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BLOATING!
Started
by Louise
on January 21, 2010
I have really always had a problem with bloating and constipation. Since going on this diet in October I have become more regular! Thats been great...but bloating has not let up. I have researched it and it seems there are SO many things that cause it. I am not sure if I am intolerant of a food or if its gluten or just plain gas from all the beans and legumes!
Any advice or tips would be appreciated...I do not have insurance and the Doctor is my last resource.
Try going completely gluten free for at least 2 weeks and see if the bloating goes down. I have celiac disease and I used to get the worst bloating from even soy sauce (which has wheat in it). It won't hurt at all to eliminate that as a possible problem. The gas I get from beans is a completely different feeling. I've been gluten free for over 3 years, but my tummy got flatter when I went vegan as well. Even less bloating and more regularity. Meat certainly didn't do well by me.
Thanks! So just to get this straight ... Is gluten only in Wheat products??? I will give this a try because I eat wheat everyday it very well could be it. I have had the bloating before going Vegan and after. The new diet has def. helped other things though! thanks soo much!
Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley, and most oats (unless the oats are specified as gluten-free). Other grains that are just variations of wheat or bulgar, triticale, and spelt.
Gluten free grains include all rice, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, and amaranth.
Do a google on celiac disease and gluten free diet and you'll find lots of info on what foods you should and should not eat.
I have limited my beans (only 2 servings a week or so). I have also added a multi vitamin and a plant enzyme supplement that is supposed to help break things down. I was constantly looking 4 months pregnant. The combo has completely gotten rid of my bloating. Hope that helps!
(And I don't eat any soy.)
Peace,
Cassi
Cassi, how do you not eat any soy? It's in EVERYTHING!!! I have Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism and am supposed to avoid soy and cruciferous veggies and foods, which pretty much means I can't eat anything that I am currently eating. No greens, no strawberries, no broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Eventually I'd like to get away from eating so much soy, but right now I find that a near impossible challenge. I'd love to know what a few of your typical soy-free meals are if you read this and have a few minutes.
Ame,I noticed that when you wrote on March 11th regarding your bloating issue, you had only been vegan for a week. My advice would be to give your body a little more time. While the regularity is definitely noticeable right away, as well as many other positive things, your body still as quite a bit of adjusting to do. I felt bloated for probably the first 2-3 weeks (not all the time, but definitely some of it). Also, eating brown rice all day, every day, is not really the best way to go about it. While delicious and good for you - you need more variety otherwise you'll get bored. There are some truly amazing vegan cookbooks out there (Other than the Kind Diet, which we all know is fantastic) to give you some inspiration and can help ease you into it. I like The Vegan Kitchen as well as Vegan YumYum (there's an app for your phone you can download as well). It's kind of fun coming up with new ways to eat delicious things! I understand the not being hungry thing as well, but eat. I started my day off with a bowl of oatmeal, lunch I usually had leftovers from dinner, but in a pinch I would make a sandwich with Small Planet Tofu spread (in garlic & herb), avocado, tomato, & greens...yummy! Dinner - veggies & more veggies, with something else delicious (last night I had a gnocchi recipe from Vegan YumYum - amazing!). Pretty soon your body will acclimate, and after awhile the bloating definitely goes down (as does your jeans size). It's a gradual process, but be patient. Be creative. And your body will show results.
Thanks Kathleen. I think I am just bummed because just before becoming vegan I'd gained five pounds and now I'm bloated, menstrual and gained two more so I'm up 7 pounds and feeling full, fat and gross. :) I am trying to keep the big picture in mind, knowing that sticking with it and not relying on prepackaged vegan meals will eventually lead to weight loss, but all these seemingly heavy meals (so much grain and carbs) feel wrong after a lifetime of learning less is better.
I sometimes have trouble getting all the foods Alicia recommends at each meal. Veggies, grains, greens and a protein is a lot of food. I need to get better about finding good alternate grains to rice (which is so easy and good) and more inventive with the greens. I'm not generally a planner or even a big cooking enthusiast so this is testing my limits! :)
Ame, I became deathly allergic to soy last year. My doc said I probably always had a mild allergy, but I started eating a lot of soy protein last year (50-60 grams per day) and now it is a very severe allergy. TKD has make my life a lot easier. Eating all fresh foods makes it easy to avoid soy. It's going out to eat that's the hard part.
I eat quinoa all the time! I have it as oatmeal for bfast. I'll mix it with hummus and sunflower seeds and stuff it in a pita.
I make a lot of the "superhero" recipes. I eat kale salad, lots of suops, veggies, tacos. There are a lot of options as long as you are eating fresh foods :)
I list a lot of my meals in the "notes" secion of my profile, feel free to browse for food ideas.
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