Vegetarian Diet Forum - bowel movement changes

Nutrition > Vegetarian Diet Forum > bowel movement changes

Q: bowel movement changes

asked by: floridarunner on May 27th, 2008

New User

First off, just to make things clear, I am not a vegetarian, I just eat a lot more fruits and vegetables than I do meats. I really started focusing more on eating plants and drinking more water a few months ago when I started running again. Everything has been going fine for the most part; my only problem has been with the gas, which can be noxious, and with my fecal matter. Before, when I was eating more meats and french fries and that kind of thing, my fecal matter was pretty solid and exited without much trouble. But now it is more like having diarrhea all of the time. The frequency has not increased or anything like that, it just comes out differently than it used to. Oh, and before I changed the way I eat, and live for that matter, they were at least a foot long and would come about once a day. But now they (bowel movements) only occur about every two days and don't seem to be quite as big. I know that this was kind of gross, but its something that I have been watching for quite a while now and it has had me a little worried. So, thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their thoughts with me!

Replies(2)

antigone

replied on May 27th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

I am a nurse and have had more conversations with patients about bowel movements than I care to think about! Smile

It does not bother me in the least so I will try to answer this for you. Your dietary change is responsible for the change in the pattern and consistency of your bowel movement. As long as there is some solid matter and not all liquid coming out with a bowel movement then all is okay. If the bowel movement is primarily liquid with flecks of solid material then there may be cause for concern, especially if it associated with pain. Are you eating any whole grains in your diet? Have you included legumes? These will add a bit more bulk. You can take beano or simethicone (gas tablets) or charcoal caps to help with the gas. All of these products are benign and simply absorb the gas in the bowel. Gas is common when you add more vegetables to your diet. Gas is normal but can be embarrassing but you can control it with the above products. Hope this helps.

Beline

replied on May 31st, 2008

Supporter

I had the same problem (gas) until I started combining my food properly. Something that you need to be aware of (since you eat meat) is that meat requires a more acidic environment to digest, whereas carbs need a more alkaline environment. If you eat the two together you confuse you stomach a little - hence the gas.
Another bummer is that meat takes 2-4 hours to digest and fruit and veggies only takes about 20 minutes. This means that the plant material gets trapped with the meat and this can cause gas too.

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