Vegetarians: stomach issues?

[Friend of a Mouse]

I went vegetarian at New Year's and have been fighting stomach problems for th last week. I do have a history of IBS and have also been very stressed at work, not to mention we have had several staff and students out with a virus. I'm curious if other vegetarians experienced stomach problems when they made the switch? The timing could just b coincidental.

Also, what do you like to at when yu are sick? My go to has always been chicken noodle soul but obviously that is out of the question.

 

[DisneyDreamer2504]

I went vegetarian at New Year's and have been fighting stomach problems for th last week. I do have a history of IBS and have also been very stressed at work, not to mention we have had several staff and students out with a virus. I'm curious if other vegetarians experienced stomach problems when they made the switch? The timing could just b coincidental. Also, what do you like to at when yu are sick? My go to has always been chicken noodle soul but obviously that is out of the question.

It's hard to say, but maybe you're eating a lot more fiber, but can take the body a little while to get used to. When I'm not feeling well, my go to is ginger, like tea with ginger in eat.

 

[ellone]

Are you cooking from scratch or using a lot of packaged processed foods?

 

[NY Disney fan]

I started a thread like this last year and everyone thought I was crazy. When you make a drastic dietary change, especially one that involves crazy fiber, your digestive system is going to turn on you. This is only temporary but yeah your stomach will be messed up.

 

[diznygirl]

Have you eaten a lot of quinoa? I've read up on quinoa because we suspected my son was allergic, and found that it can cause stomach issues. It's a staple of a lot of vegetarian diets. It needs to be rinsed well before being cooked, and it still might cause problems.

 

[Patience]

My oldest daughter eats mainly a vegetarian diet and she has been complaining about stomach issues too. She eats a ton of quinoa. I will tell her that she needs to rinse it before she cooks it and see if that helps.

 

[Tinkermommy]

We have been eating Paleo for the last couple of months. In reading on the diet, they are saying that grains especially "whole" grains have a hull that can hurt the lining of your stomach and intestines.

The book I have been reading is the Paleo Solution. This diet eliminates all grains

 

[Christine]

One of the reasons I've never switched to full on vegetarianism is due to my sensitivity to beans, lentils, nuts, certain fruits, etc. Now I can eat all of these things in small-ish quantities but if I consume them in the amounts required for a vegetarian diet, oh boy, do I have issues.

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

Are you cooking from scratch or using a lot of packaged processed foods?

Mostly from scratch. The one processed thing I've been eating are the Annie Chun's udon soup bowls.

Have you eaten a lot of quinoa? I've read up on quinoa because we suspected my son was allergic, and found that it can cause stomach issues. It's a staple of a lot of vegetarian diets. It needs to be rinsed well before being cooked, and it still might cause problems.

I actually have not. I am trying to vary my grains, so have only had quinoa maybe three times. I do rinse it well.

Like I said, there may be other causes. I had very bad IBS a few years ago that seems to have mostly gone away but I do occasionally have flare ups. It sounds like it's not uncommon to have issues when you switch. For this e who did, how long did it take to adjust

 

[java]

Not vegan here, but went low carb this week and have spent quite some time in the bathroom!

I assume it's my body getting used to the increase in veggies that I am doing. (had crustless pizza for lunch with mushrooms,peppersand onion)

But I do feel better in a very short time. Just not as sluggish.

I hope you get back on track soon.

I'm not thinking I'll be losing too much but I am curious to see if i do.

I think just from the bathroom visits alone I must have lost.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

Another thing to consider is gluten. A lot of vegetarian diets include pastas and with switching to vegetarian diet, you may be consuming more wheat products than you did before. If you're mildly gluten sensitive, you may not have realized it before the switch. So if you are eating a lot more wheat products, this could be the culprit. Just know that gluten is not limited to wheat but is also found in barley and some other grains.

 

[marmalade]

I started eating a plant based diet 6 days ago, and my stomach has been on overdrive since the 2nd day. I can only assume it is from the increased amounts of fiber I have been taking in. I also think with the drastic change in my diet, my intestines are cleansing and flushing themselves out.

I'm hope it will start to go away once my body adjusts to this new way of eating.

 

[marmalade]

I use this tea when I am feeling bloated. It is called super slimming tea, but it is more along the lines of a laxative. It really cleans you out.

http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Leaf-Tea-Super-Slimming/dp/B000LKVSVO