Help - Primal foods are messing with my stomach page 3

[Paysan]

I have no patience for constant illiterate and pretentious pseudoacademic "linking."
Go and ask someone with an ulcer whether he feels better after eating creme fraiche, boiled egg, chicken, potato .. whatever or after eating "fermented" with tons of salt vegetables.

Hey, I suffered with ulcers for years; so I can tell you what my stomach told me. EASY on the fruits - I had a bleeding ulcer attack triggered by too many oranges and apples. Juices doubled me over, and a ripe banana was painful. I could handle raw goat milk and soft cheeses, but anything made from cow dairy raised red flags. Fermented veggies were not in my vocabulary (sour cabbage?? Yuck!), but now that my ulcer is apparently healed, I am fermenting radishes, cabbages, yogurt, kombucha, etc. (But the last Kombucha gave me a twinge.) Even so, I still show consideration for my celiac-damaged digestive system, and wouldn't go full bore on anything till my intestinal bacterial colonies adjusted.

[amerikian]

Thank you. But can we be sure that cavemen were using blenders?
Here is a link to Kresser on vegetables.
Got digestive problems? Take it easy on the veggies.

Thanks for the article. He does mention/recommend in #3 to "Dice, mash, chop, grate or blend high-insoluble fiber foods to make them easier to break down."

But laying off the veggies isn't a bad idea if my guts are rumbling....like they currently are.

[anna5]

It just occurred to me that maybe we're are overdoing with all this pushing down all these veggies while insisting that we're cavemen. Actually, I am not - I live in an apartment.

[dMilo]

So yesterday I went without eating any veges and I felt great!! Looks like all that broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc was the problem afterall. I will definitely watch my intake and try to eat more lettuce. Thanks everyone!!

[Betorq]

I have no patience for constant illiterate and pretentious pseudoacademic "linking."
Go and ask someone with an ulcer whether he feels better after eating creme fraiche, boiled egg, chicken, potato .. whatever or after eating "fermented" with tons of salt vegetables.

Well, I don't ascribe to, practice or teach any of my students to overuse seasalt when making ferments. Healthy fats, chewing one's food well & slowly, fermented foods of any/all types depending on personal preferences, tolerances or availability, are all consistent with Mark's Primal Blueprint. Look in the mirror anna5, for a change, & stop making presumptions based on lack rather than fact.

[PHaselow]

Hey everyone, I am new to the primal lifestyle and after reading a lot about it, I decided to take the plunge 5 days ago. But I'm running into some problems. Basically, I am getting stomach pain in my upper and lower abdominal during and after eating lunch and dinner. I basically eat the same thing. For lunch it's 5oz of chicken with mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, green beans, cauliflower) soaked in olive oil, and for dinner it's the same thing but with 5oz of fish. Could all the vegetables and/or olive oil be messing with my stomach?? I feel like it is, yet I don't know what to do since primal eating is all about eating a ton of vegetables a day! Should I just push through the pain for a week or two until my body/stomach gets used to this kind of diet?

It's also important for me to note that I do not have access to a variety of foods. I'm an American expat living in the Middle East and my food options are very limited. For example, I haven't had a salad in 4 weeks because my local super market has been out of lettuce! Also, I am 25 years old, 5'6 tall, 180lbs and probably around 25% bodyfat if that helps.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Are you used to eating cruciferous vegetables? Broccoli/cauliflower in the amount you are now? If the veggies are raw, try steaming them a bit first. Also, if you have increased your fat intake that is an adjustment for your body.

Gassy? Diarrhea? Both of those also point to the food change. It should get better in the next couple of weeks.

I will let others pick apart the specifics on what you are eating. For me, I would start with cooking the vegetables if you are eating them raw and maybe adding a digestive enzyme (even as simple as adding cider vinegar to the olive oil) if you have access.

[Betorq]

Right, excellent advice. Simple things like sneaking in organic Apple Cider Vinegar (you can make it if you can't find/buy it, or order stuff online), ACV into your sauces & dressings every day, as well as full fat organic yogurt. And cooking even if its just steaming your veggies more often than not, autumn is coming here soon & depending on your altitude & location in Jordon, it may also be changing seasons soon there too. I dunno about that. I know in bordering Israel, climate & weather both vary widely depending on location & heights.

[sbhikes]

If I was living in the Middle East I for sure wouldn't be eating chicken and frozen vegetables. I'd be out there eating the local stuff. I assume they've got local yogurts, lamb, interesting salads, interesting seasonings, delicious stews. When I worked at a software company a friend there invited a bunch of us to a Persian dinner she prepared. Oh my god it was so good! If I ever retire I want to travel the world eating all the local foods.

[BestBetter]

I had some of my worst IBS attacks while eating tons of salads and veggies. How could veggies possibly be a problem, right? So I ate more and more, and the pain got worse. Later, I learned that humans don't produce the enzyme that digests cellulose (the insoluable fiber in vegetables), which means we have to rely on gut fermentation to break that stuff down, which can cause bloating, pain, inflammation and other gastorintestinal disorders in some people.

I cut way down on my veggies, and it helped a lot. My suggestions would be to:
1) Peel and de-seed any veggies you are eating (this goes a long way to reduce the insoluble fiber)
2) If you have access to a juicer, you can juice your veggies, that way you can throw out the indigestible cellulose and drink the nutrients.
3) Cook well any veggies you do eat - this also helps to break down the fiber.
4) If possible, try to stick to veggies that are lower in fiber (squashes, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, etc...)
5) Try to limit your overall veggie consumption

Additionally, it would probably be a good idea to take some probiotics, either in capsule form, or fermented foods like yogurt, kombucha (or obviously whatever you have access to there).

As to your question about what to replace the veggies with, it depends if you have specific macro needs or not. I got rid of the veggies in place of more starches like potatoes and rice, but you could also try to sub in more fat if that works better for you.

If the lower fiber thing doesn't help, another thing to look into is FODMAPS. Some people are really sensitive to fruits and veggies containing FODMAPS and don't realize it until they start eating way more of these foods.