Red meat....help!

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Ralstonk2
Ralstonk2 Posts: 345 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So since I've been watching what I eat I haven't really eaten red meat maybe once or twice in the past 2 months I guess? Not on purpose I've just been eating a lot of chicken. Well last night, had dinner at my mom's and they made cheeseburgers so I figured I'd do a cheat meal so I ate what they made. Right after I ate dinner, I felt very bloated and very full. And my stomach hurt pretty bad. Well it's the morning and it still does! I'm starting to feel very miserable. I took some pepto and it hasn't helped much. Do you think it's the red meat since I haven't eaten any in so long? I'm thinking of not really eating much today because my stomach really hurts. Any ideas or thoughts would be great.

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  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,118 Member
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    anything is possible I do not eat red meat much either except once a month. It could depend on how lean the meat was. I notice if it is not lean it bothers me as well. Try to eat a lot of raw vegetables and drink a lot of water. It usually helps me when I feel that way.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    It could be. I really don't want to alarm you but the prospect of an intestinal blockage came to mind:

    http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/bowel-obstruction-topic-overview

    I don't know anything about the possibility of that being it, so really, take this with a huge grain of salt. Don't worry, just stay on top of your pain/discomfort. Feel better soon!
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
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    It may not just be the red meat, I think it could be the fat and potentially the bread in the burgers. Burgers are enormously fatty so maybe just have a veggie day today - even the psychological effects of feeling like you're soaking all the bad stuff up may help you.

    You shouldn't disregard red meat altogether though - for example, you may not feel this way if you'd had beef strips in an enchilada... or a small, lean piece of good steak.

    You poor love!! I guess burgers won't be on the menu again any time soon!
  • amaflo
    amaflo Posts: 7
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    --David Levitsky, a nutrition professor at Cornell University, said the levels of enzymes that digest protein and fat can drop when you stop eating [red] meat. But they quickly rise again once you fall off the wagon. “If you haven’t eaten [red] meat for a while, it’s going to stay in your stomach longer,” but it’ll take only a day or two to recover your [red] meat-digesting ability entirely, he said.--

    http://www.chow.com/food-news/54220/do-vegetarians-lose-the-ability-to-digest-meat/

    He's talking about vegetarians, but I'd think it applies to those who eat mostly "easy" meats as well.
  • cameralinds
    cameralinds Posts: 239
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    I was a vegetarian for four years, and I started working meat back into my diet in January. White meat and Red meat have different digestive enzymes. Red meat is more difficult for the body to digest. When I started eating white meat again, I felt like you did when you ate red meat yesterday. (I felt uncomfortably full for two days). And after about a month of working it back in, I was fine. However, when I eat red meat, let's just say my bottom needs to stay on a toilet while I continue on through my day.

    Okay, my point in short - it's normal to happen after not consuming it for a while, but if you don't want those unpleasant side effects to stay forever, I would suggest either eliminating it from your diet entirely, or eating it once a week so your body can keep the enzyme in your digestive tract. (Or something equivalent. I'm not an RD, just going by experience). Oh, and the feeling will pass! Feel better!

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