion issues. But was simply moving from vegetarian to vegan. So perhaps it will just go away in time for you...and others' suggestions were great. Just wanted to let you know that at there can be hope! September Kickstart Goals: Walk/bike daily, keep up with forum, 100% low-fat vegan experimenting with maximizing FLAVOR!
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| jgk177
Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 29 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:24 AM even a small amount of soy milk can produce a large amount of gas...certainly "lots of legumes" will...try using rice milk and a smaller amount of legumes...I love Dr. Oz but being gassy through the day is NOT normal...lol especially when it interferes with your activities...I had to cut out fresh fruit for breakfast because I run in the morning, and although i eat breakfast AFTER I run, the small bowl of fruit I was eating was giving me the trots...I had to constantly either run home quickly or find a tree..this was crazy and getting to be a daily thing. After reducing the fruit in my diet, the situation has improved greatly. |
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| clarsa
Joined: 01/02/10 Posts: 3 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 4:28 PM A lot of this has been said, but to summarize and reinforce: If you've been eating a "regular" diet, you're low in fiber and have decaying animal in your gut. Sorry, but it's true. Upping fiber, reducing fat, and other vegan changes leads to a detoxifying stage. Odds are your metabolism is a bit skewed from antibiotics and poor diet. Probiotics will help balance your intestinal flora. Active culture yogurt and kefir are commonly used, and if you're OK with becoming vegan in manageable stages instead of all at once, they're useful to start. Vegan yogurt or probiotic supplements may also be available in the refrigerated section at the health food store. Digestive enzymes can be useful. Supplements are usually ineffective unless they're enteric-coated. If you trust the staff at your health food store, ask. Papaya and pineapple have good enzymes, but take care to eat just a few bites as a lot of fruit will overtax your transitioning system. Soak dry beans with baking soda, then rinse thoroughly and remove loose skins that float to the top. Rinse canned beans, too. See the foam? That's the gassy stuff. Rinse until they beans don't foam. Cook beans with a piece of kombu (sea vegetable) to further reduce gassiness. N=1. What that means is that your body is unique. What works for everybody else may not work for you. If studies say that 299 out of 300 people can digest rice easily, you still might have problems with rice, and for you, that's all that matters. This is a great time of year to pick up a pocket-size diary. Write down everything you eat, and how you feel. You will probably start to recognize patterns. Maybe the day after you eat soy, you always feel bloated; or the day after you have citrus, your joints ache. You can get painful, expensive allergy testing, but that's not conclusive; the gold standard is elimination-challenge. That means don't have any of a particular food (or don't use a particular lotion or shampoo or cleaning product, or whatever your suspected substance is) for several days. See if problems disappear. If they do, have a bunch of that food (or use that substance) and see what happens. Maybe you can't find a pattern in your symptoms, but you discover you're eating the same things every day. In a "normal" American diet, most people eat wheat and dairy, in some form, every single day. How could you even tell if it was a problem? If you discover that you're eating the same food every day, try rotating that food; eat it only every third or fourth day, and add some different foods instead. (Beware of one food in different forms. For example soy milk, tofu, edamame, and most vegan meat- and cheese- substitutes are all soy, and soy lecithin is used in chocolate and other things.) If you have a reaction to several foods, it can be especially difficult to identify the culprits. You might want to try a rotation diet. But I'm getting way beyond the question of flatulence, so I'll stop here. ~ Clarsa, in Colorado |
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| rb
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 4:35 PM In terms of probiotics, I have had a lot of success with them. Not in terms of flatulence, but I was having major GI problems after being put on (unnecessary) antibiotics. I first did the Pepto-Bismol route, just to be able to function, but it was a bandaid. Then I discovered probiotics and I take them every day. They work really well. I have found them to be more effective than kefir, which I took while on the antibiotics but didn't seem to make any difference. There are also very good packaged versions of probiotics that are good for travel or carrying around throughout the day, since the refrigerated versions are not convenient for that. |
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| freshstart
Joined: 01/07/10 Posts: 10 |
RE: Flatulence? Posted Friday, January 8, 2010 at 5:49 PM I cracked up about the gas thing.....take digestive enzymes. You can find some vegan ones in the health food stores. They have all the enzymes needed to digest protein, carbs, and fats. I take one every meal. As we get older or issues like candida can cause a depletion of enzymes so we may need a little supplementing. |
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I think we're all too anal (pardon the pun) about digestive issues anyway. It is a natural function after all. Geepers, some cultures would welcome you...let's take a page out of their book. 
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