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I've been primal for 14 months. The more strict I am the less gas I have. This is true 99% of the time.

Every once in a great while I will get terrible gas that smells absolutely putrid and that I can't figure out what food it is from.

I thought it was from this 75/25 grass-finished meat I purchased from US Wellness Meats. I decided to not eat any for a week or so but the same damn smelly gas is happening right now. I had a smoothie for breakfast and felt great and then had a big ass salad for dinner. About 1-2 hours after the salad is when it started to happen.

I'm trying to figure out what its from... maybe the dried minced onions?

Does anyone else ever have this random problem? What do you do to try and find the culprit?

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Onions do it to me. But I substitute with shallots and I don't produce the noxious fumes. – baconbitch Jun 14 2011 at 3:06
Yep- onions do it to me every time- Garlic too, though not as bad... – HeleneLohr Jun 14 2011 at 3:08
I release it before it bothers me......I dont want my cortisol high. – The Quilt Jun 14 2011 at 3:26
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Plus one for addressing a serious public health issue. – Kamal Jun 14 2011 at 3:46
Normally such gas take place due to heavy eating of meat or by taking medicine from long time you can control eat by doing some home remedies or visit to below link. tandurust.com/health-faq/… – jimhusten Jan 18 2012 at 6:48
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14 Answers

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I went 100% meat diet for 2 weeks then one-by-one slowly reintroduced different vegetable back into my diet until i figured out what made me bloated.

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And what was the main problem? – John Jun 14 2011 at 14:58
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Cliffhanger.... – ROB Jun 14 2011 at 17:50
And what are those vegetables that cause you problems?! Did you eat eggs or dairy while on the all meat diet? Or was it literally just meat? I am curious... – Primal Toad Jun 14 2011 at 18:46
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It's not an allergy, it's an inability to digest something you're eating. Gas is what happens when undigested food gets to your colon and the bacteria go to work on it.

I would suspect one of the following:
1: Fructose intolerance
2: Problems with FODMAPS generally

If you're being reasonably strict with your Paleo, I suspect 2 over 1. It's easy to test: drink a soda or some fruit juice. If you get gassy, it's 1. If not, it's most likely 2.

Onions and Brassicae (cabbages, artichokes, broccoli) are typical FODMAP culprits, but there are many more possibilities in the vegetable kingdom.

JS

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I tend to get gassy and bloated a lot after meals and have just started looking into this FODMAP thing. Quite interesting and certainly worth a look. – Tom R. Jun 14 2011 at 14:31
I've never heard of FODMAP until now. I just did a little research on it. Very interesting! I feel awesome today with very very little gas (we got to have some, right? A fart or 2?). I suspect it was the dried onion flakes. – Primal Toad Jun 15 2011 at 1:35
I hope you've found the problem! I also suspect that dried onions might be worse for you than fresh onions...let us know how you do. – J. Stanton - gnolls.org Jun 15 2011 at 22:05
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broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts!

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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sounds like a food allergy of some kind for sure. You should probably do an elimination test and eliminate eggs, nuts, and any other suspected foods.

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I did not consume nuts that day and have not been consuming many over the past few days. Same with eggs. I suspect it was too much of the dried onion flakes. I feel awesome today. – Primal Toad Jun 14 2011 at 18:47
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Did you use a salad dressing? What was in it? Anything else for dinner?

The only thing that gives me gas is gluten.

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Could be intolerant to nightshades. What's in your big-ass salad? Are you eating high oxalate veggies raw like kale or spinach? Have you tried cutting the onion for a week or two and seen if it makes a difference?

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My paleo-ish aunt has issues with onions but is fine with shallots, just in case you need a possible alternative. – Aughra Jun 14 2011 at 3:03
Not many nightshades were in the salad. – Primal Toad Jun 14 2011 at 18:47
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it's never random. it's likely that something in the salad is causing it. probably a FODmap food, or another sensitivity.

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Probably too many dried onions :) – Primal Toad Jun 14 2011 at 18:48
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In my experience, Either there is an intolerance to something you are eating, or you are eating hard-boiled eggs that have been overcooked.

Or, something "snuck in" to your food supply... like eating in a restaurant and not knowing something funky got digested.

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I usually get gassy if eating onions and nuts

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In my super high raw & cooked veggie warrior diet and paleo times I got it pretty often. Since I greatly reduced my vegetable intake my digestion is so much better, can't believe I was so stupid to think the more veggies the better. Nowdays I only get it if I eat (too) hard boiled eggs, no problem with soft boiled.

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I rarely get bad gas now (I used to have terrible gas pains on a grain-heavy diet). But I have repeatedly gotten gas pain from jarred Indian sauces (think Tikka Masala or the like) I use sometimes to give a kick to my meat. I read the ingredients closely and there's nothing really bad in there (a little canola oil maybe), so I have to think it's something about the tomato/onions/garlic individually or in combination, though I haven't experienced major reactions (that I've noticed) from eating those foods in other contexts. I've had the effect with different brands, too. Very odd -- it's happened enough times that I know I'm not imagining it. Probably should lay off the sauce (!) but sometimes I crave that taste and there's no Indian restaurant in my town.

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I would check for food intolerances/sensitivities: gluten, fructans/FODMAPS, Histamine intolerance.

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Can undercooked eggs do that to you as well? Gas problem

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Cabbage does it to me!

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