Bloating

Question

Hi, I’m newly vegan (about 3 months) and ever since switching to a plant based diet I’ve been bloated like crazy. Even some mornings I wake up bloated, and after drinking water I get bloated. It’s really off putting (don’t get me wrong there’s no way I’m going to start eating animal products) I just don’t feel confident in my body when I’m bloated. 
If anyone has some tips I would really appreciate it. I already avoid drinking water around meals and I drink 2L a day. 
I’ve heard about food combining but I haven’t read too much into it because it seems very complicated.

herwin · Answer

sorry, but what exactly do you mean with "bloated"?

Crito · Answer

tl;dr - Probably caused by switching from animal products to a big increase in fiber, but go see a doctor to be sure. I've seen a few people with this issue. For the record, I have no legit medical background, but I am obsessed with reading medical studies and following evidence based nutrition doctors and I'd recommend you do the same. Here are just a few trendy ones: Dr. Greger (Nutritionfacts.org, nutrition facts podcast), Dr Neal Barnard (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and "The Exam Room" podcast), Dr Danielle Belardo ("Nutrition Rounds" podcast). First thing is, you want to go see a gastroenterologist. Not a primary care physician. They aren't trained in nutrition muchless the highly specialized area of gut microbes and the complexity involved. Bloating can be a simple reaction to one food or a symptom of an underlying condition ranging from very basic to more severe (which you would have had other symptoms of by now so maybe don't freak out on that front). The whole gut microbe thing is relatively new science, expanding on recent advances in DNA research. The bloating issue is not unique to vegans. The basics of this is that you have trillions of microbes feasting in your digestive system and drastically changing your diet from animal products to vegan can have some temporary side effects or unveil an underlying issue. Since you are committed to a vegan lifestyle, I'd recommend searching for doctors/gastroenterologists on here first: https://www.plantbaseddoctors.org/ and then look them up on Yelp or somewhere better to get quality reviews (don't go off star ratings as often times doctors get bad ratings for office staff, not the doctors themselves, never mind the overly sensitive people ranting about a fluke issue). Not sure what your daily diet is either. You can try downloading Cronometer (it's free) app and tracking your daily food and nutritional goals. Sometimes you might just find that you're not hitting daily calories (often an issue on purely whole food plant-based diet) or maybe fiber intake. So go find a gastroenterologist first because everyone's gut issues are entirely unique and you need an expert analysis. In the meantime check these out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NASDHywVpB4 https://youtu.be/S3Sklqqckv4?t=90 This one is long, but interesting if you're into the nutrition side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6BYje7OsLc (or just download the podcast)

KatieThomass · Answer

By bloated I mean significant stomach distention and gas.
And thanks, I’ll check out the links

Crito · Answer

I’m guessing it’s your microbiome adjusting to a new diet. Go see a gastroenterologist for sure to at least rule out any other health issues.

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