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Excuse the topic- but I have to ask!

I also asked this on Robb Wolf's forum and Mark Sisson's; I'mjust trying to reach anyone who might have helpful answers.

I have been doing Primal (plus no dairy) for a month. I didn't start it to lose weight, but instead hoping to correct hormones (PCOS).

I started out with more nuts and seeds and fruit- but still pretty Low Carb. In the past two weeks I have transitioned to mainly just Meat, Veggies, Good Fats and Coconut Products. No more than one serving of nuts and fruit a day. Also one cup of coffee in the morning (which is a cutback from before).

From nearly the beginning - I have had horrible gas that I never had before. I used to eat yogurt, Ezekiel bread, cheese, beans, etc without any form of gas. Now I cannot go one day without serious problems.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Or did anyone experience a similar situation?

Other points:

I feel that I probably have some candida overgrowth which is another reason that I have further refined the diet. But I think it has improved over the course of the last two weeks- the gas has not.

Out of desperation I looked up FODMAP the other day and realized I had been eating a ton of onions with many meals- in the past two days I have cut them out- still no improvement- however I did have some peas.... Could I really be having serious FODMAP issues now that I eat Primal?! Whereas it was never a problem before? I had a pretty health diet before, too. Plenty of veggies- not a lot of sugar etc.

I cut out eggs in the last two days out of curiosity- still no improvement.

Also, I have been taking a probiotic, and some enzymes from my PCOS natural supplements, I also used to drink a TON of kombucha- in my life before Primal- but weaned myself down in the last month fearing it was feeding candida. I also used to eat greek yogurt as a staple- twice a day- now I don't have those probiotics.

Ok... Any help would be much appreciated. Because, though I really do agree with the tenets of this lifestyle- it is very hard to justify continuing when I literally had NO IBS symptoms before- and now I am offensively Gassy!

Thanks in advance!

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What vegetables are you eating? Being gassy might not be a bad thing. – Korion Oct 22 2011 at 15:37

9 Answers

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I think the common causes of gas on Paleo are

  • Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli)
  • Alliums (onions)
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Probiotics (you might try a different brand, some brands caused me gas, others did not)
  • Protein powders
  • Powders/shakes/supplements containing inulin
  • Starches

There are some rare individuals who get gas from meat (or eggs) though. They have overgrowth of putrefying bacteria perhaps.

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Nice list! The only thing I can think of to add to it is eggs. I don't know why it would be, but it is for me (whereas meat is not). – Ambimorph Oct 22 2011 at 22:53
yeah, added eggs and starches – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Oct 23 2011 at 3:38
I'd only comment that with the cruciferous, allium, and starch I think many people (barring those with digestive problems generally) just have an adjustment period where their gut bacteria are just adapting. over a couple weeks of regularly consuming those items (well-cooked) i think they'd adapt and have less/no gas. – ben61820 Oct 23 2011 at 13:01
Thanks to everyone for their input. I am going to have to tweak a lot of things I guess. I have a strong feeling that it is Candida die-off. But I have also eliminated eggs for the time being, now I will eliminate coconut to see. I'll have to play around and will update if things change. Thanks! – Carrie Oct 23 2011 at 14:39
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I would suspect the coconut products. I did fine with them at first, but now they cause horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. I cut everything with coconut out of my diet (which was hard because I love it!) for a few weeks and have tried slowly adding it back in. I can now tolerate coconut oil used in cooking (in moderate amounts), but still nothing else.

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thanks, I'm gonna give that a try – Carrie Oct 23 2011 at 14:39
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I had gas with a lot of coconut oil as well. Low amounts are fine. In your particular situation, I suspect you have an overgrowth of gassy bacteria that you've been feeding with your probiotics (a lot of the probiotic pill supplements have FOS to help them grow in the intestines). Onions in particular are a known source of food for bacteria. I personally did not have a problem with an all-meat diet. You may want to try that for a bit and see how it goes. Either way, it's going to be a few days to resolve.

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thanks- can't tell if it could be a coconut allergy- or intense die-off – Carrie Oct 23 2011 at 14:40
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You could try adding probiotics and/or digestive enzymes. Lots of vegetables and fruits can bring it. You should try for some short time to eliminate all of them to see if it does make a difference - i.e. hard core Atkins style. You could try to combine those two ideas.

I am not suggesting to quit on plants forever, just short time should be enough to see how it changes flatulance. Onions, garlic, brusel sprouts, apples etc can make it worst. Many legumes do it, depending on preparation type.

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I added a new brand of digestive enzymes yesterday- so we'll see! – Carrie Oct 23 2011 at 14:39
Try also to drink kefir several times a day. – majkinetor Oct 23 2011 at 15:05
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Coconut oil and coconut milk do that to me so you might also try cutting that out. I second the idea of cutting out veg in the short term to see if something there is the likely culprit.

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Thanks, gonna try it out. – Carrie Oct 23 2011 at 14:39
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Cauliflower and kale give me the "vapors"

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When I'm low carb everything starts giving me gas, especially onions and garlic and cabbage and eggs. I've found that a combination of more starchy carbs and a probiotic completely eliminates the problem (but not either by itself). Ideally I'd eat fermented veggies but I suck at fermenting, so I take a multivitamin with probiotics in it and I eat some greek yogurt. As long as I don't neglect my starchies and my beasties I can eat all those gassy vegetables with impunity. :)

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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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Too many nuts and dates will cause excessive flatulance. Maybe each person being a distinct individual needs to study their own body and trial and error is the best answer. The peleo diet is very good for me.

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