Stomach pains

[SugaRose]

This is my first round of whole30, and I'm currently on day 18. Whoop! I'm actually pretty amazed as it seems like I blinked and I'm over half way. Unfortunately, the last 3 days right around dinner time I'm getting stomach pains. Last night was the worse and very intense. I had to lay down and hope I could go to sleep and wake up with it gone. Tonight I couldn't eat most of my dinner. I feel fine the rest of the day so I'm really struggling with why this is happening. Here's what I've been eating the last couple days:

Day 1 Breakfast-Roasted sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and 2 fried eggs, grapes

Lunch- carnitas recipe from the whole 30 book, served with lettuce, homemade Pico, and roasted peppers

Snack-apple w/2T nuttzo

Dinner-beef stew, bone broth, spices, beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.(Very intense pain after dinner)

Day 2 Breakfast-Omelette with peppers, onion, and herbs

Lunch-LO carnitas, Apple

Dinner- Curry chicken with cauliflower rice, chicken, Bell pepper, sweet potato, onion, garlic, Ginger, coconut milk, spices (only ate half my bowl at dinner due to stomach ache)

I think it's also worth mentioning I get these really intense sharp pains for about 2 hours when I eat banana and avacado so I avoid eating them period. However I didn't eat either of those things so I'm at a loss. Any ideas why I might be feeling this way in the evenings?

Thanks!

[ebutz27]

First of all, congratulations on 18 days of Whole30!  I'm sorry you're experiencing these stomach pains.  Nothing immediately sticks out at me as problematic - like an over abundance of nuts.  However, I do have 2 thoughts.  You have a fair share of nightshades listed in your meals for both days - potatoes, bell peppers, pico ingredients.  Some people can be very sensitive to them, especially in larger quantities.  Second, did you eat the same leftover lunch each day you felt the pains?  Could it be possible that this specific meal isn't agreeing with you for some reason?  I'd suggest trying to back off on nightshades for a couple of days and see if you still are having the stomach pains.

I'd also say try to add some more fat to some of your meals - ghee on your potato, some olives on the side, nut butter with your apple at lunch, etc.

On a personal side note: my body does not like avocado.  I get really sick - stomach pains and even vomiting - after eating them.  I have always just thought I had a sensitivity and it sounds like maybe you have the same experience.   

[Jihanna]

A few things stick out to me, when looking at what you ate...

1 - like @ebutz27 said, you do have a fair amount of nightshades included in your meals there, so a sensitivity to those could definitely be causing problems, especially if you're eating more of them now than you did prior to starting your round.

2 - again, as she noted, since you ate the same thing for lunch both days it's possible that there's an ingredient in that (or a combo of them) that isn't agreeing with your system. My mom can't handle Cumin, for example, it causes massive distress to her system... which means I make all of my chili powder and other spice blends from scratch, so I can skip the cumin entirely for everything she'll eat. I also skip Rosemary (my husband doesn't like it) and drastically reduce Oregano (I was allergic as a kid and we're still testing how much I can manage).

3 - apples, maybe? If you weren't eating as much apple previously and now are, it might be that you're experiencing bloating because the apples are fermented in your gut. I have to be careful of how much apple I eat, for that reason.

Of course, it might not be strictly food-related, but that's definitely one of the easiest things to look at first  I hope you're able to figure it out, and would definitely suggest maybe taking a nightshade-free day (or two) where apples are also out of the picture, just to see if you avoid those pains and can maybe start narrowing down whether or not it is a food sensitivity causing the problem.

[NoNutWhole30]

Hey! I'm not a nutritionist or a doctor, but it looks like you might be eating too many "gassy" foods. (Real technical term, I know lol). Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and brussel sprouts are kind of notorious for being stomach gas producers. I'm not nutritionally inclined enough to say if it's the fiber or other chemicals that give them this reputation, but I know raw celery has made me want to crawl into a corner and die from stomach pain before; we're talking full on cramps down the whole abdomen 20 minutes after eating it (it's supposed to be better if it's cooked, but I'm still giving it the side eye). I went to Google terrified that I was allergic to celery to find out that some foods rub a lot of people the wrong way.

Apples I know are also big gas producers. You may need to mix up your fruits and veggies in a day to try to get some easier on your gut. Maybe try to move to different foods for a day or two and see if that helps.

As far as what to follow for veggies and fruit that are easy on the gut, I can't really say. You may want to talk with a nutritionist or your GP to see if they have any suggestions on what, given your history with avocados and bananas, they might suggest as a diet change or options to reduce future pain. Gut pain is no fun!