Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Looking for any clues, advice, suggestions here...

Lately, like the last year or so, I find that stewed meats really upset my stomach and feel too rich or intense or something. I can only manage a few bites.

It doesn't seem to matter what type of meat it is, it's the stewing. E.g I can eat a steak or lamb chop with no problems (yum!), but a simple lamb stew (with just onions, garlic, broth and spices) almost makes me vomit. Same with beef stew. (The other ingredients are totally OK in other dishes.) I've eaten plenty of stews in my life; this is a new development.

Any idea why this might be happening? I can stop eating stews, but I want to SOLVE THE MYSTERY too.

flag	asked Oct 8 at 23:05 margarets 199●5

	funny, my partner has had something similar, he mentioned it seems too rich sometimes, but he can eat all the ingredients individually no worries, I will be interested to hear any answers too – bethaneyjayne Oct 8 at 23:24
	How long are you cooking the stew? If you have a soup made with broth or stock, does it cause the same issues? – AmandaLP Oct 9 at 16:04
	Cooking time is the usual 2-3 hours. Soups are fine. Maybe I just have to accept that stews are no longer an option for me, for some weird reason that I'll never know. – margarets Oct 9 at 16:43
	I think that unless you are having a psych aversion, there shouldn't be a weird bizarre reason that you can't eat stew and can eat soup. – JeJ Oct 9 at 17:57
	Even that's weird, because most recently it was a lamb stew that put me off. Yet just a month ago I was in Iceland where I ate lots of lamb (it can't be avoided in Iceland) with no problems. BUT, Icelandic lamb is probably the best in the world since the sheepies are practically wild animals there. This is why I find the thing so bizarre - no explanation seems to make sense. Maybe it is a psych reaction. Or just some weird intolerance. – margarets Oct 9 at 18:09

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dmi · Answer 1 · 2012-10-09 11:16:11Z UTC

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I eat stew every single day. I've tried a few times adding onions or garlic, and it always ended with stomach pain, so my advice is to get rid of the onions, garlic, and spices. I only add a bit of salt at the end and that works great.

answered Oct 9 at 11:16

dmi
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I dont use spices either. Salt in a tomato based stew, or sour cream in a mushroom based one works fine for me. Garlic has always done me in. Only other thing i can think of is liquid foods generate more bile and less stomach acid...Does a fatty soup do the same? – Jamie Oct 9 at 11:58

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But I eat onions, garlic and spices nearly every day with no problems. Why would they affect the meat? And how does one stew meat without them and still have flavour? Isn't it just boiled meat otherwise? – margarets Oct 9 at 15:41

Just try once without the onion, garlic, etc, it's not so hard to not put them while cooking :) You can add some potatoes, beets, or rice, so that it's not just boiled meat. – dmi Oct 9 at 20:49

Agreed. Just cook in a stock and see how you go. – Rhubarb Jan 7 at 23:19

JeJ · Answer 2 · 2012-10-09 16:26:59Z UTC

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FODMAPS. Or, you are stewing at too low a temp and are slurping back perfect-bacteria-breeding-ground. Or, you are sensitive to the rich fat-heavy denseness of stew- I always serve stew over a bed of broccoli and potatoes (or white rice) and my sensitive-to-rich-things partner is good to go.

answered Oct 9 at 16:26

JeJ
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	Pretty sure the temps are OK. Fat shouldn't be a problem either since I eat it on non-stewed meats. I guess it's just me! – margarets Oct 9 at 16:45
	What do you mean by FODMAPS? – margarets Oct 9 at 16:47
	It could potentially be that you are eating more onions or garlic than you normally would, google FODMAPS. You could be irritated by them. By richness, I mean that even though you eat bits of fat off grilled meat, in stews you tend to have additional fat for frying the vegetables, and the cuts of meat that you stew tend to have more fatty edges, for the most part you are going to be consuming a larger portion of fat with stews that a chop or steak. – JeJ Oct 9 at 17:56
	Funny you should say that about the fats, because with this last stew I refrigerated it and then skimmed off the layer of fat on top. – margarets Oct 9 at 18:04

BarbaraC · Answer 3 · 2012-10-15 13:31:42Z UTC

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I'm having the same problem with stewed lentils with lamb, and I believe it could be the amount of fat, so if I ever feel like trying it again, I'll cut off every bit of fat first.

answered Oct 15 at 13:31

BarbaraC
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Try ditching the lentils. – Canis Minor Nov 12 at 18:28

Sara S. · Answer 4 · 2012-10-15 15:00:53Z UTC

I have a harder time digesting stewed meats (cooked for 3 hours) than quick-cooked meats. The extra cooking is supposed to break down connective tissue and make it easier to eat, but I find the muscle fibers just too tough. My husband is the opposite: he prefers his meat very well cooked and loves stewed meats. I haven't found a solution for it. I just alternate cooking methods to keep everyone happy.

Matt · Answer 5 · 2012-10-15 15:35:59Z UTC

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Excess free amino acids, too much free glutamate perhaps. I'm not personally not convinced that MSG sensitivity is real though.

answered Oct 15 at 15:35

Matt
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Dan · Answer 6 · 2012-12-24 20:33:36Z UTC

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I bet it's the fat. Some animal fats can make people nauseous. I'm one of them. Try skimming or trimming all the fat next time, and then see how you feel.

answered Dec 24 at 20:33

Dan
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stewed meat >> upset stomach

6 Answers