Thar she blows!

[Go Go Goji]

Okay community, time to draw upon all your knowledge, resources and passion for raw living... and help me with my gas.

I'm serious. I need advice. Here's the story:

I've been going mostly raw for a few months now. Sure, I'll have the occasional slip up, but always vegan nearly always organic. I'm totally sold on all of the wonderful health and spiritual benefits of a raw diet. The one little insy bitty snafu is that, since I've turned raw, my intestine is out to destroy me. I'm so serious. It wants me to die alone.

Until now, I've delt with it (whoever smelt it delt it). I'm sure I don't have to describe to you just how foul these emissions are. They don't make a noise, so I can always play dumb or pretend they're coming from elsewhere when they escape during staff meetings, elevator rides, yoga classes (all the bending and twisting! I'm sorry, but who can hold that?) etc. Not sure I'm fooling anyone, but hell, I'm not worried. At least I have the silky smooth hair of a kale eater.

Tomorrow I'm going out with a really fantastic guy. I'm so excited and I'm working myself into a tizzy with anticipation. The only thing is that I'm worried about my problem. Since my belly is quite the gaseous maximus these days, I'm afraid that I won't be able to control myself tomorrow night. I'm envisioning having to squirm to hold it in all night. He'll walk me to my front door after a lovely evening, sweep me up into a tight embrace and squeeze out of me out a fart so mighty it would uproot several neighborhood trees and set off a distant car alarm.

How can I ensure that tomorrow night he only smells passion's fragrant musk, and not the rancid stank of my vegan flatula? I was thinking of not eating a thing all day. Just drinking warm water. Ideas?

[ArcturusXIV]

Ugh, I had this problem too for awhile. I would definitely like to know if there's a solution!

[juliesvoyage2]

I have had the same problem! Thankfully my guy lives a few states away but warned him when we get together again that he better bring his nose plugs.

[ltcartwright]

Okay community, time to draw upon all your knowledge, resources and passion for raw living... and help me with my gas.

I'm serious. I need advice. Here's the story:

I've been going mostly raw for a few months now. Sure, I'll have the occasional slip up, but always vegan nearly always organic. I'm totally sold on all of the wonderful health and spiritual benefits of a raw diet. The one little insy bitty snafu is that, since I've turned raw, my intestine is out to destroy me. I'm so serious. It wants me to die alone.

Until now, I've delt with it (whoever smelt it delt it). I'm sure I don't have to describe to you just how foul these emissions are. They don't make a noise, so I can always play dumb or pretend they're coming from elsewhere when they escape during staff meetings, elevator rides, yoga classes (all the bending and twisting! I'm sorry, but who can hold that?) etc. Not sure I'm fooling anyone, but hell, I'm not worried. At least I have the silky smooth hair of a kale eater.

Tomorrow I'm going out with a really fantastic guy. I'm so excited and I'm working myself into a tizzy with anticipation. The only thing is that I'm worried about my problem. Since my belly is quite the gaseous maximus these days, I'm afraid that I won't be able to control myself tomorrow night. I'm envisioning having to squirm to hold it in all night. He'll walk me to my front door after a lovely evening, sweep me up into a tight embrace and squeeze out of me out a fart so mighty it would uproot several neighborhood trees and set off a distant car alarm.

How can I ensure that tomorrow night he only smells passion's fragrant musk, and not the rancid stank of my vegan flatula? I was thinking of not eating a thing all day. Just drinking warm water. Ideas?


You're giving me stomach cramps from laughing so hard!!!!:D:D
How about mint or peppermint extract (the latter I don't think is raw, but I use it in my tea since I have the same "gaseous maximus" belly). I don't know if the mint leaves would help, because I haven't used it before - but it is "minty" right?!?!? So it should work(??)

I do know that you shouldn't not eat, it'll get worse...like you won't be able to hold it in worse!! (Take it from me!) Don't eat heavy (dense), but try to eat something along with drinking warm (hot) tea. Also, get somewhere alone (well...you sound like you have that part covered :P) and let it ALL OUT. That's right, get cracker-lackin', sound the bugle, make some noise and let it all out. Get the warm tea down and a little food and you shouldn't embarrass yourself too much.

[RawHeaven]

Go Go Goji, what do you generally eat? The gas could be stemming from a number of things. Combining foods that aren't digesting rapidly in your gut to just having sensitivities as you heal. For example, eating a lot of fats slows down digestion for some (not all) and sometimes don't combine that well with let's say...sweet fruits. It would really help to get a sense of what your diet is to make suggestions. I do suggest maybe grabbing a bottle of kombucha tomorrow morning though. I think this may help. In fact, any raw fermented food should help. Ginger root is also good, celery, apples, green smoothies, etc. In the meantime, I hope you have a great time on your date.

Edit: Try probiotics as well - you can get a vegan brand. I think you may just need to increase the digestive flora and enzymes in your intestines temporarily. Just a gut instinct. ;)

[juliesvoyage2]

I have been eating prunes, which cause the issue, but eating almost any vegetable does it as well. If I could bottle this up and use it as electricity, I would never have to pay an electric bill again. ;)

[Ilse W.]

It sounds like your body doesn't digest what you put in it. Also, at this point there shouldn't be much smell involved, unless your intestines are still full of SAD leftovers, especially animal protein residue. I would recommend a fast to give your digestive tract a rest, followed by some mono eating to find out what exactly it is you don't digest well. Also proper food combining and taking digestive enzymes would help. By this time there shouldn't be much smell involved, unless your intestines are full of undigested animal protein residue.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14657.0 Try this, hun ;) I'm no fan of stifling the gas, but if it's that bad, give this a whirl: It will help to settle your tummy troubles down, hopefully helping it get to a healthy state. Mind, I'm stating this is for a temporary measure, not long-term. Go to others for that, as they have far more experience than me

[HolyGuacamole]

Chlorophyll (available as a supplement) will deodorize you from the inside out.

[srsarri]

go go goji - I had the same problem. I started drinking peppermint tea, and I started taking digestive enzymes. I also take chlorophyll. WORKS!!!!!!!!! (after a couple of weeks, I almost never have to take the enzymes anymore)

[rawstrength]

Ginger helps me. Have you tried my real gingerade recipe yet?

[smoothiegirl]

Sounds like your food is not digesting properly leaving fermented waste in the colon causing bad gas. Good digestive enzymes help. Quick fix-Beano!:)

[annavon]

Probiotics, colonics and don't forget the "chew, chew train" :p One thing I have discovered is that I don't chew my food well enough as evidenced by my colonics. That can lead to digestive problems. Probiotics help reduce any over abundance of candida which can also cause digestive problems. Colonics just give you a good cleaning out. Also, my colon hydrotherapist was able to detect that I had some parasites an gave me a herbal parasite cleanse to take. Also, if you have a "slip", make sure you are not consuming dairy. A huge percentage of people can't digest dairy products and it will produce a foul smell as well.

[Go Go Goji]

Great advice all! Thank you so much for coming to my rescue. I've drawn up a great shopping list based on yout suggestions, and I'm feeling okay now, drinking warmed mint tea. So far so good, but we have a few hours yet.

Based on what you've said, I think I need to cut out some of my raw recipes for a bit. I've been mixing up some pretty amazing fruit & nut combos. Ah ha! (Grandma's "Colon Blast" Cookies. Huh, who knew?) And absolutely chew a lot more/better.

[raven]

Your post killed me! I suffer from the same problem and know that it's no joking matter. There are days I wouldn't dare show up at yoga class or even want to leave my house. Last year, I left a family function to visit a man I'd just met. He offered me an organic pear from his garden. I'd eaten some cooked soup at the function and the pear set off an explosion. I never heard from the man again. I thought he could have handled things more gracefully.

[Go Go Goji]

HA! Oh no, Raven, that's awful. Sheesh.

Well friends, your advice was priceless. I picked up some probiotics and some chewable enzymes with chlorophyll (Papaya flavored! They're like candy.) I'm feeling so much better already. Tonight I didn't have to squirm or hold in anything. Ahhh, lovely.

But wait, what about the guy--you say? Yessssss, that also went really well. There was lots of witty banter and some inadvertent touching, and none of it involved me saying, "hey, hey pull my finger!"

So I didn't "blow it." eh? eh?

Short-term solution solved! For the long term, I'd love to start a real proper fast and then cut back on the bad combos I had been eating.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

WOO! Congrats, my dear! Glad you found something that really helped you!

[juliesvoyage2]

Where did you get the papaya enzymes? That sounds like something even picky eater me would like.

[ShantiLove]

LOL im happy that you have so much humor when it comes to your problem :)

You have gotten a lot of great advise and doing so much bette, im so happy to hear :D But maby a last one might be to slow down on oniens, garlic and eveything cabage. Thouse things makes me into a ballon (and faul smelling). Could be part of the problem ?

Congratulation with he guy :D

[srsarri]

The papaya enzymes are the ones I take!

LOVE EM. work wonders!

Glad everything worked out for you!

[Go Go Goji]

Where did you get the papaya enzymes? That sounds like something even picky eater me would like.

Hey Julie,

Yes, check them out! They're pretty tasty.
I picked them up at my local health food store. The brand is American Health and they're called Chewable Papaya Enzyme with Chlorophyll.

The texture is still like that powery Beano, but it has that nice flavor.

[Go Go Goji]

LOL im happy that you have so much humor when it comes to your problem :)

You have gotten a lot of great advise and doing so much bette, im so happy to hear :D But maby a last one might be to slow down on oniens, garlic and eveything cabage. Thouse things makes me into a ballon (and faul smelling). Could be part of the problem ?

Congratulation with he guy :D

Good point. I think the kale can take some of the blame for those episodes, definitely. I was going to phase some of that out anyway, since I'm making an effort to eat more "seasonally." So I'll be replacing it with a lot more spinach and lettuces, which have always been kind on my belly.

[Maddi]

Dang, just reading this is making me need to fart...

[curlygirl82]

Found this on Dr. Doug Graham's page and remembered this thread:

Will I get gas from eating raw foods?

Reports range from no gas, to mild gas, to extreme gas depending upon the individual, as he/she transitions to the raw diet. Initially, gas problems may arise from an impaired digestive tract, which holds foods in little pockets of the intestines, where they may ferment or putrefy and cause gas. Over time, this will stop, as the intestines heal. If the gas has an odor, it is generally from the putrefaction of proteins (cooked food residue); if it is odorless, then it is generally from the fermentation of sugar (overeating or high levels of fat in the blood). Long term gas problems on the raw vegan diet are generally correctable by being conscious of proper food combining, limiting fats and by not eating more in one meal than the body can quickly digest at this phase of transition.

Any other advice/insight would be most appreciated from this... uh, end! :)

[klomasius]

hehe, loved your original post, hilarious!

I was about to say that it seems fairly common for gas to occur when transitioning to a raw or high raw diet, but curly got in first with Doug's post.

Think of it as a clean out that hasn't been able to occur before because of a constant cooked diet. As Doug mentioned, smell or no smell determines just what reason the flatulence is occurring for.

The good thing about the detox farting is that it usually passed fairly quickly.

Great news on the man front! ;).

[sport]

I hate to be a killjoy but I have been raw for three and a half years and eat fairly simply and mostly follow good food combining rules but I still have a problem with gas.
I should add that I do not think that I have a problem with my digestive system as I was always a healthy eater and have been veg all of my adult life and mostly ate simple foods all of my life.

[LotsaRaw]

Apples stink me up! What a bummer! Since I LOVE apples, I just make sure I eat them later in the day before it hits! I have started drinking Kombucha often...still sampling different flavors...wonder if that will help - I have 10# organic apples on order for pick up on Fri. in prep for Thanksgiving, so - we'll give the Kombucha a real test! (should I drink it before or after the apples?)

[ArcturusXIV]

I hate to be a killjoy but I have been raw for three and a half years and eat fairly simply and mostly follow good food combining rules but I still have a problem with gas.
I should add that I do not think that I have a problem with my digestive system as I was always a healthy eater and have been veg all of my adult life and mostly ate simple foods all of my life.

Try doing a colon cleanse. I'm a broken record at this point, but I found that it helps. You might also check out what foods your combining, as other people have suggested.

[Inca_faerie]

Ginger and fennel essential oil help quite a bit with gas/bloating.

[annavon]

I just had a thought. Is anyone out there with problems eating garlic and/or onions? Garlic is about the only thing that will give me gas especially if it is dehydrated :(. I had cut it out of my diet temporarily because I was diagnosed with a food sensitivity to it. I now use it, but sparingly and have had fewer problems.

[goobygirl]

No one hate me, but I'm lucky to let one go during the day, if at all. Adding the green smoothies two months before trying to kick it into high gear with raw I think helped to keep things calmer for me.

[Green_Woman]

This makes me want to run out TODAY and buy some chlorophyll tablets for myself and my DF...!! :D

He is worse than me, because he has the "silent but deadly" variety of issues. :eek:

[RawHeaven]

I never heard from the man again. I thought he could have handled things more gracefully.

If a man can't handle your temporary gas, he's not for you. :p Kind of shallow on his part & sorry that happened. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Go Go Goji, have you tried ginger root yet? Try adding it to your smoothies daily. Or cucumbers + ginger strained with a nut milk bag. It worked for me -- after about 2 weeks I noticed a difference. I attribute it to the ginger and the smoothies. No more gas ever again unless I eat something that doesn't combine well.

[asecretchord]

I've been having the same problem. I stink. :(

[qnjnean]

I took a class from Elaina Love Sunday -she said to take 1-2 T. apple cider vinegar before your meals.

good luck, and thanks for the laughs!!!!!! you are a great writer!!!!

[T-Bird]

I would think the is part of the detox.

I've gotten it too - and it really grosses me out to think - that's nothing I've eaten in the past 3 1/2 months.

I haven't eaten meat in over 20 years - no dairy or eggs in almost 10 - so why the rotten egg smell, lol!?!?!?

I'm not on the colonic bandwagon - I think it's best to work as nature intended. Things go in here, things go out here. Put in the things that clean on the way out if needed.

For a hot date with a new man, however, I'd make an appointment for 2 p.m., take off work, get the colonic, follow it up with a mani/pedi, and home to beautify myself.

Good luck!

On the general issue - I think it will eventually resolve it self when your body is done getting rid of the "trash".

[Riiiya]

EHEHE!! Goji you're hilarious... and yet it's not funny because i had such problems as well.

Here are some things i figured out: food combining did help..but i'm not always conscious about what i mix...so WATER FLUSHES in the morning are GREAT for moving things along and helping your tummy later. You drink lots of water with some salt quickly... and then spend some time in the bathroom (do NOT do this right before going out of your house... your lower part of the body will want to be elsewhere!!!)

Another thing- i still have issues when eating whole raw vegetables or fruits during the day. How annoying! i started a cleanse this Sunday- it's basically nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables (no fats, no spices, salt, anything dried, etc) .... and here is the amazing thing- i am NOT stinky no matter how many bananas i eat.. or i might munch on raw broccoli and other vegetables and NO PROBLEM! it's amazing.. so perhaps my intestines needed this time out from all the heavier foods (i do love nut desserts!).. so, hope that helps a bit