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I've been going steady paleo for about 3 weeks now. Staples of my diet are fish (both fresh and canned), avocados, and green vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli. I've been VLC and I feel fantastic.

For the first 2 weeks I had barely any gas, and my poop was of good quality (no wiping needed, solid and thick).

All of a sudden, with no diet change, my poop is of poor quality (lots and lots of wiping needed, creamy and thin but not diarrhea and I have tons of really stinky gas throughout the day. Why would this happen? What hath occurred inside my body?

Hack away! Sorry 'bout the details.

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Maybe a shift from glucose to ketone processing, since you're VLC? – Blitherakt May 31 2012 at 5:17
You could add a little bit of starch, even just a small amount at each meal. You might be not completely digesting your fats and starch will help with this. – Paul May 31 2012 at 15:55

5 Answers

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If u have IBD, drop the Avo's, go for Coconut Oil and Meat for fat. broc gives u gas as well. I suggest juicing.

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broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts!! [possibly kale]

i found this on "drweil.com" by andrew weil, MD

Despite their healthy profile, some high-fiber cruciferous vegetables have bad reputations as gas producers due to their content of an indigestible sugar called raffinose (Larger amounts of raffinose are found in beans, which are notorious for inducing flatulence). Methane-producing bacteria in the colon feed on raffinose and release gas in the process. There's nothing you can do to broccoli and other crucifers to cut down on the gas they induce. Extra cooking just makes them unpalatable and destroys vitamin content (incidentally, cooking broccoli in aluminum or copper pots also destroys vitamins and ruins flavor). The extent to which your body produces gas depends on the types of bacteria in your colon that break down foods for digestion - we all are born with unique assortments of gut flora.

Broccoli and the other vegetables you mention are so good for you that it's worth making an effort to minimize their gas-producing effects so you can enjoy their health benefits. You can try eating yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk regularly, to boost the friendly bacteria in your colon. Taking probiotic supplements, like lactobacillus GG, might be an even better way to do this. Lemon juice with meals can also be helpful. And limiting high-fat foods can reduce bloating and discomfort and help the stomach to empty faster, allowing gases to move more readily into the small intestine. You can also try taking Beano before eating your broccoli. Available at health food stores, it is made from a plant-derived enzyme that breaks down raffinose before it enters the colon, thus reducing gas production.

In addition, you might experiment by eating very small amounts of broccoli every day, gradually increasing your intake to see if you can build up tolerance to it. Finally, fennel seeds can help expel gas from the digestive tract - try chewing and swallowing a half teaspoon at the end of a meal. Indian grocery stores sell sugarcoated fennel seeds as digestive aids

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give your body time to adjust. if your digestion, gas and stools don't improve after a few more weeks, then it will be time to ask more questions!

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Eh, not so sure about this. I've been strict Paleo for more than 6 months, and this happened to me too with no diet change. – Dan Jan 16 at 17:13
it said 3 weeks in the question?! – Aglaee the Paleo RD Jan 17 at 22:28
If you still have GI problems, you might want to look into SIBO and FODMAP intolerance. – Aglaee the Paleo RD Jan 17 at 22:29
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also consider the possibility of die off, it can hit about week 2-3 (do a search on google theres lots of info)

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You are consuming foods with high level of histamine (canned fish, spinach, avocados). Maybe you raised your level of histamine too much. Try avoiding such foods for a few days.

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Histamine levels? Wouldn't that mean my inflammation would be going up? I have severe inflammation problems, which have subsided with the paleo diet, so I'm not sure if this is the answer. – Dan May 31 2012 at 15:01
You might have a histamine intolerance (like I do). It's a fairly complicated matter. Have a read at: thatpaleoguy.com/2011/04/11/histamine-intolerance and thatpaleoguy.com/2011/11/14/… – Roberto Jun 1 2012 at 12:04

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