Digestion

[Naz16]

I wasn't sure where else to post this so here I go! I'm currently on day 21 of Whole30, so far I've been able to stick to the plan without any trips along the way. I wanted to do Whole30 because for years and years (MANY years) I've had problems with my digestion.

For as long as I can remember I've had issues with bloating, cramps, discomfort and either constipation/diahrrea (for over a year now it has been the latter). I've had countless tests done, a colonscopy, allergy testing (both food and other), I've been put on antibiotics and yet nothing has helped.

For a while there on Whole30 I thought things were getting better. I wasn't feeling so bloated/sick after each meal and my bathroom trips had become less frequent.... except that now it all seems to be coming back! I'm still eating dairy, sugar, grain and legume free and yet I'm still having these issues.

So I just wanted to know if anyone reading this has any ideas of what it could be... do I need to just keep going on with Whole30 for longer than the 30 days and see how I go? Are there any tests out there that I should be asking for from my doctor?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[Robin Strathdee]

Hi Naz16 -

There are several things that could be causing a resurgence in your symptoms, or causing them not to go away completely. For example, nuts are often a big problem for those of us with pre-existing digestive issues. Are you maintaining a food log? It's easier for us to help out if we can see what you're eating.

PS: I'm moving this to the Troubleshooting section.

[Naz16]

Hi Robin,

Thanks for your reply.

Here's a rough idea of what I eat on a daily basis (on Whole30)

Breakfast: 1-2 eggs either cooked in ghee/coconut oil. Side is either half a sweet potato cooked again in the ghee or coconut oil, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini or whatever veggie is on hand. Sometimes a few pieces of bacon.

or

Smoothie made with unsweetened almond milk, berries or a carrot. Sometimes I'll add some coconut milk (from a can) to the smoothie and some cinnamon. I'll add some toasted coconut flakes on top as well if I have them on hand.

Lunch = Either eggs again or some sardines in olive oil or left over meat from dinner the previous night. A salad, either lettuce or kale, cucumber, maybe the another half a sweet potato.

Dinner = Meat of some sort, either ground beef, chicken breast, a steak, sausage, pork (99% of the time these are grass-fed, pasture raised). Sometimes it will be fish but mainly it's meat. Again with a salad or some veggies on the side.

Snack wise well I've never been a big snacker but yes I do have nuts (haven't had them in a few days though), toasted coconut flakes, smoothies and that's about it.

Liquid wise when I first started Whole30 I tried to do the black coffee thing and just had it with unsweetened almond milk but couldn't do it so I stopped the coffee. So mainly it's just water, sometimes I'll have chai tea or some other herbal tea and well the smoothies as well.

I think that's about it!

[Naz16]

I should add I do use evoo and avocado oil as salad dressings and have recently added saurekraut to my diet.

I'm wondering if I'm overdoing it on the fats?

[Naz16]

Oops forgot to add that I eat avocados a lot as well, like nearly one every day.

[Robin Strathdee]

You could be going a little fat heavy, but I doubt it. Trying a digestive enzyme with ox bile would help your body break down the fat if that's it. I'm seeing a couple of things:

1) you're shy on protein. Make sure you're getting at least one palm sized serving, maybe 2 if you're a decent sized person/male, at every meal. I'm a pint-sized chick and I eat 3 eggs and 5 pieces of bacon, plus a handful of veggies at breakfast. You gotta out-do me ;0)

2) Try cooking most of your veggies. If you've got a sensitive gut, the raw veg can be a real bugger. Add in some more sweet potato and squash, too.

Give those a try and see if that helps your tummy a bit!

[Naz16]

Thanks Robin, I'm a female btw, 165cm think that's about 5 foot 5 (I'm from Australia so I work in metric). I mainly cook most of my veggies either in ghee or coconut oil but maybe I should be steaming? As for the ox bile digestive enzyme any brands your recommend?

Thanks for the response!

[ajmayer]

Hi there - I have a very very similiar story! I did my first whole 30 and things went 90% great - stayed mostly on plan for the next 20+ days and then things started to shift. Trying to get back on plan, and start my next whole30, but really struggling with digestive issues. My diet sounds very similar to yours, but I have more fruit, like banana and almond butter (sugar free) for a snack, apples, hand ful of nuts and raisins in the afternoon. I'm not worried about protein and fats - I get good servings there. I am an endurance athlete, so the 3 meals along is really hard for me if I'm in full training mode - hence the snacks. But seriously - everyday by mid-afternoon my stomach is starting to bloat and cramp! What is going on!

[Alliea]

could the unsweetened almond milk have anything to do with it? I have yet to find a brand that didn't have a whole bunch of additives...

[gatork]

Just wanted to chime in - I've had digestive problems in the past as well; they reduced significantly on/after Whole30, but I realized certain foods make it worse again (for me) : anything with nuts (except coconut stuff), eggs, some raw veggies, broccoli... Nuts seem to be a real trigger for me, if I eat any, I'll feel bloated pretty quickly after (and it will last for a day or two).

Also, not sure if this might help or not: http://cassandraforsythe.com/blog/Complete+FODMAP+List+For+a+Happy+Gut

[Naz16]

Hmmmm I think I might have to restart Whole30 and go without eggs for a while. I have a sneaky suspicion they are part of the problem! It's just hard for me to get used to the idea of eating meat for breakfast. As for almond milk I'm going to make my own from now on.

[Robin Strathdee]

Naz (and above posters) -

Cut out the nuts before you cut out the eggs. There's a higher likelihood that those are causing your troubles. Nuts disagree with many many folks.

[fitgirlH]

Look at other possible digestion issues; FODMAP's, and unsweetned almond milk is a big problem for a lot of people (so i have noticed on here and with friends/family), can you make your own almond milk to see? maybe you need some digestive enzymes; Robb Wolf recommends them until your intestinal lining has healed from years of abuse

[Naz16]

Hi FitgirlH I've been making my own almond milk for over a week now and have started taking digestive enzymes. I'm still have some digestion problems but not as much as before so maybe the enzymes are starting to work?

[Deb Froemming]

Naz16 I hope you start feeling better soon! I don't have the same issues but have GERD & hiatal hernia and I can't believe that I am eating my trigger foods now without a problem! so far. I hope you feel relief soon and find your trigger or allergy.

Robin, thanks for sharing your breakfast! I was wondering if I was eating too much at breakfast but now I see not! I will enjoy it now much more

[Naz16]

Thanks. Deb Froemming... unfortunately still having problems. Think I may have to ditch those eggs for a while as well!

[FitKatieB]

I'm having a lot of gas/bloating issues too. Conditions be the coconut milk I wonder? Any thoughts? Also, I'm taking the advice on this threaded will try cutting out nuts too. I think I over-do it there anyway.

[UpNorth]

I´ve been cutting out all dairy for awhile, but since, for some reason I've started to feel bloated for the first time since I started to follow a low carb high fat diet. A week ago I reintroduced my dairy with a small amount of butter and cheese and felt really good until last night when I made a smoothie with coconut milk for the first time this week. Within 30 minutes my stomach extended so much I felt pregnant:( Why? I don't think I feel better because of the dairy (But, I do live in scandinavia and we are supposed to tolerate dairy better?) but due to the lack of coconut! One month ago I bought a whole fresh coconut for the first time ever, and the next day I felt sick and had lots of stomach issues, was bloated and gassy. At the same time I noticed rashes on my chest which spread within a couple of days (still ate a lot of coconut) They have slowly gone away since last week, so if I notice any rashes today after my coconut smoothie last night i'm getting sad! I Love coconut, but am I allergic or what? I´ve increased my coconut intake since my whole 30 started, and my bloated belly appeared a couple of days later. Just feel so boring to not be able to drink coconut smoothies OR dairy smoothies. What do you think of this? I don't have any problems what so ever with coconut oil.

[fitgirlH]

Hi FitgirlH I've been making my own almond milk for over a week now and have started taking digestive enzymes. I'm still have some digestion problems but not as much as before so maybe the enzymes are starting to work?

I would think so! check out robb wolf's recommendation for taking them, i believe he says keep adding 1 eynzyme to your dose until you notice a warm feeling after your meal, then cut back on the enzymes by one.

[Robin Strathdee]

UpNorth -

You may well have a sensitivity to coconut. I'd just plan on cutting out all coconut products for a week or so and then reintro the oil. If you can handle that, hurray! After that, its up to you to decide how worth it other coconut products are.

[Naz16]

Ok time for an update from me on this digestion situation. Unfortunately not any better!

So a bit of background information might be handy here:

I've had bloating/stomach upset issues for a LONG time. When I think about it is probably started back in 2000-2001, maybe even before then. My friends and family would joke that I would get full just by eating 1 grape and they weren't far off! I also would get cramps, pains and bloating when I was upset, sad, angry and I still have this reaction when I'm feeling these emotions.

I finish eating about 2-3 hours before sleeping and sleep for 8-9 hours but wake up having to go to the bathroom and have loose runny stool. I'll have breakfast, typically would be eggs either cooked in coconut oil or ghee, or boiled with some cooked veggies or steamed veggies but I've been trying to cut down on eggs recently so I'll have some chicken breast or grass-fed ground beef or lamb. I'll eat baked sweet potato or I'll cook it in ghee/coconut oil. Lunch will be something the same or some salad with sardines etc.

The thing is though sometimes, well a lot of times lunch doesn't even happen. I'll have breakfast say at 8am and I'll be so full that I can't eat anything pretty much for the whole day! Oh and meanwhile I'll have to use the bathroom at least 3 times and again runny stools! How can I be going so much and not even eating!

I seriously feel SO full I can't even explain! I've even been taking digestive enzymes but they aren't really doing anything! Sometimes if I eat much less than I should, like if I reduced my portion size then I can eat later during the day.

The other thing is that sometimes I'll be full for a while and then all of a sudden I'll be so hungry that I feel like if I don't eat I'll pass out! Then I eat and the bloating/stomach upset comes back again.

Today for e.g. I woke up at 7am I ate 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 baked sweet potato, handful of steamed carrots and some sardines in oil.''

I wasn't hungry to eat anything else until 6pm! But meanwhile I've been to the bathroom 3 times already again like I mentioned above!

Seriously frustrated about this whole situation! I've had an colonoscopy, endoscopy, x-rays, blood test, allergy testing and NOTHING has come up. I keep getting you have IBS but IBS is such a generic term and there has to be some underlying issue.

I don't even know if it's a food related thing since it seems to happen with everything I eat!

Anyway I hope I'm not all over the place here but any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!