Not transitioning well, help!

[VeggieSara]

Years ago I tried going plant based but only lasted a couple weeks because of digestive problems. Fast forward to now and I’m really feeling that a Whole Foods, plant based way of eating is optimal for a healthy lifestyle (I recently started working in a healthcare setting and it’s been very eye opening!). I’ve spent hours reading/watching/listening how to transition successfully, and to do it in a way that minimizes issues. However, after about a month I’m a complete mess
-Horrible gas and bloating, to the point where I struggle to button my jeans (even though I’m down 3lbs). The gas is mostly odorless but loud-my spouse is making comments and it’s becoming an issue when I’m at work/around other people.
-Hive like rash on my arm and thigh
-Yeast infection symptoms, which I haven’t had in years prior.

My first thought is legumes? I started small, and I’m up to around 1/2c a day. I know in the past these have caused digestive issues but not to the extent of my current situation. I’ve also added several servings of fresh and dried fruit a day, could these be an issue?

Otherwise I’ve added whole grains in small amounts, have started eating whole grains bread (Dave’s Killer bread), daily, have cut out 99% of ultra processed foods, which was a staple of my former diet, have added veggies in small amounts-this is something I’m working on; and I’ve cut out eggs, reduced dairy and have reduced meat from several times a day, to 3ish times a week and continue to reduce this.

Do I need to just be patient? I don’t know how long I can keep going like this though. Or should I cut out legumes and see if that helps? But that’s such a plant based food staple, not sure how to make up the protein?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[silva]

People have very different issues with digestion when changing diet.
First to consider is whether you're introducting new foods, or ingredients.
Second, really try and cut out the dairy
How different is this from your usual diet? Like more fruits?
The biggest issue I had was trying to eat more raw veggies--I still can't eat more than a usual salad without upset

I never had problems with beans, but the usual things that seem to help people is soaking then rinsing, cooking from dry till all soft. If canned rinse well. Avoid slow cooking beans like kidney and soybeans, they especially need to be at full boil for at least 10 min to kill an enzyme

If you really want a lot of fascinating research check out How Not to Diet by Dr Michael Greger
and of course:

How to Cultivate a Healthy Gut Microbiome with Food | NutritionFacts.org

Our gut flora is determined by what we eat, for good or for ill.

nutritionfacts.org

 

[silva]

I would not suggest taking probiotics, based on my own experience! Don't worry about taking it slow, just keep at it
Keep some fennel seeds to chew after a meal (or is it before?) they help with gas. So does peppermint tea

 

[Lou]

Fast forward to now and I’m really feeling that a Whole Foods, plant based way of eating is optimal for a healthy lifestyle

Yay!
I agree with everything Silva said except her

However, after about a month I’m a complete mess

Boo

-Horrible gas and bloating, to the point where I struggle to button my jeans (even though I’m down 3lbs). The gas is mostly odorless but loud-my spouse is making comments and it’s becoming an issue when I’m at work/around other people.

This is by far the number one complain we see here at the Vegan Forum.
I agree with everything Silva.
I never had any problems myself but I credit that with that I took things ridiculously slow.
Switching abruptly from a low fiber diet to a high fiber diet can result in bloating.
One possible work around is just to back off some of the fiber for a week or two. If you had been eating less than 20 g of fiber day, but have gone to over 40. Try just 30

-Hive like rash on my arm and thigh

This may not be related to your diet. but some vegans are deficient in zinc. You might try putting your daily meal plan into CronOmeter. If you aren't injesting enough zinc you can add some with a supplement. Be careful - you don't want to ingest too much zinc. Also if you supplement - take the supplement after a meal.
however a vegan can get adequate levels of zinc just by eating a good variety of Whole Foods.

-Yeast infection symptoms, which I haven’t had in years prior.

you might want to try reducing the amount of processed sugars if you haven't already. I don't think there has been enough research on the Candida Diet - but it might be worth a try.

Do I need to just be patient? I don’t know how long I can keep going like this though. Or should I cut out legumes and see if that helps? But that’s such a plant based food staple, not sure how to make up the protein?

It does sound like you have been making changes slowly and gradually. So maybe just stay patient.
Most people say that bloating doesn't last longer than 3 weeks.

 

[Blues]

Maybe you could just purchase tin beans for a while.
Also add about a 1/4 teaspoon of Hing , it settled my stomach .


Hing helps improve digestion by increasing the activity of digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine. It is recommended to add Hing to your regular diet to prevent a number of gastric problems. Hing might also be beneficial for the management of flatulence due to its carminative .

 

[VeggieSara]

Thanks for the responses! I’ve definitely made some major adjustments over the last 4-5 weeks, I went from eating a very processed diet, to adding several servings of fruit and vegetables daily, along with grains/whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds etc. The fiber has definitely gone up!! TMI but I went from one a day bowel movement’s, to 2-3 a day now, so things seem to be moving along good?

Dairy has been reduced, but I’m not forcing removal of foods right now, and instead am focusing on adding healthy plant based foods. In the process I’ve naturally been reducing animal products and think it’s feasible to be completely plant based in the next couple months, as long as I get these issues under control!

I haven’t tried fennel seeds, I’ll look into that! Digestive symptoms were really bad this afternoon (I made Cowboy caviar which always messes with my stomach but it’s soooo good ugh, lol). I ended up taking some IBgard peppermint pills and that made a big difference, but they’re so expensive so not an option long term. I’ll try peppermint tea next, great idea!

I’ll enter a day or two of eating into cronometer and see where I’m at. My sugar has gone down from cutting out processed foods but I’ve added sugar from the fruit. Cronometer should be able to tell me where my sugar intake is at!

Ok, I feel calmer tonight, thanks again for taking the time to respond!

 

[VeggieSara]

Maybe you could just purchase tin beans for a while.
Also add about a 1/4 teaspoon of Hing , it settled my stomach .


Hing helps improve digestion by increasing the activity of digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine. It is recommended to add Hing to your regular diet to prevent a number of gastric problems. Hing might also be beneficial for the management of flatulence due to its carminative .

I’ve never heard of this, definitely will look for it, thanks!

 

[Lou]

OH! we all forgot to welcome you.

WELCOME​

And it totally warms my heart to hear a new convert actively trying to figure things out instead of just quitting. Kudos.

Another idea I just had....
For transitioning vegans it can be somewhat overwhelming to create a balance meal plan that meets all your nutritional requirements. So what can be sort of a short cut or recipe for success is to follow a meal plan that has already been made, tested and approved.

the meal plan strategy isn't for everyone - some people find it too regimented. but lots of people find it liberating - less research and planning, less worry.

There are some really good ones out there but for simplicity sake I'm going to recommend the Vegan Kickstart by PCRM. plus it's free.

 

[VeggieSara]

I’ll look into vegan kickstart, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Second Summer]

Hi Sara, welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear it's been a bit difficult so far.

Some good advice already in this thread. I just wanted to add that one major factor is of course the volume of food that you eat. If you're used to eating smaller but more energy-dense processed foods and you're now eating less processed, less energy-dense foods and perhaps making up for it by eating larger volumes, then that could lead to digestion issues. Simply more volume than your system can handle at this point.

Another thing to consider related to this: Make sure you allow some rest time for your digestive system. Don't eat anything at night. Give your system maybe 12 hours or more to catch up. I personally think it's also OK to occasionally miss a meal, especially if you're feeling bloated.

And yes, with more fibre and slightly higher volumes of food, you'll definitely need to visit the bathroom more - don't miss your turn there!

 

[beancounter]

I would not suggest taking probiotics, based on my own experience! Don't worry about taking it slow, just keep at it
Keep some fennel seeds to chew after a meal (or is it before?) they help with gas. So does peppermint tea

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I've had positive results with probiotics.

If you don't want to take a pill, then vegan yogurt can be a good way to introduce it into you diet.

 

[Lou]

I'm not against probiotics but I don't believe they are effective. Not many studies done on them and then there is this. Our gut biome has hundreds maybe thousands of different species of bacteria. and they have complex interactions. Like an ecosystem. but the best probiotics have no more than 20 different species. Most are in the single digits.

my analogy is like planting pine trees in the forest.

probiotics may be a good thing right after taking antibiotics. then the analogy would be planting pine trees after the forest has burnt down.

But heck, they are not that expensive. it might be worth a try.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum!

You've been given some great advice here and I would add my two cents by suggesting that you keep it simple to start.

Instead of adding tons of new foods eat more of the simple ones like potatoes, rices, pastas, breads and increase the amount of those as you decrease the animal products - canned beans are definitely easier to eat/digest, especially pinto beans and chick peas and they taste amazing in so many simple dishes.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[VeggieSara]

I have been using canned beans, making them from dried is above my cooking skills Today I’m keeping track of everything I’m eating and seeing how I feel. So far no digestive issues, but I’m not eating bean’s today. Whole grain bread was fine, a loaded salad seems to be fine an hour after. Clementines and dried apricots also seem ok. I’ll do rice and steamed veggies for supper and pistachios for a later snack.

I also bought tofu for the first time, no idea what to do with it, I’d like to add it to the rice and veggies so I get some protein in since I’m putting beans aside for now.

 

[Lou]

My favorite tofu dish is stir fry.
I had some trouble learning how to stir fry but I just didn't have the cofidence to turn the stove to high.
Make your rice. ( I make 4 cups at a time and keep 2 cups in the frig and 2 cups in the freezer)

cut up your tofu, and veggies.
My basic recipe is 1/4 of a block of tofu, one cup chopped broccoli (big bite size pieces) and one cup sliced mushrooms (again big bite sized pieces)
Heat a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of soy sauce.
add all the ingredients to your skillet.
(Some people have an order to this but I've found it doesn't matter so much)
set your timer for 4 minutes.
Stir stir stir.
I think this is another spot I had trouble with. one minute of inattention is fatal. Also when stirring try to get the veggies off the skillet. This is the benefit of a stir fry pan but you can get good results by just using your spatula and flipping.
After 4 minutes you can either nuke your rice of add it to the skillet.
take it off the heat. it continues cooking so keep stirring
I like to add a tbsp of stir fry sauce at this point. and a tbsp of sesame seeds, too.

I'll send you some more suggestion later.

 

[Lou]

I purposely used different web sites - just to give you an introduction to some of the vegan cooking sites

Making Gourmet Ramen from Instant Noodles! (Cheap Food Expensive Energy Ep. 2) | Cheap Lazy Vegan

Creamy Tomato Dairy Free Pasta Sauce Recipe (Vegan, Nut Free)

Recipe: Dutch split pea soup - Vegan Amsterdam

Creamy Kimchi Udon Noodles Recipe | Cheap Lazy Vegan

Vegan Stir-Fry Noodles (With Crispy Tofu) - Gathering Dreams %

Fresh Tomato Pasta (my favourite easy summer pasta) • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ginger-Lemongrass Broth with Noodles, Silken Tofu, and Broccoli

Oh, and you gotta try this. It is surprisingly good. It's an appetizer but a great thing to make when you have company. or split the recipe in half.

Ginger Soy Tofu [Vegan] - One Green Planet

 

[Lou]

Two more....

I like this crispy tofu recipe best. And I neglected Sarah's website

Crispy Sesame Crusted Tofu - Sarah's Vegan Kitchen

And I have been getting into sheet pan recipes lately
The NYT has a paywall so here is a copy of that recipe.
plus it can introduce to CopyMeThat - which is a great tool for recipes.

Sheet-Pan Tofu and Brussels Sprouts with Hoisin-Tahini Sauce

www.copymethat.com

 

[silva]

As for the rash---did you switch personal products, soap, lotion, laundry detergents.....?
One thing I always recommend for new vegans is do not try and make too many changes at once! And do not discount the reality that sometimes it's just a coincidence. People come down with allergies and rashes without any perceptible changes, but of course it's easy to think new problems are from diet

As to deficiencies---they take longer than a few weeks, unless you're already susceptible.
Do start on a B12

 

[silva]

I have been using canned beans, making them from dried is above my cooking skills Today I’m keeping track of everything I’m eating and seeing how I feel. So far no digestive issues, but I’m not eating bean’s today. Whole grain bread was fine, a loaded salad seems to be fine an hour after. Clementines and dried apricots also seem ok. I’ll do rice and steamed veggies for supper and pistachios for a later snack.

I also bought tofu for the first time, no idea what to do with it, I’d like to add it to the rice and veggies so I get some protein in since I’m putting beans aside for now.

Best advice for making tofu---don't think anyone has the 'best way to make tofu'. Only you know how you like it.
Some people say be sure to press it well and marinate.
some people say it's best after it's been frozen (only way I hate tofu-it's becomes sponge-like)
some people like it fried (not me)

I like it pretty much how it comes out of the package. Sometimes I'll cube & shake it with corn starch and seasoning and saute. Maybe in a bag from potato chips with the crumbs. I like it in curries. Soups. I like it as is sauteed with veggies. I like it right out of the package with a bit of dipping sauce. I like it mashed like an egg salad (or however I season it) I love tofu scramble with kala namak (aka black salt --eggy flavor, buy in Indian grocery)

 

[silva]

I've had positive results with probiotics.

If you don't want to take a pill, then vegan yogurt can be a good way to introduce it into you diet.

I bought the probiotics for my son when he had digestive issues. He wouldn't take them, so I figured what the heck, they were all the rage!
I had no problems, but after taking a couple days my system was a MESS! Gas, diarrhea, cramps.... all stopped when I quit

I do use a probiotic to culture soy yogurt