I am going to the bathroom as much as 6 times a day and I have gas,that, if it could be bottled, could be used as a weapon of war to atleast stun a person. Am I missing something in my diet? or Is this normal and something to get use to? My husband, especially, would appreciate any help you could offer. Of late, I've been very grateful for windy evenings, "let's go for a walk" I say. By virtue of eating this way, you and those around you come to love the outdoors. Tabitha...
"Maybe we should look into getting a convertible"

Lots of people get gas, so don't allow yourself to feel embarrased.

I read (not sure if it is true) that it is normal to get some every day. If you think that yours is too much - are you using food combining rules? If not, perhaps that might help. If so, are you leaving long enough between meals? (If I eat a fruit meal, I leave eg 3 - 4 hours after sweet fruits like bananas and 1.5 - 2 hrs after sub-acid fruit and 1 - 1.5 after acid fruit before the next meal. Also I only eat fruit on an empty stomach at my first meal of the day).

Some people seem to be able to mix all kinds of stuff together and not leave gaps between meals and seem ok and others cannot. I guess it could have to do with things like how strong each persons digestive system is and whether one has enough healthy gut bacteria. Also some people get gas as a result of things like candida etc.

Probiotics are a tricky one ... especially in deciding which to take. I sometimes take them and I think that they can help reduce gas (if the healthy gut flora / bacteria etc has been compromised in the past by eg antibiotics etc), but as to whether they are really healthy long term and whether the bacteria in them are truly what we should be having is impossible for me to say. I have never made my own sauerkraut etc and would not personally feel that comfortable making my own, although many people do.

It might be worth doing a food diary and see what gives the most gas and how long it is after food that you start noticing the gas.

Just some thoughts - hope it is of some help.

lol i agree about the food combining have a good look into it (fit for life is a good ol reference and there is tons about it on the net if you cant affort the book or not at liabrary)

i used just toss everything (raw) down the hatch with no regard to the consequences =) i could self propell myself up a steep hill with the back-firing goin on back there =D

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I would also guess that it is your combinations of foods. I think that's a great idea to keep a food diary. I don't have this problem when I eat very simply (monoeating). I loved your humor. GL!

I simply don't eat or minimize certain foods that give me those symptoms...nuts and sprouts (except soybean sprouts), celery juice...certain stuff. I also get it really bad in the mornings when I eat only fruit but food enzymes have worked wonders for me! Sometimes I'd sit at work with my stomach hurting and huuuge from bloating and gas that I was desperate. Now I pop some enzymes and the problem became much smaller.

greetings! I hear ya (not literally, don't worry, heh)..what a great good laugh I'm still having...very very funny!!!--you could also bottle the humor for good feelings in the world!

Re the problem: I've experienced that too and I don't have much to add on top of the other posts. Same: When I had that comedic-drama going on it was always a matter of poor digestion-poor assimilation/explosive revolt by body. Really examine what you are eating, what you put in your mouth creates this problem. For me, wrong foods, wrong combinations (and the more excessively wrong, the worse the effects)---beginning even with inadequate chewing of these wrong foods wrongly combined.

Even transfering to a rawfood diet, food combining principles are important, not overeating is important (but, I think that is quite down the road), and digestion begins in the saliva is true. Also, there may be an element of cleansing going on which will be even more exacerbated by ill combinations even of rawfood, just adding more fuel to the ...ahem, bomb.

Best wishes to you and hubby! You'll resolve it.

But, thanks for letting me laugh boisterously like an 8 year old.

Wow, grown ups responded to my question. Adults, even. Amazing! My husband read what I wrote and confirmed his suspicion that I’m “never serious”, so I’ll try for his sake, for at least a moment. I wasn’t aware of food combinations; I’ll do everything that was suggested and I’ll take any more suggestions. In March I read something by St. Clement of Alexandria who wrote that the best thing to eat is seeds, nuts, and vegetables, things “fit for immediate use without fire”, like what St. Matthew ate. So I said, “right, then. Me and St. Matthew” and I began eating raw armed only with an old juicing book and juicer and recipes from this website. I really had no idea there was more to eating raw than not cooking. Here’s some exciting news for me, though, I’ve had diabetes for 20some odd years and it’s been borderline out of control for 10 of them and I got my blood results back from a “got to be done every six months” test and it is stupendously better, outrageously better, better than it’s been in years and years. I am so thrilled. The only thing it showed is that my potassium levels were too high, (private thought, it couldn’t be the 3 bananas a day I’ve been eating every day…). So, while I’m still serious, is there a book anyone would recommend about what you need to know to eat what you need (good question and so clear too)? And, can you still have cholesterol problems eating this way? In the mean time, during this learning curve, we've been lent a convertible (seriously). Tabitha

hey tabitha

you can balance out your potassium levels (and banana consumption) by making sure to eat some celery or leafy greens each day for the sodium content.

you should see a reduction in your cholesterol, unless, like me, your body produces a lot of it. As a raw vegan you won't be ingesting cholesterol at all. "They" tried to get me on cholesterol lowering drugs 20 years ago but I passed. I think too much has been made of the role cholesterol, taken without consideration of other factors, plays in dis-ease anyway.

You know, Howard Stern is looking for beautiful girls to enter a fahting contest. I'd enter myself but I don't have the requisite breast size.


khale

also make sure you chew your food really well,, even wen i dont food combine i can get gas if i dont chew very well

Tabitha,

For me proper food combining is absolutely necessary on a raw diet. If I push the limits I can expect the discomforts of bloating, gas, irregular bowel activity or low energy. For more info click on the blue text to read an archived post from Bryan on food combining that is dated 5/31/06 2:46pm.

This website has some quick and easy basic reading on raw foodism [www.rawschool.com] or check out Dr. Doug Graham's book on the 80/10/10 Diet. There's a wealth of info in there on food combining and other questions you have as well as Graham's diet that a number of regulars on this forum have used in their own exploration of the raw food diet.

Hey Tabitha I see this as an opportunity for you. (some of us are envious)

Apparently Howard Stern is looking for girls to compete in a gas-blowing contest
[www.howardstern.com]


good luck!

Hi there...tabitha...food combining is essential...oh and i have a question are you type 1 or 2?? i notice when my blood sugars are higher and i have to take more insulin i tend to have the bloating and gas.....i asked someone before and they explained it i wish i could remember it now..but that they said it had to do with something about the extra insulin i was taking...but food combining is a plus...very essential!!!
good luck
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxox

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Besides food combining, if the GI tract is not in good shape you can have problems with gas. I was doing all the food combining right and still getting gas (for weeks). I discovered that since I had taken a bunch of raw garlic (which is antibiotic), it had wiped out the good stuff in the colon too and evidently the bad bacteria was having a hay day. I took two bottles of Kombucha tea over a period of two days and it disappeared immediately . . . any antibiotics you might be on can do this of course, but most here won't have that problem . . .

-Ryan
radicalvitality.com

I'm wondering about the raw garlic now (after reading about Ryan's experience).

I still use some raw garlic and put a clove in my blended green soups a few times a week (Hhmm?). I know that it is an antibiotic ... yet I read that onions, leeks, garlic and banana are supposed to feed the healthy gut bacteria. I had also read that if you have too much raw garlic it can affect the good gut bacteria though.

After Ryans experience ... well I am starting to wonder whether I should stop putting a clove of garlic in. People say to eat them sparingly as they are an irritant.

I could do with some more advice here. What do you all think?

dried fruits with nuts definitely give me gas so try not to combine those.

this site recommends cumin seed, dill seed, and coriander as anti-gas spices
[www.living-foods.com]

I had no idea about the garlic, since I'm italian I thought garlic cured everything, not caused anything...This is a real blow, limited olive oil, no wine, and now my garlic is even being restricted. How can I go on? Thank everyone for the terrific web-links, they have been immensely helpful. Tabitha
P.S. earthangel, I'm type 1, I've had diabetes since I was six

Hi,
I haven't read all of the replies above fully, so i may be repeating, but just wanted to mention that you could try carminative herbs (A herb that soothes the digestive tract and minimizes gas is known as a carminative).... my favourite being fennel. Somewhere on the web someone suggest a Carminatea, made with camomile, caraway, dill, fennel, lemon balm (also known as melissa) and peppermint and sweetened with licorice.
Also, is there any cooked food in your diet? I remember reading somewhere recently that when a little bit of cooked food is included in a mostly raw diet that can cause a bit of a gassy reaction.
Good Luck!
Shell

www.therawkitchen.blogspot.com ~ My Blog

ryandvan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Besides food combining, if the GI tract is not in
> good shape you can have problems with gas. I was
> doing all the food combining right and still
> getting gas (for weeks).

Hi Tabitha:

Along with what everyone else wrote, I also strongly reccommend food combining. For years I could not eat bell peppers and certain beans (SAD & cooked food era) without gastric consequences. When I came across the concept of combining I ws skeptical but gave it a try and it was like a miracle (still during the predominantly cooked era)--bell peppers, legumes and all.

Just wanted to add to Ryan's quote, do not get discouraged in the event you don't have immmediate results, even though it's highly likely that you will see noticeable improvement in a short time. The reasoning is that probably due to dietary habits or even a health condition you could have remnants of meals that either never digested thorougly, digested but never assimilated properly or that the waste never fully eliminated and could be contributing to fermentation because the environment is hospitable to that condition. Ever seen a plastic container that had cooked food sitting in it for an extended time, especially in a warm environment? If this is so, you should still see progress,but it may be at a slower pace than expected. In any event,keep us posted.

Wishing you vibrant health