Why am I not digesting things? (sorry kinda gross)

stonel94
stonel94 Posts: 550 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So sorry this is kinda gross, but it appears my body doesn't want to digest some things, I feel fine while eating it but then a while later I go to the bathroom and even then I don't really feel sick a lot of the time but then out comes like whole blueberries that haven't even been touched by acid it looks like or whole leaves of kale that are entirely intact and stuff like that...I eat a pretty high fiber diet but not like ridiculously high, I eat a high protein diet, and i eat pretty healthily usually. So...anyone know why this happens?

Replies

  • LillyWillow
    LillyWillow Posts: 59
    That sucks. I found this website that might help give you an idea. You might want to consult a doctor.

    http://www.examiner.com/article/top-5-causes-of-poor-digestion
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    ...
    out comes like whole blueberries that haven't even been touched by acid it looks like or whole leaves of kale that are entirely intact and stuff like that...
    ...
    So...anyone know why this happens?

    My advice would be to slow down and chew better.

    It's important to properly masticate your food - particularly plant based foods - to get the nutrition from it. Plants are made out of this stuff called cellulose (plant cell-walls) that humans can't properly digest. (Not to worry - it just serves as healthy fiber for us - for ruminants like cows - it is digestible and nutritious.)

    You help your digestive system get to the parts that you can digest when you grind it up with your teeth before swallowing.
  • pastamomma
    pastamomma Posts: 34 Member
    Hi. I wonder, especially after reading the article posted by fun_to_lose, if you have an allergy to some of the things that aren't being digested. I have trouble with taking iron supplements. I've tried multiple kinds and nothing likes to stay in me long enough to do any good. Like you, I don't feel bad until.... If it's always blueberries and kale maybe lay off them for a bit and then introduce them one at a time again. Good luck with this. Isn't it frustrating when we try to eat right and things don't work the way we plan!?!
  • thepiratemd
    thepiratemd Posts: 65
    i doubt the problem is as serious as you describe. we all know the old story of seeing corn kernals in stool. things like blue berries and leafy kale etc are the same-- fruits and vegetables contain CELLULOSE which is not easily broken down by stomach acids.

    it is completely normal to see some remnants of fruit skins, or bits of leaves, in stool. If you were passing whole bushels of undigested blueberries, or a head of lettuce (lol) THEN we might have a problem.

    But if it's just a bit here and there it's nothing bad.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    i doubt the problem is as serious as you describe. we all know the old story of seeing corn kernals in stool. things like blue berries and leafy kale etc are the same-- fruits and vegetables contain CELLULOSE which is not easily broken down by stomach acids.

    it is completely normal to see some remnants of fruit skins, or bits of leaves, in stool. If you were passing whole bushels of undigested blueberries, or a head of lettuce (lol) THEN we might have a problem.

    But if it's just a bit here and there it's nothing bad.

    ^^^^ This

    Humans lack the enzymes require to digest cellulose; the only way you could be passing whole blueberries is if you didn't chew them in the first place.
  • ssmithbowman
    ssmithbowman Posts: 23
    agree with the above two. you might not be chewing them fully, which isn't really going to hurt you, you just aren't getting the full nutrition of the food.

    As long as you don't have severe stomach cramping, diarrhea, pain, or blood in your stool, I would think you're probably fine and don't have an allergy or other GI problem. But ask your doctor if you are really worried about it and they can tell you for sure.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    A bit off track but reminds me of the time when my dog got onto a table and ate a bunch of grapes. They are poisonous for dogs so I rushed her to the vet who made her sick. She is such a pig that she ate them whole. The vet said watching her vomit was like looking at an faulty gum ball machine.
    Another gross story - sorry!
  • kateauch
    kateauch Posts: 195 Member
    I had this as well. It went on for months. I finally went to a GI specialist after working with my general physician and getting no where. I was diagnosed with an unfriendly bacteria in my GI tract. Took some broad spectrum but targeted antibiotics and was much MUCH better within a week.

    I also made significant changes to my diet after and it took some time for my body to adjust to the high fiber but if this isn't a new diet change or like you said, you're not too high on fiber, I would see a specialist.
  • gigglybeth
    gigglybeth Posts: 365 Member
    Hi. I wonder, especially after reading the article posted by fun_to_lose, if you have an allergy to some of the things that aren't being digested. I have trouble with taking iron supplements. I've tried multiple kinds and nothing likes to stay in me long enough to do any good. Like you, I don't feel bad until.... If it's always blueberries and kale maybe lay off them for a bit and then introduce them one at a time again. Good luck with this. Isn't it frustrating when we try to eat right and things don't work the way we plan!?!

    I was having the same problem and the two that work the best for me is one from Germany called FloraVital. It's EXPENSIVE. I get it at the discount healthfood store and it's still $40 a bottle and I was going through one every 2 weeks. But it's awesome. It's full of other vitamins too that help with iron absorption. My hair and skin look great when I take it.

    That got a bit too pricey for me and I switched to called PurAbsorb. It's actually water and it tastes repulsive on it's own. Mix it with some Emergen-C (vitamin C increases iron absorption) and you can't taste it at all. I get that at Walgreens for about $20 a box. Frequently they run it on sale for $11.

    To the OP: Unless you are swallowing your blueberries whole, they are not whole when they come out. This is kind of gross, but I wondered that about corn. Basically what happens is the skin isn't digestible and when you bite down on it, the insides kind of pop out. Then when it goes through the digestive tract, the skin kind of fills up with other wastes and looks like it's whole again.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    If things are coming out whole, you need to CHEW YOUR FOOD.
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    A bit off track but reminds me of the time when my dog got onto a table and ate a bunch of grapes. They are poisonous for dogs so I rushed her to the vet who made her sick. She is such a pig that she ate them whole. The vet said watching her vomit was like looking at an faulty gum ball machine.
    Another gross story - sorry!

    I'm glad your dog is ok, but this just cracked me up! :laugh:
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    A bit off track but reminds me of the time when my dog got onto a table and ate a bunch of grapes. They are poisonous for dogs so I rushed her to the vet who made her sick. She is such a pig that she ate them whole. The vet said watching her vomit was like looking at an faulty gum ball machine.
    Another gross story - sorry!

    I'm glad your dog is ok, but this just cracked me up! :laugh:

    She's fine thanks. She goes to a practise with lots of vets. The other day i was seen by the same vet- i'd not seen him for three years since it happened and he remembered the episode and reminded me!!

    Again off track but there was also the time when as a puppy, she ate two tea light candles. Her poo was waxy for days- could have put a wick in it and lit it. Sorry, this is even grosser. I must add since then I am a lot more careful with what I leave about.

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