Fiber at Breakfast-- digestion issues

[pynetree]

Hi All,

I completed my first Whole 30 last fall and am looking to start again sometime soon. On my first round, I noticed some great improvements in my skin, energy, and figure. However, I noticed some changes in my digestion for the worse.

When not on Whole 30, I like to start my day with some fiber-rich whole grain cereal (Kashi) and greek yogurt. The combination of fiber, good bacteria, and protein keeps me full and aids in digestion. When on Whole 30, I ate a lot of eggs/ compliant sausage combos with some spinach thrown in the mix for breakfast (less fiber).

Here's where it gets personal-- my bowel movements/ number 2s/ stools were noticeably looser/ more frequent/ less comfortable on Whole 30 compared to my regular diet.

I'm all for the idea of purging your body, but I think regular loose stools to the degree I was experiencing them is not a healthy thing. I think starting my day with a dose of fiber helps my digestion throughout the day.

When I search for fiber-rich  compliant breakfasts, I see a lot of roasted vegetables (which take quite long in the morning, or never last well in the fridge overnight) or fruit-based breakfasts (sugar bomb?).

I have a history of some digestive issues, so I do wonder if I'm more prone to these sorts of sensitivities than others may be.

Does anyone have suggestions for quick fiber-rich breakfasts? I know that supplements are typically not recommended, but may that help in this case?

Thanks for any and all input!

 

[SugarcubeOD]

Roasted veggies are going to be your best bet and I've never had trouble with them after they've been in the fridge... altho I generally eat them cold/room temp.  If you're going to pre-cook them with the intention of reheating, you may want to cook them just under done.

You can also try a magnesium supplement called Natural Calm... magnesium draws fluid into the digestive tract and also helps sleep which is a bonus... (when taken at night).

I don't think I'd feel too good if I ate only protein and fat and a 'handful of spinach' thrown in... a handful is nothing and if you don't have other veggies there, that's going to be a problem for your digestion.  Read the template again and make your meals match, take the natural calm (the unsweetened one is compliant), make sure you're drinking 1/2oz of water per pound of body weight and you should be fine... all these things will contribute to good digestion.

[Laura4Him]

I am on Day 6 of my first Whole 30 and I think I’m doing a good job with the balancing the amounts of food, I have sweet potatoes for breakfast with an egg, blueberries and some cashew butter and cashew milk.  Then a banana around 10am and meat veggies and nuts for lunch.  And meats and veggies for dinner.  And fruit after dinner.  But I’m getting very uncomfortable loose stools, almost diarrhea.  I know TMI.  I don’t think a supplement that pulls more liquid into my bowels is the solution.  I don’t need more liquid.  I need something more like Imodium.  Any advice?

[ShannonM816]

23 hours ago, Laura4Him said:

I am on Day 6 of my first Whole 30 and I think I’m doing a good job with the balancing the amounts of food, I have sweet potatoes for breakfast with an egg, blueberries and some cashew butter and cashew milk.  Then a banana around 10am and meat veggies and nuts for lunch.  And meats and veggies for dinner.  And fruit after dinner.  But I’m getting very uncomfortable loose stools, almost diarrhea.  I know TMI.  I don’t think a supplement that pulls more liquid into my bowels is the solution.  I don’t need more liquid.  I need something more like Imodium.  Any advice?

If you need the Imodium, it's okay to take it. 

You really want to limit the amount of nuts and nut products you eat to about a small closed handful at a time, and not have them every day, definitely not multiple times a day. They have a tendency to cause digestive issues, plus the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is not the greatest, so they're an okay fat source to have sometimes, but not the best choice to have all the time.

You probably want to revisit the meal template -- you can download it from this page:  https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/. For best results, make all your meals look like the template. So, a palm-sized portion of protein (or if eggs are your only protein, as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand), a thumb-size portion of fat or two (or the other equivalents listed in the template), and then fill the plate with vegetables. Have some fruit occasionally -- a fist-sized serving at a time, with a meal not on its own.

[SugarcubeOD]

@Laura4Him - just a note about forum rules, i just answered your question on the other thread you posted.  While answers are not instantaneous, we do try and get to every question in a few hours (a day at max usually on weekends) so please don't cross post to separate threads.  The level of detail you gave here is definitely better than the other post tho.