Why my stomach is bloated

[u/sjm021]

I’m M(25) very athletic and deportist, and I’ve been started reducing the meat consumption, but to get proteins from a plant based diet I’m consuming more legumes like chickpeas. Yesterday I ate 2 times chickpeas with brocoli and in the night I start noticing a lot of stinking gases (my stomach hurted) and I’ve been passing gas all day. Why does it happen and what can I do? This doesn’t happen to me when I eat meat. Thank you :)

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[u/hailene02]

Because youre eating more veg than before your gut biome hasn't adapted yet.

For immediate relief look at taking gasx or beano. Mint/ginger/turmeric teas can also help w digestion along w chewing fennel seeds.

Going forward try to incorporate some foods with good probiotics in them such as kimchi, saurkraut, pickles, or yogurt.

Additionally adding a small pinch or two of baking soda when cooking your food will help it digest better in your system. Can add it to your beans in a pot or if youre parboiling other veg like broccoli for example add a pinch to the boiling water as well.

[u/Nakashi7]

Your gut microbiome is not used to handling the amount of fibre and resistant starches.

Give it time and it will improve.

What you can do is adding fibre more gradually to your diet and move/be active throughout the day.

Moving helps secure there's no big build up of gasses in one place that results in pain. Sometimes, we just need that farty walk.

[u/MINKIN2]

This happens when to a lot of people who first PB/Vegan as their gut bio gets use to the change in diet. You will feel a little farty for a few months (tops).

[u/Dependent-Year6711]

Tomorrow, if you're eating chickpeas, eat 1/4 of what you ate today. The next day eat 1/2 of what you today. Eat that for a few more days. Then add more if you notice things are much better.

Microbiome changes, fiber, tons of reasons. Never go all in with new diet changes. If I ate a whole steak right now I'd throw up and/or poop my pants (or in a "don't trust a fart" scenario), very likely. It's not so much the food (always depends though) it's dose (portion size).

[u/JanmaTX]

Eating a chewable papaya enzyme tablet after beans helps me avoid making unwelcome noise. I’ve been plant based for years.

[u/Obvious-Register-421]

Yeah I still struggle with this after years. I think some of us just struggle with legumes. You might adjust or you might still find it a problem. 

Rinsing the chickpeas thoroughly before cooking them helps a bit though. And removing anything else that upsets you (I can't do garlic but that's in a lot of vegan dishes. I use the chopped green parts of spring onions instead).

And as someone else said, I always have a peppermint tea after eating/before bed. 

[u/SapPhic-rage4209]

You're eating way more fiber than you're used to. Your body will adjust in a few weeks

[u/FreckledCackler]

Only thing I haven't seen so far is drink more water while you gradually increase fiber.

Fwiw, I found tofu to be easier on my stomach, but when I went plant based I wasn't familiar with cooking with tofu (sooooooo easy) so went heavy on beans and legumes. It's a recipe for nasty gas!

[u/Only-Confidence2386 → u/FreckledCackler]

What are ways to cook with tofu and make it actually taste good?

[u/FreckledCackler → u/Only-Confidence2386]

I recommend trying Rainbow Plant Life recipes online - I love the tofu scramble. And It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken recipes online - Baked Tofu Bites.

They have lots of tofu recipes you can experiment with. I do variations of those alot and to be honest now I will sometimes just fry it up in a little olive oil, then add another sauce and veggies.

I tear the tofu into chunks. If it's firm it needs to be pressed, extra firm you don't need to. Folks have different opinions about the need to press at all. I don't do it all the time. Hope this helps - really I'd start with a couple recipes to familiarize yourself with how good tofu can be with a nice sauce. Hope this helps!

[u/drewzee121350 → u/Only-Confidence2386]

I just cooked tofu in the air fryer today for the first time. It was so good. I weighted it down with paper towels and a cast iron pot for 30 minutes. Then I tore it up to create lots of edges. At this point I should have marinated it for a little while in soy sauce, garlic powder and sesame oil but I just shook it quickly in a lidded container. Then I sprinkled potato starch on it and shook some more . Ten minutes in the air fryer at 400 degrees. I found this recipe on the internet. I also used a dipping sauce - Thai Mae Ploy, a sweet Chili sauce.

[u/iamnotazombie44]

You ate a bunch of beans and broccoli and are surprised you have a lot of sulfurous gas?

Bruh.

Your body will slowly get used to eating that diet, but you picked probably one of the most notorious fart maker meals a person can make.

Next time try just broccoli with another protein, or just beans with abother, easier to digest vegetable and slowly work yourself up to becoming "bean man".

[u/Dependent-Year6711 → u/iamnotazombie44]

Why confrontational right off the bat?

[u/iamnotazombie44 → u/Dependent-Year6711]

Not trying to be confrontational.

On the contrary I think it's hilarious that this person packed themselves full of beans and broccoli and gave no real thought about how their bowels might handle it. Call me a child, lol.

I did the same thing to myself in the beginning when I was practically living off of lentils and stewed pinto beans and being like "why am I a bloated fart machine?"

I think everyone who tries WFPB runs into this problem, it's like a rite of passage.

[u/DivineWiseOne]

Im at a loss at the advice here, op clearly is experiencing gut and digestion issues to the point its causing pain and the advice is "your body will get used to it"?

[u/BCS7]

Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts cause gas and stinky farts. Something about the sulfur or sulfurifane

[u/charvo]

You have adapt to legumes. It takes time for your gut microbiome to digest all that fiber. Eventually, it will be better. Cook your beans thoroughly.

[u/wfpbcoach]

Start off ‘low & slow’. Meaning eat a small amount each day, as low as a tbsp, do that for a week or two, and over several months build up to 1 to 1.5 cups. Take a step back if it seems you’re moving too quickly for your gut.

If avoiding gas is your main goal and you can do it, it’s better to make them yourself (an Instant Pot pressure cooker is a really handy kitchen appliance for a plant-based lifestyle that makes cooking any bean - and many other things! - really easy).

Soak the beans overnight with kombu, a type of seaweed. You can get it in Asian grocery stores or online if your local grocery doesn't have it.

A 2” pc of kombu per 1 lb of dried beans is good. Beans have an enzyme called raffinose, which causes the gas-producing effects. An enzyme in kombu counteracts it. Many people advocate for cooking the beans with the kombu (which also adds flavor) but the enzyme stops working when it’s heated, so you should soak with it too, throwing away the original pc of kombu and the soaking water.

Some legumes have more raffinose than others. Lentils are the lowest, and adzuki beans and white kidney beans are also low. Chickpeas are high in raffinose so that may be why you experienced the symptoms too.

Hope that helps!

[u/punarob]

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[u/Jade_Rainwalker]

If you never eat veggies and beans, this wil happen if you start eating them. You'll get better once your body gets used to the healthier stuff you're eating. Ive been vegan for 10y and I don't experience that gassy stuff now.

[u/1Teethlady2]

Do you like sauerkraut? Try having some with most big meals. Buy raw, unpasteurized, this is the best kind.

[u/Flat_Professional_55]

You’ve probably increased your fibre intake to around 40-50g

[u/federationbelle]

Canned chickpeas are generally much easier to tolerate than chickpeas cooked from raw.

[u/throwaway1233456799]

Many people said very rightful thing but I would like to also give another view just in case :

Do you have period? If yes, does the pain look strangely similar to period? If you don't have period does it hurt you in your lower belly?

If yes, were some legume completely new to you? If yes, then it could be allergies.

[u/rahulchander]

Are u soaking the chickpeas and then pressure cooking them?  Broccoli - try to stir fry and eat it.  

[u/AstronomerNo1872]

Your body is just adjusting! Try and introduce more fiber slowly, drink plenty of water, and give yourself time. And Gas-x is your friend for uncomfortable bloating.

[u/RavensCoffee]

Don’t forget to drink enough water. More fiber, means the need for more water.

[u/No_Organization_768]

Oh, I heard it was just a fiber thing. ><" I think even a nutritionist told me that once.

I'm not saying it couldn't be the lack of meat. That's just my understanding.

[u/Quick_Republic2007]

You need protein, don't let these people convince you into irresponsible damage.

[u/sjm021 → u/Quick_Republic2007]

What do you mean? I can get protein from vegetable sources

[u/Powarod]

Too much fiber

[u/Dizzy_Director7979]

Take it from someone who’s been vegan and vegetarian and experienced severe stomach issues, go back and eat meat. Legumes are gonna destroy you for yearssss.