Help my gut!

[Sentimentallentil]

I used to have really bad ibs but haven’t had a flare up since going vegan, however since coming back off holiday two weeks ago (where i overindulged a wee bit) my tummy has been really bad.
I feel like my food isn’t digesting in my stomach and it’s only taking a few bites of food for me to feel full. I feel really bloated and gassy too.

My typical day of food is

Breakfast - peanut butter on toast
Snack - banana

Lunch- tofu and wholewheat noodle soup with sweet corn, spinach and the juice of a lemon

Dinner- chickpea stew with tomatoes, peppers, corgette and aubergine

Evening snack - popcorn and chocolate

I have about two cups of tea with soya milk too.

I do often have a slice of cake too.

Anyone got any advice?

Well I would write down what gives me the problems after I've eaten. I get bad reactions from bananas and those peppers.It could be wheat of course.

Have you tried taking a digestive supplement ? I take Viridian digestive with betaine and amylase , it works really well for calming my stomach. Or you can take turmeric and or ginger. Have you looked at Earth Clinic on here?

Oooh I'm terrible with chickpeas too. ! You can have tahini and or white beans instead.

At the minute it’s everything I eat, or drink, even water.
I take a pre and pro biotic from Holland and Barrett but I can’t remember it’s name.

Maybe try a fast for a while! Have a look at the ingredients in the pre biotics you take. it could be them!

Where did you holiday? Did you indulge in food you wouldn't normally? You could have allergies or/and also a parasite

Do you sip the water and make sure it's filtered and room temperature?

I should also mention that 'legumes' can be gut irritants (chick peas and peanuts) as well as nightshade vegetables (tomatoes and aubergine) and your consuming quite a lot in one day

I’ve been taking my supplements for years and haven’t had any issue.

Ewwwwwww parasites are my worst nightmare!
It was to lanzarote and I did drink more beer than I would normally but I was fine at the time and would have thought it would have settled by now

Yes that's true Two kids Where were you on holiday?

And peppers!!

Also I’ve had no change in diet I’ve eaten pretty much the same way my whole life

The beer could have have altered your gut environment. It's not necessarily vegan is it ?

The thing is our guts change as we get older! Sorry!

You can contract allergies at any point in your life regardless of whether you've eaten certain foods since day 1. You are eating ALOT of gut irritants. Try fasting and flushing your system with lemon water for 24 hours

Do you know your Blood Type? Senti ? it could help you.

Gas is produced by bacteria in the gut in response to the food you’ve eaten, and you’re eating a lot of functional prebiotic foods as well which will further fuel them.

I’d try a short ‘detox’ (hate that term, it’s horribly unscientific, but anyway) - cut out onions/leeks/garlic, wholewheat/bran and banana, just for a few weeks. Make sure you’re drinking more water than you usually do, lots of fruit and veg, keep up with dark leafy greens etc. Oats can be quite gut calming. A few tbsp of aloe vera juice in water before eating and slippery elm can help soothe the gut as well. You can keep up with probiotic supplement but aim for one without added prebiotic (I was recommended one by a nutritionist, can look it up if you want). Hopefully that’ll decrease the gas production and reset the flora a little, it’s what I do to help my gut heal from time to time when I’ve been overdoing it on things that don’t agree with it.

Thanks everyone.

I do eat a lot of legumes but I struggle to think what to eat to get my protein without them, has anyone got any suggestions?

I have a physically demanding job and run three times a week so don’t want to fade away. I have no imagination I can’t thibk of any meals without wheat, legumes, nightshades and vegan.

Please spam me with ideas if you can think of some

Also I was drinking San Miguel which is vegan so no need to panic in that front, I can keep my vegan card.

Senti You do know that just plain old greens have plenty of protein in them?. And tofu is packed with it. More than steak apparently. Google it.

If one thinks about it. Cows grow to be bigger than us on basic grass don't they? As do gorillas on leaves and fruit. Though they do eat an insect or 2 !

Isn’t tofu made out of a legume?

I know that you can get plenty of protein from a plant based diet but If I’m avoiding night shades, wheat, bananas and legumes I’m struggling to think as to what I can eat that will fill me up.

For lunch I’ve fried spinach and broccoli with bamboo shoots, carrots and miso.

It was nice but I am starving!

Do you have any ideas for meals?

Yes it's soya based but is mild for most people. Have you tried thing a ginger supplement? that's brilliant to calm stomachs as is mint.

Whole rice is lovely and calming also nourishing. Use organic 'pudding' rice and soak it first. Then cook very well till soft. Not like pasta .

Oh I eat fruit (as you could guess!) BUT on an empty stomach (not for dessert). I make a lovely seasonal smoothie with ground almonds, linseeds a whole lemon for the Vit. C . No oranges though, they're too acid, but all other citrus fruits are good.

Beetroot (and the veg. beetroot) juice is calming too. Not vinegar , that's too acid for most people.

I fry but very gently with a little water and olive oil. Heavy high temp.frying is a bit too much for delicate stomachs , how is your stomach now?

I have no imagination I can’t thibk of any meals without wheat, legumes, nightshades and vegan.....Please spam me with ideas if you can think of some

Ooh, menu challenge accepted!

Some ideas...

On-the-go breakfasts: chia pudding, bircher muesli, make-ahead breakfast bakes/bars/muffins (batch bake, freeze, defrost overnight), fresh fruit, coconut yoghurt, smoothie in a travel cup, Nakd bar or Trek protein flapjack, pot of nuts/seeds/dried fruit.

Cook-at-home breakfasts: hash browns (potato, sweet potato or other root veg - parsnip, celeriac etc), spinach & mushrooms, sweet corn/broccoli fritters, avocado, oat/rice flour pancakes, porridge (oat or quinoa flakes).

Packed lunches: big salads - loads of possibilities. Different greens (spinach, rocket, kale, romaine), veggies (raw like cucumber, carrot, or cooked/cooled like sweet potato, beetroot, butternut squash, broccoli etc) fruits (avocado, pomegranate, blueberries, pears, apple) nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts) seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, hemp) fiddly extras like olives, dressings, coconut ‘bacon’ bits, croutons (non-wheat bread, or leftover fried polenta etc).
Things in wraps/sandwiches/rolls - avocado, greens, veggies/fruits like the salads, homemade spreads/dips like mushroom, carrot, butternut squash, or cashew based, could also be eaten with crudités or oatcakes
Or, leftovers from dinners, or homemade soups (squash, parsnip, celeriac, potato, broccoli, carrot, pea*) with wf roll (BFree do vegan wheat-free bread products).

*yes peas are technically legume but as you can eat them fresh they’re less of an issue

Proper cooked meals at home: base around rice, potato, quinoa, polenta, include greens, starchy veg, fat in nuts, avocado, coconut milk. So curries and rice, risottos, rice noodle stir fry dishes, veg stews with mash or roast potatoes or soft polenta, Buddha bowl type affairs of whatever veg you have in/fancy with greens and rice/quinoa/millet topped with the fiddly bits like with salads. And there are easy-from-the-freezer things like Gosh! gluten free/vegan burgers or nuggets with sweet potato wedges & broccoli (also from freezer) boom done.

Really winter lends itself to avoiding nightshades because they’re not in season anyway.

I wouldn’t have thought you’d need to avoid things forever - more of a gut reset time and then reintroduce legumes, nightshade, prebiotics etc.

Good suggestions serendipity, I've been struggling with interesting meals recently so feeling inspired now!

Are you using organic tofu. Could you change to organic oat milk.

I think the mystery has been solved.

Im on the coil and haven’t had a period in years and yesterday one started. My gut feels normal again now.