Constantly bloated when I eat healthily

noobletmcnugget
noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
edited March 2015 in Food and Nutrition
I find that when I eat lots of vegetables I am constantly really bloated. It's a horrible feeling really. I've tried chewing my food more, but it doesn't really make a difference. If I then spend a few days not eating much veg, then the bloating will go down substantially, only to return again when I go back to eating veg.

Does anyone else experience this? Any suggestions on what I should do to reduce bloating? Losing weight isn't very rewarding when you can't really see any changes because you're bloated all the time. :\

Edit: Just wanted to add that I've been eating them consistently (pretty much every day) for nine weeks now, so I'm not sure it's just a case of adjusting to eating them.

Replies

  • MrsD15
    MrsD15 Posts: 5 Member
    I believe you. Because the more vegetable and healthy I eat the more gas I have. But I just release it LOL and go to the bathroom and it helps to cleans my system. If that makes any sense
  • dar4765
    dar4765 Posts: 12 Member
    Beano helps me!
  • cattitude123
    cattitude123 Posts: 50 Member
    try some digestive enzymes..e.g.."beano" is really good for legumes, its not a magic bullet, but it helps your body chew through the tough stuff. Good Luck!
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I've never experienced bloating from eating healthy. But normally when you make changes to your diet your body will act differently until it adjusts. How long have you tried eating more veggies for? If you are constantly going back and forth your body is probably confused....*shrug*

    Try it for a good week or two and see if that helps. OR, try increasing the amount of veggies you consume slowly.

    I find my body likes consistency. Any time I make a dramatic change it usually has something to say about it.
  • Jesslan_Rose
    Jesslan_Rose Posts: 137 Member
    It could be the type of vegetables you're eating?
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Introduce fiber (fruits and veg) slowly if you're not used to it. Rinse beans/legumes really well before cooking.

    Also, cooking veg makes it a little easier to digest.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    esjones12 wrote: »
    I've never experienced bloating from eating healthy. But normally when you make changes to your diet your body will act differently until it adjusts. How long have you tried eating more veggies for? If you are constantly going back and forth your body is probably confused....*shrug*

    Try it for a good week or two and see if that helps. OR, try increasing the amount of veggies you consume slowly.

    I find my body likes consistency. Any time I make a dramatic change it usually has something to say about it.

    Well, I've been eating them consistently (pretty much every day) for the past nine weeks, and still haven't seen any improvement, so I'm not sure it's just a case of adjusting to them.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    try switching to cooked veg. It causes less bloating, for me.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    try switching to cooked veg. It causes less bloating, for me.

    The veg I eat is cooked veg :(
  • MrCoolGrim
    MrCoolGrim Posts: 351 Member
    I find drinking more water and decreasing my coffee consumption helps decrease the bloating effect for me.
  • kimbachatt
    kimbachatt Posts: 1 Member
    Maybe you have an intolerance to one or more. If I eat raw carrots I have severe gastric pain, one time even caused a blockage, that's how I found out I should not eat them and that "gas" was not normal.
  • r5d5
    r5d5 Posts: 219 Member
    kimbachatt wrote: »
    Maybe you have an intolerance to one or more. If I eat raw carrots I have severe gastric pain, one time even caused a blockage, that's how I found out I should not eat them and that "gas" was not normal.

    I would go more for an intolerance than anything else. You've been eating them for 9 weeks you said...I doubt your body is still "getting used to them."
    I too get bloating a lot from eating veggies, but like other posters said, I take beano or similar product, because I'd rather be bloated by be eating veggies than go without. Haha it's a less of two evils thing I guess.
    Look into IBS--irritable bowel syndrome. It's not just about having to go or not being able to go. Some people just cant tolerate certain foods. It's a bit annoying to accept, but I've come to terms with the fact that I will always have some bloating from eating healthy foods.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    r5d5 wrote: »
    kimbachatt wrote: »
    Maybe you have an intolerance to one or more. If I eat raw carrots I have severe gastric pain, one time even caused a blockage, that's how I found out I should not eat them and that "gas" was not normal.

    I would go more for an intolerance than anything else. You've been eating them for 9 weeks you said...I doubt your body is still "getting used to them."
    I too get bloating a lot from eating veggies, but like other posters said, I take beano or similar product, because I'd rather be bloated by be eating veggies than go without. Haha it's a less of two evils thing I guess.
    Look into IBS--irritable bowel syndrome. It's not just about having to go or not being able to go. Some people just cant tolerate certain foods. It's a bit annoying to accept, but I've come to terms with the fact that I will always have some bloating from eating healthy foods.

    Thanks for the advice! I guess that is a possibility! How do you go about isolating the foods that cause it?

  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »

    Thanks for the advice! I guess that is a possibility! How do you go about isolating the foods that cause it?

    I took the cheater route--I asked my parents if they had any issues. Turns out I inherited a couple of choice intolerances (onions, peppers...sadface. I miss salsa).

    Otherwise, it's an elimination (ha. ha.) game. Try a week cutting out one veggie you currently eat a lot of. See if that helps. Cycle through everything individually. Then start testing out combinations.

    Something else to consider--if you are getting a lot of insoluble fiber from veggies, what about soluble fiber (from e.g. oatmeal)? Sometimes that can help.
  • hillarysiegel24
    hillarysiegel24 Posts: 14 Member
    I experienced this for days, weeks, months, years. My doctor tested me for many food intolerances and what we ended up was putting me on a low FODMAP diet- turns out sometimes our bodies can't process sugars in certain fruits and vegetables properly. I have a couple of different digestive issues that make it difficult for me to eat, and I had to cut out alot of fruits and vegetables before I was able to beat the bloating.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    How much veg are you eating...there is more to eating healthy than just eating endless vegetables. Also, are you just eating tons of raw veggies or are you cooking them...I recommend a combo of both...just nothing but raw veggies can be hell on your digestive system. As others have stated, it could be the type of veggies you are eating as well...I can't eat much raw broccoli for example without being pretty uncomfortable.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    hillarysiegel24 wrote: »
    I experienced this for days, weeks, months, years. My doctor tested me for many food intolerances and what we ended up was putting me on a low FODMAP diet- turns out sometimes our bodies can't process sugars in certain fruits and vegetables properly. I have a couple of different digestive issues that make it difficult for me to eat, and I had to cut out alot of fruits and vegetables before I was able to beat the bloating.

    Hey, thanks for the reply. I think that maybe I'm the same. As soon as I go home from university, I rarely eat any vegetables, and I experience much less bloating. I think I'm going to try and identify any 'trigger foods' and aim to maintain a low FODMAP diet. Thanks!
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    How much veg are you eating...there is more to eating healthy than just eating endless vegetables. Also, are you just eating tons of raw veggies or are you cooking them...I recommend a combo of both...just nothing but raw veggies can be hell on your digestive system. As others have stated, it could be the type of veggies you are eating as well...I can't eat much raw broccoli for example without being pretty uncomfortable.

    Not ridiculous amounts... pretty normal amounts I think. I make quite a lot of stir frys (which obviously have quite a bit) and chilli (which I chuck some veg into). But I also balance my diet with stuff like bread, pasta, chicken, beef, bacon, noodles, eggs, tuna, etc. I'm not just eating veg constantly haha. I never eat raw veggies - they're always cooked. I think I'm going to try to identify any 'trigger' vegetables so I can limit/avoid them.
  • miriamtob
    miriamtob Posts: 436 Member
    Having good gut flora can really help with digestion and absorption of nutrients. I would look to probiotics: a capsule with at least four different strains and as many live bacteria as possible, cultured vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi are some of the most gut healing foods. The cultured vegetables even have the fiber (pre-biotic), which the beneficial bacteria eat. You find these foods in the refrigerated section of your healthfood or grocery store. They must have a salt brine, not vinegar. Try eating ferments with anything that usually slows down your digestion. I've also found that chewing fennel seeds brings speedy relief; fennel, anise, cardamom, are all carminative seeds, which means expels gas.

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