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6 Jedi Mind Tricks That Convince People To Eat HealthyToo Many Vegetables? How To Prevent Gas and Digestive Problems Caused By Healthy Eating
Photo by toehk
Maybe you’re embarrassed. Maybe you’ve been too polite to ask me. Whatever the reason, know that you’re not alone.
The number of questions I get from people about bloating, gas and other digestive problems is not small, and since it is a sensitive subject I’m sure the questions I get represent just a fraction of those of you with concerns.
It’s not uncommon to experience digestive discomfort when you change your diet. For one thing, any drastic change in eating can be a shock to your system, even if it’s for the better. Also vegetables, legumes and other healthy foods contain a number of nutrients such as oligosaccharides, soluble fiber and natural sugars like fructose that can produce excess gas in the intestine.
Fortunately there are several things that can help prevent the embarrassment and discomfort that can be caused by eating these foods. However it is important to remember that everyone’s digestive environment is unique and different things will work for different people. This means you’ll need to experiment with the following tactics in order to identify what works best for you.
How To Prevent Gas and Digestive Problems
1. Chew thoroughly
When food reaches your intestine that has been only partially digested the bacteria in your gut cause the food to ferment, producing a substantial amount of (smelly) gas. More chewing helps your stomach acids do their job more effectively and can dramatically reduce the bacterial gas that gets formed.
Chewing is even more important when you’re eating vegetables and high-fiber foods, because they are more difficult to breakdown in your mouth and stomach than, say, a slice of Wonder Bread. This means you need to grow accustomed to chewing each bite of food more than you did for processed foods.
2. Take smaller bites
For the same reason it is important to chew, taking smaller bites can help ensure that large chunks of food do not reach your intestine undigested. People who take smaller bites also tend to eat slowly, which helps prevent overeating—another cause of poor digestion.
3. Don’t get too full
Overloading your stomach will eventually overload your gut, which can prevent proper digestion and cause discomfort. Both chewing and taking smaller bites can help with this, but there are many tricks you can use to eat less without noticing if this is a problem for you.
4. Eat balanced meals
On a similar note, you don’t want to overload your gut with one kind of food. If all you’re eating is a giant mound of vegetables for dinner and you’re having trouble digesting it, try balancing out your meal with more protein and fat. These will enable you to feel satisfied with a smaller volume of food (remember point #3), as well as decrease the load of any one nutrient that may be causing problems.
5. Increase vegetable and fiber intake gradually
Going from fast food every day to lots of vegetables can be shocking to your system. The bacterial environment in your gut is accustomed to a certain flow of nutrients, and drastically changing this can cause gas and bloating. Your gut can acclimate to a new diet over time, and the key to avoiding discomfort is to make changes gradually. If you’re really struggling with all that broccoli, cut back a little and see if it helps. Once you’re comfortable you can try adding more if you like.
6. Experiment with probiotics
Most of the gas in your intestine is produced by bacteria, but there are also strains of bacteria that have the opposite effect. Adding probiotic foods to your diet can help populate your gut with helpful bacteria that can ease digestion and reduce gas. There are several strains of probiotic bacteria, and research suggests that different strains work better for different people. Experiment with different kinds, and when you find one that works stick with it to maintain the benefits.
Examples of probiotic foods are yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and miso. Keep in mind that when you cook these foods you will kill some of the active bacteria, so try to eat them raw whenever possible. I did an entire Summer Tomato Live episode on probiotics if you’d like to learn more.
7. Soak your beans
Beans are infamous for producing excess intestinal gas, but proper preparation can mitigate this problem. Instead of buying canned beans, get dry beans and soak them for at least six hours before cooking them. Soaking beans and discarding the soaking water eliminates the majority of the oligosaccharides that cannot be digested, reducing bacterial fermentation and intestinal gas. If you do buy canned beans rinse them thoroughly, since most of the oligosaccharides will be in the canning liquid.
8. Eliminate wheat
Some people have chronic stomach problems that are caused by food intolerance. Wheat sensitivities are the most common, and eliminating wheat and gluten is often the only solution. If you’ve tried everything and are still in pain, it may be worth giving up wheat and gluten for 4-6 weeks to see if it helps. If it works, now you know. If it doesn’t, at least you tried.
9. Eliminate dairy
Like gluten, many people have sensitivities to lactose, the sugar in milk, that can develop over time. Cutting it out for a few weeks is an easy way to tell if it is a problem for you.
10. Avoid fake sugars
Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol can cause digestive problems similar to the oligosaccharides found in beans. If you’ve been relying on artificial sweeteners to cut back on real sugar, this may be a cause of your digestive issues.
11. Reduce fresh and dried fruit intake
Fructose can ferment in the gut, and too much will result in gas and discomfort. If you’ve drastically increased your fruit intake, this may be problematic for your digestion. Cut back until you find the amount you can tolerate.
(Note: I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you’ve eliminated most of the high-fructose corn syrup from your diet already).
12. Use medication
Beano is an enzyme formulation that helps with digestion of oligosaccharides that can cause gas. If you simply cannot miss out on your grandpa’s famous chili, popping the occasional Beano at the beginning of your meal should help.
On the other hand, if you still haven’t figured out what you’re sensitive to and find yourself in an unpleasant state, Gas-X is an effective form of relief that can be used on occasion. It takes 20-30 minutes to work. As always, be sure to follow the safety instructions when taking any medication.
How strong is your stomach?
Originally published October 26, 2011.
Can a diet really be considered healthy if it causes digestive distress?
Absolutely. In my experience people’s #1 issue is not chewing because they are accustomed to processed food, which doesn’t require it.
Eating Poptarts and chips never gave me gas. I don’t think that means they’re healthy.
Great tips, Darya!
I’d also add that FODMAPS can be an issue for some, and if it is, is usually a sign of deeper digestive issues like leaky gut or SIBO.
Good points. If chewing more thoroughly (always a good thing!) does the trick, that’s great, but continued digestive upset is, IMHO, an indicator of a more serious issue.
In my case 14 years of digestive upset led to a colon resection, which improved but did not eliminate the symptoms.
Turns out it was a gluten intolerance. Symptoms are now entirely gone.
Totally, that’s why I recommend trying elimination diets if problems persist (#s 8-11).
Came here to post this. Found this article on FODMAPs interesting:
http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2011/2/5/fodmaps.html
Darya,
Thanks for sharing your insights. As someone who suffers from these types of issues I really appreciate it.
I have a question though: in my case, I’ve found that probiotics (especially in yogurt, for instance) always make me feel measurably worse. Not only in terms of more gas but also the other symptoms that are associated with digestive problems (ie diarrhea).
Could this be a result of my baterial chemistry changing (and should I try to stick it out for some weeks or months), or is it possible to have a system that is simply too sensitive to probiotic bacteria that isn’t cultivated naturally in the gut?
Are you sure this isn’t lactose intolerance? Different foods contain different strains of probiotics, so you can experiment with other things. But I don’t think there’s any benefit in continuing something if it isn’t helping.
You might find Darya’s video on probiotics helpful: http://summertomato.com/probiotics-fermented-foods-video/
It might be die-off.
I had the same problem with some of the heavily advertised probiotic yogurts, which confused me at first, but now I attribute it to all the sugars and other things they put in most commercial yogurts. Since then I’ve tried probiotic capsules and I’ve been fine with them (although they didn’t really show much benefit for me either). If you haven’t already, you might want to see if they have the same effect for you.
I think time is another thing to take into consideration. When I first changed my diet I farted like crazy. I think it took about two months but my body adjusted to the new foods that I eat and I don’t have many issues with this anymore. Another factor could have been an increase in the amount of “grains” that I eat (pseudo-grains really. I don’t eat actual grains). For a while I was eating almost exclusively vegetables. Millet with soy milk in the morning, salad for lunch, and kale for dinner was pretty standard. I started eating a mix of lentils and quinoa for lunch which satisfies my cravings for bread and may also have helped with the gas issue.
For the last four to five years, I’ve had issues with pretty severe bloating, severe pain and some gas from just about everything I would eat. Anything from a few crackers or chips to a steak would lead to several uncomfortable hours for me. A few weeks ago, I happened to buy a bag of red delicious apples that were on sale at a local grocery store. I ate my usual lunch then chased it with an apple afterwards. Later in the day, I ate my dinner and again ate an apple right after. I casually noticed to myself that my stomach felt good all day. I continued to eat two apples a day, one early in the day and one later, and I don’t get any bloating, pain or gas whatsoever. I told my doctor this, but he chuckled at me and pretty much dismissed what I told him. Regardless, I found a cure to my issues and it’s been really great. I still don’t know what in the apples is helping me out though. I wonder if other people that have similar symptoms to me try eating two apples would have similar results to me. The moral of the story is, the old adage is true, an apple (or two) a day keeps the doctor away.
Awesome. Apples have a lot of soluble fiber, which may help you. Who knows, but i’m glad you found a solution.
Do you know of any other foods that have soluble fiber in them?
It might be related to the high malic acid content in apples. My son, 10, is like that, and only apples help him. He says it feels like if he had a blade in his stomach. He figured it out a few years ago, and when that happens, rarely now, he slowly eats an apple and feels better within 20-30 min.
Thank your for posting this article b/c i just recently has this problem and now this will help me get it under control.
I love the article, but I’m surprised that you recommended Beano and Gas-X.
The stuff used to make Gas-X is the same stuff used to make silly putty, it’s also filler fluid in breast implants and used in MacDonald’s & Wendy’s food (ref. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydimethylsiloxane). Not something I would readily put in my body.
Beano, being enzyme based, is likely much safer. Enzyme-based dietary aids are very effective and very inexpensive. Whole foods or any small health food store would carry a digestive enzyme, and it will likely be a more trusted brand than Beano.
As usual, loved the post and thanks for all the great info!
Definitely gluten. Definitely sugar. The combo is killer.
I suffered my entire life with severe gas and bloating. So bad sometimes that it would build up, give me the sweats, and make me nauseated.
Ever since going grain and sugar free, my gas has been what I can only imagine is “normal”. The only other thing I’ve noticed since that is gas-inducing is cabbage. But it’s nothing like the old days.
As far as I’m concerned, I’m cured. (Probably saved my marriage too, poor husband.)
Nice article. I’ve found the most important thing for me has been to wash beans if buying them from a can. Since they’ve been soaking in the water in the can all that needs doing is to get the water off.
If I don’t use them all I put some water back in and put them in the fridge for them to soak some more. Solved the problem for me straight away.
Great tip, thanks!
Haha, thanks, but better to credit Tim Ferriss for that one! He briefly mentions it in one of the Slow-Carb chapters of the 4HB.
Higher fructose fresh fruits are a huge issue for me. My trick in dealing with this is to always remember to eat fruit after a meal or with other foods. For example, if I eat an apple on an empty stomach, I’m often in pain about a half hour later, but if I eat it as dessert or at least half way through my meal I’m usually fine. Also, l have no problem with low fructose fruits like berries and peaches so I eat those a lot more often.
I find adding garlic, pimento and other spices on cruciferous vegetables to aid digestion.
Luckily I’m not a huge fan of fruits, they also make me bloat and retain water for some reason.
Also, I used to get into a habit of consuming just lots of leafy veg and broccoli etc..I find it is much less problematic if I have 1 type of vegetables with a more starchy food like potatoes, carrots or wholegrains.
But even if you do get gas lol, it’s better out than in!
Fennel Seeds is a safe and very effected herbal remedy for gas while adjusting to higher fibre foods (if you missed following any of these great tips!). I chew a few seeds or make a tea with about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. It works as well as Gas-X (and I was an undiagnosed celiac for 15 years so I know from experience!)
other spices/herbs that act as anti-flatulents are cumin, caraway, chamomile and coriander.
To reiterate your point about slowly building up tolerance, I did this with Beans and found if I ate just a tablespoon or two with my meal, I was fine. I slowly increased the amount and I can eat about a cup now with zero issue.
I have a few thoughts on the apple-story above.
Before I switched on to a “healthier” diet, I could not tolerate apples for their acid. But now I experience their benefit when I have a puffy tummy. I have long been wondering why. Do you think there is something to do with the fact that a healthy diet is low in acids, and if there is too much veg in it, some extra acid is needed?
Also, others mentioned slow chewing of an apple above. It might just be chewing, and saline production – and stomach acid production parallel to it – that does the trick. An unpeeled apple eaten by bites is typically something you need a good chewing for, which then contributes to the work of digestive enzymes. Do you think these might be the reasons, Darya? Thanks for the great article, too!
I have a suggestion for a natural remedy for gas that has always been very effective for me: thyme. Yep, the herb you put on your roast chicken. Works like a dream, even with the painful, crampy “stick a pin in me, please!” bloatedness. I haven’t found it in capsule form, so I just put about a teaspoon of dried thyme in the palm of my hand, put it in my mouth and drink it down with water. It helps to tilt my head forward a bit, so the thyme floats to the back of my mouth, making it easier to swallow. That usually does it; if I’m still having discomfort after about 15 minutes, I take more. I’ve never had any side effects from doing this, other than sweet relief.