Gas!

[Naussdollar]

I'm sure this has been discussed in previous threads but here goes. I went vegetarian about a year and a half ago. Eventually I feel I'll transition to being vegan at some point. I feel fantastic and have endless energy since giving up meat. I've also deceased my dairy consumption only eating cheese occasionally.

My biggest issue is gas. I've determined I can only eat very limited amounts of beans if at all. Even limiting beans I still have constant gas issues. I'm wondering if anyone has found ways to overcome this either with introducing certain foods, eliminating certain foods (maybe some that might be adding to the issue), or with supplements. I think if there was a way to overcome this and introduce beans into my diet on a regular basis I might be able to transition to being vegan quicker.

 

[Lou]

Yes, this has been discussed here before. In fact, bloating/gas may be in the top five issues of new vegans everywhere.

I'm not sure how much of the following is accepted medical scientific knowledge. But I'm sure I read it in several books and heard it echoed and repeated enough to consider it canon.

The main cause cited seems to be switching from a low fibre to a high fibre diet *. A typical American gets under 15 grams of fibre a day (25 grams is considered to be the healthy minimum). The typical vegan gets over 30 grams a day. And many of them go over 40. **

We don't have the enzymes to digest fibre. But there are bacteria in our gut that do. You can think of the gut bacteria as its own ecology. Like a rainforest. Or a grassland. With hundreds of species, some competing, some cooperating but basically complicated.

Now imagine that grassland after years of drought and then the rainy season starts. life just goes crazy. And that is what happens in our guts. And at fast forward. The average lifespan of a bacteria is less than a day. Some need just minutes to reproduce.

The thing is that when bacteria digest fibre they release gas. Mostly hydrogen and methane. These gasses are the culprits for bloating and gas.

OK? Now for the good news. Your little ecology will find a new equilibrium. Three days to three weeks is what is generally experienced by new vegans. And most of the ones I have heard from do little to mitigate the gas issues.

But if there are external problems, like you have been asked to sleep on the couch or work on the patio, then there are some things you can do in the meantime. There is an OTC product called Bean-O. It contains an enzyme that digests fiber. It will reduce the amount of food the bacteria are eating and thereby help reduce their population. I've never used it but I've heard it helps a little bit.

the other thing you can do is to cut back on your fiber consumption. You seem to be already doing that. But you can use cronometer and some meal planning to slowly increase your fiber over the next 2 - 3 weeks.

* Why has my spell checker decided that " fiber" is spelt "fibre". Has it suddenly decided to become British?

**You might want to use Cronometer to monitor your fiber content.

 

[Rory17]

Hi ,
I get this problem, too. It can be very painful. Maybe try speaking to your doctor about this, if you feel that your doctor will be cool with the vegan thing, and not the old-school “you need meat for protein and dairy for calcium” type? If not, try consulting some good, up-to-date, reliable vegan books and/or do some searching online. Try not to be too panicked/anxious/worried about what you read online without first consulting a doctor.
I hope things get as better as can be for you as soon as can be.
Thank you to the moon and back for all the good you do, will do and have ever done.