What's the deal with gas???

[tammay]

Hi all,
I was back on the lowcarb plan (vegetarian style) for a few weeks and feeling good on it but was having trouble keeping on it with PMS and stress. So I thought I might go off for a while, do a Mediterranean kind of thing (whole food, high carbs but the good ones, moderate fat) and then see how I felt. Well, the first two days went fine but these last 2 days have been horrible! I've been have the worst gas in my life and it's been nonstop for two days. I've been trying to figure out what it is. I do eat beans and a lot of fiber (from whole grains and such) on this diet but I've been doing that for the first two days and nothing happened. Could it be that my body is suddenly rejecting all the carbs or just not digesting them well?

This has never happened, as I've always been able to eat beans and be fine. However, I decided I'm going back to vegetarian lowcarb tomorrow and see how that makes me feel. I took another look at the menus I was doing before and realized I was having a ton of artificial sweeteners (i.e., muffin or protein shake in the morning, salad with sweet dressing, even sometimes some hot veggie and protein meal with splenda - sheesh!!!) so the first thing I did was redo my menus so that I use as little artificial sweetener as possible. I'm hoping that will help keep me from going off, since I was doing so well for a few weeks.

But the gas thing just worries me!

Any ideas?

Tam

[SidC]

The artificial sweeteners will do it as well as the beans. Malitol was particularly bad for me. 1 teaspoon meant 4 days of bloat and gas. It may take a few days for you to get them out of your system, so to speak.

[liddie01]

malitol give me more then gas :lol: http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/jasons_smilie/toilet.gif

[Nancy LC]

Depends on what you're eating. For me dairy products and wheat products all give me horrible gas, but I found out I'm intolerant of them. Sugar alcohols do also. As do resistant starches found in beans (they're broken down by gut flora which causes the gas).

You can probably find the source of the gas by going on an elimination diet.

[tammay]

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies. The sweeteners I've been using for the past 4 days are splenda and xylitol, but in small amounts, so I don't think that was it. I'm feeling much better today, so I'm guessing it was probably the beans and the wheat (dairy never caused me much problem).

However, I'm antiscipating that starting with lowcarb again will eliminate any problems, as it always has in the past.

Tam

[neo_crone]

The sweeteners I've been using for the past 4 days are splenda and xylitol, but in small amounts, so I don't think that was it

Xylitol, even in VERY small amounts, gives me terrible gas and rumbleguts.

[HerbNurse]

Wheat may be a problem for you.....it bothers some people. Artificial sweeteners bother me too.

Eating your foods slow with mouth closed sometimes helps with excess gas. Also if you take digestive enzymes about 10-20 mins. before a meal it will help break down the food and digest it better.

I eat everything including, beans, broccolli, and tons of fresh garlic. By eating slower with my mouth closed and taking digestive enzymes it has really helped me no matter what I eat. The only time I really have a problem with excessive gas now is when I am over hungry and eat too fast or I don't take my enzymes with my meals. The key is to chew slowly with mouth closed.

You can do a google search on causes of flatulence and you will find some great ideas on how to control it.

Good Luck I hope my experience helps you.

HN

[kebaldwin]

If you are eating artifical sweetners - then that most likely is the problema.

Otherwise - it could be your diet. When you find the right diet - the gas should go away.

[NYNikki]

What's the deal with gas???
I want to know also because we paying $2.60/gal - it’s making my car high maintenance.... :lol:

Ok, to seriously answer your question - I found once I started to detox my body of foods that were not LC - my body had to make adjustments. An example of that is when I had Catfish. I haven't had it in a very long time and love it but somehow it now effectes me in the wrong way. I guess I never realized how crappy (gassy, bloated & irritable) it made me feel before because BEFORE - I wasn't eating fully LC. It's now banned to my 'No-No" list.

HerbNurse mention digestive enzymes - I take both digestive enzymes and Acidophilus on a daily basis and they both helped to alleviate me to not suffer all that much with gas.

I'm also a Diabetic and I keep a journal log of what I eat and note my reactions (BTW: I also do the same when trying new supplements). That way you can look back and analyze your meal plans.

Nikki

[Cajunboy47]

posted by NYNikki:

An example of that is when I had Catfish. I haven't had it in a very long time and love it but somehow it now effectes me in the wrong way.

Gosh, if you lived down here in the south and spoke publicly of not eating catfish, I think you'd be hung on the nearest tree... :)

Before you abandon the catfish eating. How do you eat it? I used to eat it fried and can no longer tolerate it, but I eat it blackened in an iron skillet, steamed, or pan grilled and no problems. I love my catfish, don't know how I'd react if I woke up one morning and knew I could never eat it again.