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evil awful gas

Hi All – I am in serious need of advice. I love being raw, but it is ruining my life. Since going raw (4 months raw, 2 of those 99% raw) I have gotten the most horrible gas. It is like something died in my belly. I don’t know what to do.

Years ago when I switched to a mostly vegetable diet I got gas which would go away when I would eat a grain or meat meal. I could have gone all fruits and veggies then, but just could not allow myself to be hindered so. I am a teacher and could not eat vegetables for lunch for fear of not being able to go my afternoon classes! After about 6 months my body adjusted and was fine.

My new raw problem is much worse though. I follow the basics of food combining, I’ve tried all mono meals, I am at a loss. Wouldn’t it be tragic if I had all of the motivation and ability to stay raw, but failed because of flatulence? Sigh. Does anyone know something I don’t? Has this happened to anyone else?

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Comments

  • i’m only starting my third week of all raw, and before that was i vegan, but i always had gas. it was HORRIBLE during that first week and a half though.. then it seemed to die down. I would do a cleanse during my cooked vegan days and that usually helped rid me of the smelly gas. i fart all the time though, my friends just have to get used to it!

  • Priceless OnePriceless One Raw Newbie

    Sorry, no help here. My family is suffering too! I am really hoping that someone else pops in with some encouraging info!

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    I cannot relate as a vegan because I only had this issue as a pescetarian when I consumed dairy products or beans. My body became accustomed to the beans when I was a pescetarian and I didn’t flatulate any longer on a regular basis.

    What are some of the things that you most commonly eat.

    Flatulence consists of gases that are produced by symbiotic bacteria and yeasts living in our gastrointestinal tract. Food components, such as some types of carbohydrates, that are not digested end up in the large intestine. There, they will be partly or completely fermented by our gut bacteria, producing gases.

    Sudden changes in the diet, such as eating more, and/eating more frequently foods rich in fibre (for example beans, lentils, broccoli, peas, onions etc) , swallowing too much air or insufficiently chewing your food can lead to an increase in flatulence. This can be avoided by reducing the quantity or frequency of those foods in your diet, and trying to chew sufficiently when eating.

    It could be possible that you are consuming too much dried fruits as well.

    If you suffer too much you should go to a doctor for medical advice.

  • I think everyone I have talked to concerning going raw has gone through “the Gassy stage” It will die down and the smell will nearly go completely away. I also noticed that when I had to go off of raw for about a week that when I got back into it again the smelly gas came back. It then goes away again.

    Hang in there!!

    Gone raw and lovin it!!!!

    YogaChik

  • I don’t eat much dried fruit at all. I have green smoothies for breakfast, fruit to snack on through the morning, salads for lunch and generally a seed pate or avocado with more salad for dinner. I have been trying to keep track of the gas to food relationship and I think it is mostly veggies that do it. I can handle the fruit just fine, BUT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO EAT VEGETABLES :( In my research I saw that taking activated charcoal tablets can help with the smell. Does anyone know how healthful/harming that might be?

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    I heard about that too (charcoal) but I didn’t research into it. I know that beano works, but you can’t take it because it is made out of fish gelatin.

  • I’m not sure what is in your green smoothie but if it is a combo of veggie and fruit, you may want to eat your fruits first and then wait 15 mins before you eat anything else. Fruits digest quicker. Try it for a few days and see if it works. No fruit in your salad for those few days either. Also I found when I was not 100% raw, still eating some dairy and poultry I was also very gassy.

    Good Luck! & Stick with it. This too shall pass…no pun

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    I had major gas after my transition to vegan and again after going raw. I always took the lighter side of it and wanted a T-Shirt that said… “Since I became Vegan, My Ass Is Like A Trumpet.”

    I had so much gas there was never time for a smell to build up inside me, so I considered that to be a bonus.

    I have set fire to my gas at all the different times in my life and I must say that my Raw gas stage was most definately the most flammable. I had a very bad experience in my last attempt to prove it. Let’s just say Hot Seat was my nickname. The singed hair was the breaking point for me and I no longer practice this classic methane demonstration.

    But alas, I have recently experienced a balance in pressure. I do miss the old days but I guess it’s all for the best.

  • daisygirldaisygirl Raw Newbie

    Oh gosh… Chris…that last posting was hilarious. To admit you did that takes a lot of guts- thanks, I had a great laugh. Every time I read one of your posts now- I’m never going to be able to get that mental picture out of my head!

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    I agree that is funny Chris.

  • I definitely have gassy days. For the most part I can figure out the cause but sometimes it just baffles me. I also get a huge, bloated belly when I get the gas which is really uncomfortable and unattractive. The only advice I can give is no mixing fruits with fats, no unsoaked nuts and stay away from the brassica family of veggies which include kale, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, at least until your body adjusts although I’ve been raw for years now and still can’t eat them without suffering from stink butt!

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    Since you said that rawmumma, maybe that is why I don’t have gas. I ate things from the brassica family raw before I became a raw vegan. I use to eat for lunch broccoli and veggie chili, or broccoli and veggie soup, broccoli and beans. When I had a salad I made sure to have broccoli on top. Juleskess maybe your not use to the veggies yet.

    The only thing I remember that gave me the chris affect was milk. Beans didn’t have that bad of an affect on me.

  • No, I used to eat all of that stuff before going raw, I just ate it steamed. Those veggies were actually some of my biggest staples and gave me no gas after the transition period. Maybe my raw transition period is just going to be smellier and longer. It sure makes it hard to be a teacher though. Maybe I should eat only fruit and nuts until after the work day is over. Leave my veggie stink for my loving partner ;)

  • In Green for Life or on Fredriques site I read that the more green smoothies you have the better…it helps to netulize all body orders and as an ex smelly pit girl I can attest to that… Our family’s only has smelly gas with the occasional cooked food slip up. If I were you I would keep your vegetable intake focused on greens and carrots, tomatoes etc and stay away from the others, cabbage, broccoli, bell pepers etc….

    If fruit agrees with you eat more of that…it sounds like from your post that it happens after lunch and with veggies so focus on that first. The more green leafys you eat, the more your digestion will improve….good luck

    Chris…you kill me that is hilarious..

  • there is a sea weed that you can eat, its a very little peice it stops the gas like nothing else. i forget the name of it. it works i’ll get the name and post it here

    HELP IS ON THE WAY !!!!!! WILL I GET A PEACE PRIZE FOR THIS ???
  • Wow. Such a colorful topic. So glad we’re all able to talk about this! (I’ve had those symptoms, too!)

  • Priceless OnePriceless One Raw Newbie

    By all means jaymz72, post it as soon as you can. My dh will be delighted!!!

    And Chris, that really was too funny!

  • My stomach hurt so bad the first two weeks that I almost quit. I thought I was suppose to feel better on this…but, I stuck in there and my symptoms have improved greatly but, I eat more fruit than veggies. I am having a different probem though if anyone wants to offer some advice. I have been vegan for at least 6 weeks..raw for 2…and haven’t lost any weight. What am I doing wrong??

  • UPDATE-—- it is called “kombu” and works really good from what i hear just eat a little piece ( about the size of a postage stamp ) with what your eating.i got this from an old women whos been around for quite some time.

  • SystemSystem Raw Newbie

    I hardly ever get gas. But then again I’m used to eating broccoli, corn, turnip. I’m not really fond of cabbage, and I’ve read it can cause a lot of flatulence – it’s reacting to the intestine toxin buildup.

    I’m really careful about food combination, and as I’ve learned, sweet fruits with acidic fruit can cause gas. It’s really interesting to read up on food combination – it can really give you hints as to why you’re so gassy. A lot of stuff don’t mix together. For example, olives, avocadoes, tomatoes and cucumbers which are fruits don’t mix with a lot of stuff.

    I also don’t eat grains – maybe that’s a reason I’m not gassed. I do drink a lot of water, and so I’m often “exiting”.

    That’s my input… Good luck to the gas!

  • Hi there,

    I briefly had this problem big time and this is what I learned:

    Stay away from things that are notoriously difficult to digest such as nuts, seeds, and tough vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, chard cabbage etc…

    Some things that are difficult for some people to digest also include bell peppers, apples, pears and cucumbers with the skins on (peel them to make them more digestible), and grapes.

    Stick to fruits and tender greens (lettuces) and I bet that your gas problem will resolve very quickly. You can get all the nutrition you need from fruits and tender greens.

    A few other tips that might help:

    Peel anything that you can.

    Be sure to “chew” juices and smoothies very well. Don’t gulp them down. Chewing is very important for the digestive process. Slow down and chew every bite well. Be sure to thoroughly mix eat mouthful with saliva before swallowing.

    Be sure that you are eating ripe fruit. Bananas should not be eaten until they have some brown spots on them. Unripe fruit is more difficult to digest (in addition to not being as yummy and sweet).

    Try to give your body several hours between meals.

    Eat mono meals as much as possible (only one item per meal) for the best, most optimal digestion.

    Wishing you all the best!

    Audrey 

  • DOes anyone have a zucchini substitute…I KNOW this gives me gas….I want to make the noodles and lasagna but I dont know what to substitute with… Thanks and good luck to all..

    Great tip on the kombu I remember I used to cook my beans with Kombu for that exact reason. I only have found it dried so I would have some soaking/soaking on hand at all times.

  • How about pumpkin? I’ve make skinny noodles with it. Never tried lasagna noodles though.

  • How about adding some Kimchi or fermented veggies to each meal? It’s very good for digestion. I eat it all the time.

  • Ambikalee I make raw pasta with eggplant and it’s super yummy.

  • Thanks for the tips I will definatly try the eggpleant and pumpkin!!

  • SystemSystem Raw Newbie

    Juleskess, I reread your average eating for one day, and I’m not a doctor but I really think your food combination has a large part to do with your gas.

    For your morning smoothie, I would stick to one type of fruit to go with the spinach/swiss chard, either citrus OR sweet. Or even fruit—it’s better to have just fruit in the morning, it helps to clean out the intestinal tract. And as others have said, make sure your bananas are ripe. Two previous posts (one on food combination and the other on dried fruit I believe could give you some advice). Maybe stick to sweet fruits as mid-morning snack if you’re having bananas in the morning. Or maybe try to limit the figs.

    For your lunch, I’ve read avocadoes don’t mix well with pates/other fats. And for your dinner, I personally wouldn’t mix the fruit with the rolls or coleslaw. Whenever I have fruit with other foods I get gas. It causes fermentation in the stomach.

    And miso and tamari can also cause gas, since they are fermented foods.

    I hope my point of view helps a bit. But then again, this is based on my gas and digestion experience. Humananimal is quite good about clearing up fruit questions, he’s always done so for me.

  • joseegonthier, thanks for your continued help trying to save my career from gas. I really appreciate it. Let me clarify: I eat the avo OR the pate and I eat the fruit OR the rolls or slaw. I know I can’t mix those things.

    Your suggestion about the only fruit in the AM is a good one. I will try it, but I am ever searching for ways to get more greens into my diet and found the smoothie way worked well. I had been laboring under the misconception that leafy greens are the one veg that can be easily mixed with fruit. I’ll try it without and see if it helps.

    You may be right about the miso and tamari, I’ve been trying to cut those out anyway as they’re not really raw. But now I am confused. Mham just said that fermented foods would help digestion. Is there a differece between kimchee fermentation and miso fermentation? Hmm.

  • Has anyone read Green for Life? It is all about the Greens Baby!!! Go Greens! Anyway Victoria Butenko (Sp?) Author of Green For Life has done her research and it is true that greens are a neutral food and Green Smoothies are a miracle food! I can only speak for me and my body but I have followed food combinig and sometimes I find it to be acurate and other times I dont. I think that we are all different and food combining is a good general rule that makes sense but I dont think it is 100 percent perfect law that can be applied to everyone. There are so many factor in life that can be affecting your digesstion, Environment, Stress, Genectic, Medical history….and so on. I am not against food combining I always try to keep and open mind and am open to trying new things. For me I can only say I am The Sceintist and the Subject when it comes to my body, I run expiremnts on myself and watch for reactions, not just from my bowels, but also from my mood, skin, eyes,energy. This open minded expiermenttation is what lead me to Raw Foods.

    I digress… SHORT STORY GO GO GREENS!!!! at least for me :)

  • Ok, I realize you guys talked about this a few days ago, but here are my 2 cents worth…I don’t have problems with gas now that I am raw, I had massive problems before though…I was gassy all the time, my digestive system has really calmed down since I am eating live foods. Had to go to a conference this past weekend though and didn’t want to come across totally weird so I ate vegan cooked, salads and tons of fruit. Felt tired, achy and my mood is down. I came home Monday, and was tempted by some easter egg chocholate, had some on Tuesday too. My b’friend bought a roasted chicken for himself and his son last night and it had fries, I ate 2 last night and then heated some today. So eating cooked vegan brought temptation back into my life…and so I am grocery shopping tomorrow and will have loads of stuff for smoothies, salads and fruit and that will help. Peace to all of you. Deasmiles

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