A simple tip often overlooked:
After you have a shake, pop some gum and chew on that for 10 minutes. This will help digest, and also it will mean you don’t have to pretend to ‘chew’ your shake. Chewing = helps digestive enzymes and secretions activate!
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
[quote]forevernade wrote:
A simple tip often overlooked:
After you have a shake, pop some gum and chew on that for 10 minutes. This will help digest, and also it will mean you don’t have to pretend to ‘chew’ your shake. Chewing = helps digestive enzymes and secretions activate![/quote]
Good point. Chewing gum also has other benefits.
BBB[/quote]
Like hypertrophy of the jaw musculature?
But really, what sort of other benefits?
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them 
I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
How many grams of fiber from food do you get each day?
If it’s not at least the 35 recommended for a 2000-or-so calorie diet, then add high-fiber foods to your diet to get it there. It should be proportionately more than 35 grams if you eat more than the typical 2000 calories. I pretty much guarantee that if you get 35 or 40 grams of fiber from foods in your diet every day, you will not have this problem. But expect your system to need a few weeks to adjust.
IME fiber supplements do not provide the same benefit as high-fiber foods, but some people here swear by psyllium.
Drinking coffee in the morning is a huge help also.
[quote]EvanX wrote:
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
[quote]EvanX wrote:
Is there anything one can take to negate the gas and bloating that comes from eating a lot of Cruciferous vegetables or is eating less the only solution?[/quote]
It just comes with the territory.[/quote]
Thats exactly what I did not want to here. Has anyone tried Beano? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beano_(dietary_supplement)[/quote]
I don’t know, I had this problem when I suddenly started eating them, but then my gut adapted, and now I can eat tons of broccoli, onions, garlic, etc., with no problems.
Beano DOES work; however, you must use as directed, which is to chew the tablets immediately before your FIRST bite of food. I have seen the enzyme, alpha-galactosidase, from Swanson much cheaper than the brand name Beano.
When my gut seems healthy enough, I’ve never noticed much difference from taking probiotics. But I just went through a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics (keflex), and WOW. Major stomach pain. I have some expired (2007) enteric-coated Jarrow or Nature’s Way or something in my fridge, took a few, and immediately felt better.
So I want to run some good probiotics for awhile. I remember Tim Z only recommends Ganaden BC; I’m trying to pick some up but haven’t found it yet. But I also remember he said something like only using a probiotic that can guarantee viable cells at the time of use, not just at the time of manufacture…Costco currently has this:
What do you guys think?
One thing that I’ve recently added to my gut health supplements is aloe vera first things as I wake up. It helps a ton.
I also take betaine HCL, probiotics, and digestive enzymes in one pill bottle made by spring valley that I take upon waking and before meals (yes the cheapo brand, but it actually seems to work a bit for me).
I also drink lots of ginger ale which helps tremendously.
Every once in a while, I’ll take a couple days easy with the eating. Eat about half the cals I would normally and eat stuff that’s easy on my gut.
Occasionally as a mini cleanse, I’ll take ginger capsules for a week but I don’t like to do that often because it makes me sweat like a pig and my face gets flushed. It also makes me defecate and urinate more often.
I find altoid cinnamon mints can put my stomach at ease if it’s feeling really bad. I’m going to try to take a couple of those after protein shakes instead of the gum. I’ll post later to say how that goes.
What gives me the most stomach troubles is not getting enough sleep and lots of stress.
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.[/quote]
Thanks, I definitely am getting at least 35g of fiber a day. My last big, whole food meal is at around 7-8. I usually just have some fiber and a shake before bed. I haven’t had any form of grains in the past 3-4 months.
[quote]d0m wrote:
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.[/quote]
Thanks, I definitely am getting at least 35g of fiber a day. My last big, whole food meal is at around 7-8. I usually just have some fiber and a shake before bed. I haven’t had any form of grains in the past 3-4 months.[/quote]
Maybe it’s just the way you are? Probably gonna have to consult a specialist because it seems like you’ve already tried the right things.
[quote]grettiron wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.[/quote]
Thanks, I definitely am getting at least 35g of fiber a day. My last big, whole food meal is at around 7-8. I usually just have some fiber and a shake before bed. I haven’t had any form of grains in the past 3-4 months.[/quote]
Maybe it’s just the way you are? Probably gonna have to consult a specialist because it seems like you’ve already tried the right things.[/quote]
What are your sources for fiber? That may be your problem. Supps like metamucil or benefiber and veggies like broccoli are bulk forming (soluble fiber) to much can cause constipation. I had the same issue what i did was add more insoluble fiber this will move food (bulk) through intestines.
[quote]-EROS- wrote:
[quote]grettiron wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.[/quote]
Thanks, I definitely am getting at least 35g of fiber a day. My last big, whole food meal is at around 7-8. I usually just have some fiber and a shake before bed. I haven’t had any form of grains in the past 3-4 months.[/quote]
Maybe it’s just the way you are? Probably gonna have to consult a specialist because it seems like you’ve already tried the right things.[/quote]
What are your sources for fiber? That may be your problem. Supps like metamucil or benefiber and veggies like broccoli are bulk forming (soluble fiber) to much can cause constipation. I had the same issue what i did was add more insoluble fiber this will move food (bulk) through intestines.[/quote]
Broccoli, beans, other veggies, psyllium husks.
[quote]d0m wrote:
[quote]-EROS- wrote:
[quote]grettiron wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
[quote]d0m wrote:
For about a year now I haven’t had more than one bowel movement a day, sometimes getting as bad as 2-3 times a week. I know i’m eating enough solid food but I still don’t seem to go. I have tried adding more fiber to my diet, adding probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine hcl, more water, glutamine, nothing works. I also went on an elimination diet removing all grains, nuts, dairy, and eggs from my diet. No matter what I change or try supplementing with I seem to stay the same.
Any Ideas?
Edit: When I do have a BM they are normal and I have no trouble passing them I also experience bloating quite often even when having small meals.[/quote]
When do you stop eating each night? I noticed after I removed grains and quit eating by 8 that my movements were much more regular, like every morning. I drink a lot more of my calories now and the ease of digestion has helped as well. Just a thought.[/quote]
Thanks, I definitely am getting at least 35g of fiber a day. My last big, whole food meal is at around 7-8. I usually just have some fiber and a shake before bed. I haven’t had any form of grains in the past 3-4 months.[/quote]
Maybe it’s just the way you are? Probably gonna have to consult a specialist because it seems like you’ve already tried the right things.[/quote]
What are your sources for fiber? That may be your problem. Supps like metamucil or benefiber and veggies like broccoli are bulk forming (soluble fiber) to much can cause constipation. I had the same issue what i did was add more insoluble fiber this will move food (bulk) through intestines.[/quote]
Broccoli, beans, other veggies, psyllium husks.[/quote]
Yup, I think that may be the issue. I actually ended up going to the doctor due to constipation caused by oats. You stated you do not eat grains but, all I did was add wheat bran and I was good to go. Perhaps you can try Unifiber it is an insoluble plant fiber supp.
Hydration. The gut needs fiber, but dry fiber is hard. Water is the best lubrication you can get for your guts.
Has anyone had what they suspected as gallbladder problems treat themselves successfully without prescription drugs or surgery?
I never tried it, guess it couldn't hurt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3lIAD_eFk
Look up Habba Syndrome.
Supposedly, if you have gall bladder issues, it can lead to post-prandial diarrhea practically every time you eat or drink. Something to do with bile production. I think cholestyramine is prescribed for consumption before meals, and it binds to bile salts I believe.
You guys are so lucky you have what I would consider very mild gut issues, I have had about 6 feet of my intestine removed from this bullshit.