Diarrhoea after eating fruit in the evening and after evening meal sometimes

[Gonnagetgoing]

This happens approx 2-3 times a week.

After I eat a normal evening meal (fishcakes with potato and veggies, omelette with potato and veggies, spaghetti Bolognese, shepherds pie with veggies, fajitas etc (I usually have a whole kiwi fruit cut up approximately 10-15 minutes after the meal. During the day I have a portion of apricots and raspberries as a snack, a vegetable soup and blueberries with porridge in the morning. I do have other snacks like biscuits sometimes.

This has mostly been since my 40s (just turned 50).

The diarrhoea is quite chronic and is a one off and I usually take peppermint tea to calm my stomach but only at this time never any other time and it’s not every day. I don’t think it’s IBS.

Any clues as to what it is before I see the doctor?

@Tessellation

I remember reading years ago that it is best to eat fruit before a meal rather than after it. Something to do with the rate of digestion. I've never been able to tuck into a fruit salad after a full meal without ending up with massive bloating. Fine on an empty stomach though.

Fruit wants to go through fast, so if it gets stuck in a traffic jam behind a bunch of slow moving protein, it ferments and bubbles up a load of gas that can't get out.

@Fleur405

I believe strawberries are very high in vitamin c. Honestly I would try going easy on the kiwis but if it doesn’t make a difference then go see your doctor.

I’m going to try eating kiwis before a main meal or just swapping to strawberries.

I have problems eating fruit (I have IBS), and I seem to be intolerant of many of the ‘sugars’ - fructose, fructans (in wheat) among others. Probably because at 74, my digestion is deteriorating, and not producing the various enzymes needed to digest these sugars. I cannot eat citrus, or nectarines (which I love!) nor apples. I do have a few grapes or cherries after my evening meal, but they don’t agree with me, so I really shouldn’t eat them!

Why are you insisting on eating fruit if it bothers you? 5 a day is based on nothing scientific, and many of the fruits we eat these days have been modified to be sugary and fleshy beyond recognition of the way they were when they actually grew in the wild. Fruit's not as good for you as you think.

@TheFoundations

Why are you insisting on eating fruit if it bothers you? 5 a day is based on nothing scientific, and many of the fruits we eat these days have been modified to be sugary and fleshy beyond recognition of the way they were when they actually grew in the wild. Fruit's not as good for you as you think.

@TheFoundations - it’s more for the Vitamin C levels in certain fruit rather than anything else and I tend to have approx 3-4 portions of fruit a day but I’m going to be cutting down I think or eating at a different time.

I’m sure a lot of the fruit we buy is modified and apart from my neighbours apple tree which she sometimes gives me windfalls from and the odd blackberry bush I don’t know a lot of the pick your own fruit places and citrus fruit you certainly can’t buy here. Having said that some of the fruit I buy (eg kiwis) is organic if it’s there.

I honestly didn’t make the connection re fruit bothering me! I have blueberries in porridge in the morning - no upset stomach. Fruit with lunch or mid afternoon - no upset stomach. It’s just 2-3 evenings a week in the early evening which cause this upset. So I’m stumped as to why this is.

@NanTheWiser

I have problems eating fruit (I have IBS), and I seem to be intolerant of many of the ‘sugars’ - fructose, fructans (in wheat) among others. Probably because at 74, my digestion is deteriorating, and not producing the various enzymes needed to digest these sugars. I cannot eat citrus, or nectarines (which I love!) nor apples. I do have a few grapes or cherries after my evening meal, but they don’t agree with me, so I really shouldn’t eat them!

@NanTheWiser - funny you should say that. My DM has rheumatoid arthritis and certain fruit she cannot eat now as it flares her RA up, mostly citrus and strawberries. She’s also got acid reflux too so has to avoid certain foods including some fruit and when to eat them, eg she can’t have apple pie after dinner now it has to be before if she has it.

I've been experiencing something vaguely similar, not with fruit but espresso after eating out. Seems the coffee simply overstimulates my digestion especially coming on top of a multi-course meal. So ģiven I'm often the driver on these occasions I've sadly stopped having it. Tbh never even thought about consulting a doctor about it. PP's suggestion about having the fruit separately and/or earlier in the day seems very sensible.

Potatoes, broccoli and leafy greens are good sources of vitamin C.