Plant-based Diet Q & A's
Making Food Fun  and Science Lite
Plant-based diet Q&A's
Moving to a plant-based lifestyle doesn't mean you now must graze like a bunny on the nearest lawn or forest patch.  It does mean being in the driver's seat of your health.  It does mean eating lots of different fabulous foods from down the street to Down Under.  It does mean living to keep Mother Earth in balance.  It means compassion for the Earth, the animals who also live here and for yourself. 

There are a lot of "unique" or "interesting" ideas about living a plant-based life.  Here are some questions and answers I've had over the years either in my practice or  in the "Ask the Dietitian", column I write for http://vegfamily.com.  They should help you to your next step of nutritional health.
This Month's Questions: 

Front Loading Carbs and Plant Based Diet - Redundancy in Action
Eating Grains Beats Migraines
Front loading carbs for plant-based eaters – Redundancy in Action
Question:

Does front loading your carbs, say 65% for your breakfast meal, work for scaling down your intake for the remainder of your day?

Answer:

When living a plant-based lifestyle, the terms carb-load, front load or back load really don’t work because when you are eating plant-based you are always eating carbs.  These terms work for meat eaters because there are no carbs in animal flesh.  Therefore, they can eat food sources missing an entire macronutrient.  [Dairy products have carbs, protein and fats.]  For vegans, every source of food we eat has carbs, fat and protein.  Thus when I hear people speak about carb or front loading, I assume they are carnivores.  What you may be referring to is foods that have very high carb concentrations versus foods that have lower carb concentrations.

For example, let’s look at seeds and nuts.  You can talk about using nuts and seeds as a major protein source.  They are lower in carb concentration than fat and protein concentrations.  I think you are wondering if it would make sense to eat that type of high protein source later in the day.  For that I would say, yes, especially if you workout in the morning.  In the morning you really need those carbs to start your metabolic furnace.  Then, after your workout you need the protein for muscle rebuilding.  Since protein gives satiety, [or feeling satiated], not only will it help rebuild, but will keep you from being hungry at the end of the day.  But, you really need to check out the table I have put together below.

I was unsure if the 65% you mentioned was for 65% of the breakfast meal itself or 65% of carbs eaten for the whole day are to be ingested at breakfast.  Of course, I have to answer both scenarios because I am widgety and have no life.

If 65% of your breakfast meal is a high carb concentrated food, such as oatmeal made with water and topped with fruit, I think that is fine.  You are getting protein in the oatmeal and a small amount in the fruit.  Yes, fruit has protein.  If you wanted to pump up the protein in the oatmeal, you could switch out some of the water for soy milk, and add a small handful of chopped walnuts.  If the soy milk is enriched you would get some B12, vitamin A and D.  The walnuts would donate some protein and Omega-3 fats to boot.
 
If you wanted to put 65% of your carbs that are eaten for a day at breakfast, I don’t know how you would do that.  As I stated above, if you eat a plant-based diet everything you eat has carbs in it including nuts and seeds.  Any grains, vegetables, or legumes have carbs in them at a much higher concentration than their amount of fats or protein. 

Here is a link to the USDA food composition website so you can check it out yourself.

Below is a table to help illustrate what I mean about the lack of macronutrient [fat, carb, protein] divisions in plant foods compared with carnivore choices:


The numbers show that in plant food sources other than nuts and seeds, [I know it is a small sample], that there will be ~70-90% more grams of carbs in a food than protein.  So, how can someone on a plant-based diet not carb load when targeting food high in protein such as quinoa or black beans?  Did you notice that the highest amount of protein versus amount of carbs, other than the nuts and animal flesh, was in the romaine?  About 4 cups of romaine will give you 2 grams of protein.  You will also get around 6 grams of carbs.

Another nutrition point to consider while trying to frontload is that you want a steady flow of glucose throughout the day.  Glucose can be obtained from protein breakdown, however, the preferred source is carbs.  So, to keep you happy and ready for a full day of challenges you need to eat steady stream of carb sources.  When eating plant-based foods that is no problem if you eat enough calories. 

Eating plant-based means rethinking your relationship to food.  It is not just eating foods that sustain the planet better or take an ethically higher ground.  These foods themselves work as a symbiosis to feed and support every part of you.  Breaking them down to amounts of this and grams of that misses the larger idea that “whole” foods nourish the “whole” you.

Eating Grains Beats Migraines

Question:
Being on a vegan diet has nearly cured my migraines.  But friends of mine are concerned that I am not getting enough protein.  The problem is that I have to avoid nuts, soy and legumes because they trigger the migraines, and I also have a gluten sensitivity. Can I get enough protein by eating lots of greens as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds?  I also take about 3 grams of amino acids in capsules each day.

Answer:
In a word, no.

I agree that there is protein in everything.  If a plant did not have protein, it would never grow.  There are these little things called, enzymes.  They are made of protein.  They are what build things up and break them down.  They have all kinds of functions.  So that peach will never become a peach without protein.
That being said, fruits and vegetables have low concentrations of protein.  This does not mean they aren’t extremely valuable to your diet, they just aren’t the best sources of protein.

First, get the bible on allergy free cooking with Food Allergy Survival Guide, by Vesanto Melina, MS, RD [in the top ten RDs in North America], Jo Stepaniak [cooking goddess], and Dina Aronson, MS, RD [moving like a bullet to join top ten RD group].  Also, here is a link to my website and a cabbage roll recipe that will work for you: http://martydavey.com/Marty_s_Kitchen.php. 
 
Second, there are so many sources of protein that do not contain gluten.  For some reason people always forget the fabulous nutrition in grains.  They taste great, and can be paired with all types of sauces and veggie combinations.  You can add wine, juice or broth to the cooking water to change up the flavor. 
Here’s a partial list of gluten free grains:

Quinoa – takes 20 minutes to cook.  Excellent source of protein and fiber.
Aborio rice
Brown rice
Dal or split peas [green, yellow or orange]
Jasmine rice
Kasha or Buckwheat groats
Millet – 20 minutes to cook, can replace cous cous for texture
Teff
Wehani rice
Wild rice [1]

I think seeds are a “teff-rrific” source of many essential amino acids, but to ensure your full compliment of protein, get the sources listed here “in-grained” in your brain.

[1] http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
Diarrhea and Fatigue – Fishing for an answer

Question:
I have been a fish-eating vegan for 4 years now.  I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan (with the occasional white fish or shell fish once every two months or even longer) beautifully.  In fact, after transitioning, my life became better; I had more energy, more enthusiasm, could function better on less sleep, and gained significantly improved hair skin and nails. Six months ago, however, two huge differences came about.  I started getting regular diarrhea, and I continued to need more sleep.  At first, I attributed the bowel problem to antibiotics I was on for 7 days.  But since, it has become more frequent.  The sleep I amounted to a new job, which I began a year ago, but my workload finally leveled out two months ago, and I'm still finding my body is requiring 10 hours of sleep per night (which was how my body was before I went vegan years ago). The dietary changes in my life?  I used to track my vitamin intake and food group diversity nearly obsessively.  When I started getting tired more often half a year ago, though, I began taking multivitamins, extra calcium, and a B complex.  Which, by the way, did help considerably at the time.  I have also increased my fish intake to 2-3 times a month, and have almost completely taken tofu out of my diet, and instead using more seitan and textured vegetable protein, for better meal substitutions.  I still eat a considerable amount of beans though, usually raw garbanzo and cooked black beans. The question I have, now, with all the relevant background, is:  Should I be concerned about such regular diarrhea?  Especially with such recent arrival?  And is there anything I could do to avoid it?

Answer:

Dearest Writer of this Question -  You know I love you, but there is no such critter as a fish-eating vegan unless you are a shark who is particularly fond of eating vegans.  Vegans do not eat any animal flesh or by-products.  Period.  You are an omnivore who eats a fairly vegan diet and fish.  This is not a judgment on you, or how you eat, just a clarification of the term.  We don’t want anyone thinking that vegans sometimes eat animals.

Second, there are a lot of reasons you could be having diarrhea.  I would get your stool checked for parasites or a variety of bacteria/viruses.  At the same time, I would take a good look at your diet.

I don’t know who told you that TVP was better for you than tofu, but run away from further advice spouted by this source.  Why is TVP not a better choice than tofu?  The soy isolates in TVP can increase cancer risk.  TVP is a further step away from the naturally balanced, whole soy bean than tofu.  This means whatever issue you thought about tofu, is escalated with TVP.  Now, if you want to have a veggie burger once a week or add some TVP to a soup, that’s fine.  But having it on a daily basis is not a good idea.  I have another article on this website, Meat Analogues.  Check that out for more specific information and resources about the soy isolate factor.

I would also cut out the seitan and all fermented products [including tofu, tempeh, vinegar, sugar, yeast, soy sauce, alcohol, yeasted breads, wheat, cous cous, any sweeteners including maple syrup, and anything made with any of these aforementioned products] and fish.  The reason for this is that you may have knocked your stomach flora out of balance from the antibiotics, bacteria and such from fish [shellfish in particular], a wheat or yeast allergy, or a host of other things that I don’t know about your diet and stress level.  In addition to being a possible cause of diarrhea, when the flora of the stomach is disrupted you can feel sluggish.  You need to eliminate anything that can mess with your stomach flora and let it re-build.  I would eat this way for at least a month and note any differences.  If you do have improvement, begin adding one type of food at a time.  For example, have some plain pasta.  If you have a reaction, then you know you have a wheat allergy.  If you have reaction to vinegar used on a salad, it is a yeast allergy.  When your body is clean of an allergic food, ingesting that food  usually gives a rapid reaction.

What are you going to eat?  GRAINS, BEANS, VEGETABLES AND FRUITS.  I love tofu, seitan and such, but I keep them at the periphery of my diet.  I have some tofu or tempeh two to three times a week at the most.  I mainly work at getting my fiber [which improves diarrhea], protein, B vitamins and other nutrient goodies from grains, beans, nuts and seeds.  Today I had oatmeal made with enriched rice milk, flax meal and strawberries for breakfast, ½ grapefruit for snack, 2 cups of bean and veggie soup with a small pita for lunch, Clementine orange, 1 oatmeal cookie and 4 dried apricots for a snack and the Black Bean Squash Chili Recipe on my website, with kamut/cous cous, steamed kale and swiss chard, a 3 cup salad with 1 oz walnuts, and 2 oatmeal cookies.  No tofu or TVP.

The supplements I would recommend are listed in another article, Daily Vitamin Supplements and reiterated below.  You need to take a sublingual [under the tongue] B12 supplement of 1000mcg per week.  You can take 500mcg twice a week also.  You may find that this alone will bring you energy level up.  If you have not been taking any supplemental B12, I would take 2000mcg per week for the first four weeks.  You really need to build this up.
You need a vitamin D supplement.  Now, I know you are going to say, “I go outside a lot.  I get my Vitamin D from the sun, blah, blah, blah.”  Well, there was a study on folks in Hawaii hanging out about as a naked as they dared being in the sun 11 hours a day.  A significant number of these folks had a Vitamin D deficiency.  The same thing was found in southern Arizona.[1]  I would use the amount of 1000 IU of D2 per day.  A recent study done in Boston, Massachusetts showed that with 1000 IU of D2 per day Vitamin D values increased and improved bone health the same as D3.[2] D2 is from a vegan source and D3 is not.

I used to be on the fence about DHA supplements.  However, since so many people I know do not eat dark, leafy greens and salads or flax meal on a daily basis, I recommend 300mg daily.  Even if you are taking flax meal and eating a few cups a day of dark leafy greens, I recommend taking the DHA.

I hope this is detailed enough to help you chart a course to a healthier you.  You can email my website if you are still “fishing” around for some answers.

[1] Jacob ETs, Albert DSs, Foote JA, Green SB, Hollis BS, Yu Z, and Martínez ME. [2008]. Vitamin A deficiency in southern Arizona, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[2] Holick MF, Biancuzzo RM, Chen TC, Klein EK, Young A, Bibuld D, Reitz R, Salameh W, Ameri A, Tannenbaum AD. [2007] Vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Journal of Clinical Endocrine Metabolism, December.

Does Gluten Intolerance mean life is over?

Question:

I have gluten intolerance.  I want to be a vegetarian but it's hard to get started because wheat, barley and rye are in so many vegetarian recipes.  I pay $12.99 for a bag of gluten free oats - I have a vita mix - anyway, any advice you have would be appreciated.  I wish this issue were addressed more  - my nephew is gluten intolerant and is going to college and being on a swim team he needs good food but cafetarias, airlines, etc. don't cater to gluten intolerance.  Thank you.

Answer:

It is difficult to deal in a gluten world when you need to be gluten free, but life is far from over.  You just need to think outside the box – pasta box, rice box or oat cereal box.

Below is a partial list of gluten-free grains.  After that, I’ll give you some ideas of keeping your life from being a Far Side Cartoon of hell where all you hear is accordion and bagpipe music by first year students.

Gluten free grains:
Quinoa – takes 20 minutes to cook.  Excellent source of protein and fiber.
Aborio rice
Brown rice
Dal or split peas
Jasmine rice
Kasha or Buckwheat groats
Millet – 20 minutes to cook, can replace cous cous for texture
Teff
Wehani rice
Wild rice[1]
 
Okay, so I don’t know what you’re cooking or what the recipe limitations are so, let’s focus on what you can cook.  
 
First, get the bible on allergy free cooking with Food Allergy Survival Guide, by Vesanto Melina, MS, RD [in the top ten RDs in North America], Jo Stepaniak [cooking goddess], and Dina Aronson, MS, RD [moving like a bullet to join top ten RD group].  If you want somewhere to start while you’re waiting for your book, try their food allergy website.  
 
Of course, you can plunk “vegan gluten free” into your favorite search engine.  I found recipes galore at All Recipes[2], and Karina’s Kitchen.[3]  In fact, Karina has a host of substitutes for cooking.  I even found gluten-free baking recipes on Land’o’Lakes butter, of all places.  We don’t do the butter thing, but they have a recipe for a flour blend which is gluten-free.[4]
 
Dishes You Can Live with Forever Gluten Free
 
Appetizers – Guacamole is a beautiful thing, and gluten free.  So is hummus, baba ganoush, edamame, miso soup, salad with lemons or vinaigrette and bean dips
 
Bread  - basically out unless you buy gluten-free. However -- Chapattis are made with channa flour [yellow split pea] or chick pea flour.  So you should check the package to be sure there is no wheat. 

Corn tortillas – should be fine, however be safe and check the label.  You can roll up beans and veggies or use as tostada [open faced].
 
Breakfast – Tofu scramble is a happening thing.  My husband’s favorite,  Tofu Rancheros is gluten free -- Corn tortilla, mashed beans with cumin, tofu scramble, salsa.  I have an easy one on my website.  So are miso soup, potatoes, smoothies, and one of my favorites when I’m home alone--nut butter on fruit. Weekends can include pancakes and waffles made with non-gluten flours or baking mixes.
 
Desserts just need some adjustments which can be found in the above mentioned book and websites. Pudding is in, just check out my website for a quick, yummy Quick Chocolate Pudding one .  So are ice cream and sorbets.  And don’t forget about plain, ol’ fruit.
 
Entreés – Pasta is out.  On the other hand, rice noodles are perfect for asian dishes.  Indian [minus breads], Mexican [minus flour tortillas], Middle Eastern [minus pita, cous cous], Ethiopian [ask how injeera is made] are all in.
 
Stir-frys are a breeze – you can eat any vegetable, liquid aminos or tamari, ginger, garlic and tofu or tempeh.
 
Mock meats can be dicey, so you have to read the package. But since most of them are high in soy isolates, why even put them into your recipe box.  Remember soy isolates, which includes TVP, are great at growing cancer cells.  I keep them at a minimum.
 
Salad – Unless you are making a grain salad, you should be fine in this category.  Even if you do, quinoa, kamut, millet, red rice, lentils and kasha all make great, high fiber salads which are gluten free.
 
Soups- Mushroom barley and ramen noodle are out.  Chowders, bean soups, vegetable soups, miso soup.  All work for you.  
 
It is true that when you are at the mercy of a restaurant, or institutional facility eating can become an interesting culinary challenge.  

Those of us long-timers generally have some food on us, especially when traveling.  As for your nephew’s college, he should set up a meeting with the food service director.  They have a contract with the college which includes meeting special dietary needs.  He can contact PETA or the local veg group.  Usually there is a campus veg group.  PETA has worked very hard on making in roads with university students.  [I am still working on getting a group of dietitians to offer vegan foods at different events.  So, know that we are all in the same boat somewhere in our lives.]  Your nephew should have some ideas to help the food service director.  If he needs more support, the Vegetarian Nutrition Group of the American Dietetic Association can help with a number of resources, including dietitians [www.vegetariannutrition.net].
 
I’m really grateful that you asked this question because I have been thinking about wheat-free baking.  
 
Your being gluten free has freed up me up not only to think out of the box, but move me away from the wheat and oat feed bag.

Thanks!

1 http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
  All Recipes. 2009. Gluten-free recipes. Retrieved from http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Gluten-Free/Main.aspx on February 26, 2009.

2 Allrich K. 2009. Baking + Cooking Substitutions for Gluten-Free and More.  Retrieved from  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/12/baking-cooking-substitutions-for-gluten.html on February 26, 2009.

3  Land O’Lakes. 2006. Orange Walnut Bread. Retrieved from
http://www.landolakes.com/mealIdeas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=6376C on February 26, 2009.


 My Sweat smells like Ammonia post-workout
and my weight loss has hit a plateau

Question:
Moderate aerobic exercise (8 METS)in the morning  for an hour or more produces an ammonia-like sweat odor, and weight loss has plateaued. Seems to have occurred since switching to vegan diet this winter. I eat some multi-grain bread and a large  apple before workout.  Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated.  Warm wishes, Ed

Answer:
Kudos to you for eschewing animal products.  You are now in a class with Carl Lewis and Martina Navratolova.  I know I am a font of nutritional wisdom, but . . .

Well, Dude just go and educate me!  [Like we all know what METS are.  Another baseball team I don’t support from New York?][1] For the rest of us, METS stands for metabolic equivalent task. [2] [You know I love you, Ed]  Basically, METS are a way to rate the metabolic impact an exercise has, i.e., being at rest is 1 MET and running a 7 minute mile is 10 METS. [I hate learning new stuff.  I just want to be naturally omnipotent.]

On the other hand, your question is based in my favorite widgetty subject, metabolic breakdown of macronutrients in humans!  Yes, I have no life.  Anyway . . .

The main place your body gets ammonia is from protein breakdown.  Proteins have this NH2 molecule in them. 

 

This means it has one nitrogen atom and two hydrogen atoms.  When the protein breaks down for whatever reason, that NH2 goes its merry way.  However, hydrogen atoms are like cheap drunks at a cash bar.  They cling to just about anything with more pull than themselves.  So, any hydrogen floating by will connect to this NH2 and make it NH3.  For those of you who successfully passed chemistry, NH3 is also known as ammonia.  The body rids itself of excess ammonia via the kidneys or sweat.

So, does this mean that I am working out too hard and constantly breaking down my protein?  Probably not.  What it may mean is:
1)      You are not drinking enough water.  Therefore, the ammonia is concentrated and when you sweat the odor is increased.  Many vegetarians notice that meat eaters have a more pronounced ammonia odor when working out.  Increase your water at least a half hour before the workout and make sure to hydrate during the workout.
2)      You need more carbs.  This is possible because your body first uses carbohydrates to make glucose.  But, if you aren’t eating enough carbs your body will breakdown other substances to get this glucose, including protein.  Jeremy Likness, a body builder, explains this really well.  He says that although your body can get glucose from fat, it is not a direct line.  So to make the transition it could use muscle protein.  Especially, if your fat is low.  Long distance or endurance athletes come up against this much more than strength or short duration athletes.
Now, the writer states he eats some carbs before the workout.  That’s great.  It may not be enough.  I would try eating another carbs source such as a small amount dates.  It is very high in carbs, transports easily and is high in potassium.  If you workout for more than an hour electrolytes can be an issue.  Potassium is an electrolyte.  Also, I would have some carbs immediately post-workout.  Nuts or edamameare a good choice.  They have protein, fat and carbs.  Plus, they dry out your mouth and you drink more water. 

These carbs will ensure your glycogen stores are kept at a maximum, and the water will help encapsulate the glycogen.  Many new vegans do not realize the volume of food they need to eat.  Depending on the former diet, they may be eating massively increased amounts of fruits and vegetables which transport quickly through the body.  Instead of three big meals, they should think more about three meals and two snacks. 

Now, the weight plateau.  You may have read my article on flabby bellies.  This is where I consulted with Craig Fitzpatrick, certified trainer [blah,blah, alphabet soup].  I asked him about this and one of the main trainers, Marquita Haye at The Lodge at Woodloch. 

Both stated to change something in the workout and in the diet.  Your body is used to what you are doing, so do a sprint, an extra rep, switch your type of exercise entirely.  Nutritionally, check your fat intake.  Cut any oils you use in half.  I don’t care if it is extra virgin olive oil straight from your best buddy overnighted from Korfu, Greece it still has 9 calories per gram.  Carbs  and protein are 4 kcalories per gram.  One last note: muscle weighs more than fat.  You just may be putting on more muscle.

In writing this, I have been putting on more brain muscle, and therefore, have broken through my knowledge plateau to become one step closer to nutrition goddess.

Thank you, Ed, METS Master.


________________________________________
[1] Wikipedia.2009. Metabolic equivalent.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent on February 28, 2009.

[2]LIkness J.[nd] What is that ammonia smell? Body Building.  Retrieved from  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ammonia.htm on February 28, 2009
 

Why Do I have Stubborn Belly Fat?

Question:
I have been battling belly fat for years now.  I have enrolled in many aerobic/weight  lifting classes along with Pilates and yoga and have worked out on my own to lose it.  I have the "pouch."  I am thin overall but cannot loose my midsection at the age of 23.  I believe the fact that I am a vegetarian may have something to do with it.  Any recommendations on what foods/supplements I can take or exercises I may do to combat this stubborn fat?

Response:
I racked my brain trying to think as to why being a vegetarian would be an issue.  The biochemistry didn’t make sense.  So, I changed direction.

One of the most important things about doling out advice is realizing when you need an expert in a field for which you are not a wizard.  I called in my buddy and personal trainer, Craig Fitzpatrick.  DISCLAIMER: Craig is not a vegetarian.  However, he is a really smart guy.  Not as smart as Einstein, but then Einstein was a vegetarian.  [And this is how I treat my friends.]

Craig says that “stubborn belly fat comes from a few things, but most can be blamed on STRESS.”  This can be stress from a number of sources - your home or work environment, emotional, chemical, or physical.  How does stress cause fat accumulation?

Here is history according to Craig, edited for focus.

“See, originally, a few thousand years ago, you and I would be on the Serengeti, eating some pretty awesome roots of some kind.  

Suddenly, a lion decides that we look pretty tasty.  Now, we’re running for our lives and flooded with great stress hormones that are making us break world speed records.  The lion gets bored or else sees someone fatter and slower, and eats them instead of us, allowing us to relax.  We have burned up all those wonderful stress hormones, and got some amazing cardiovascular and anabolic exercise all at the same time.

“Now, fast forward to 2009, and instead of a lion, we have a rude and insane boss screaming bloody murder at us!  Unfortunately, it is no longer acceptable to run away, or [do something nasty, sic] to our boss.  However, we still get flooded with the same cortisol hormones our ancestors got when being chased by something angry and hungry. Only we can't use up our stress hormones, and they have a negative effect on us.”

There are a number of studies to discuss this.  Epel, et al. showed that women who store excess adipose tissue [fat] in their abdominal area had maintained “a higher cortisol level and reported more lifestyle stress than women who stored fat primarily in the hips.”    This study dealt specifically with lean women.  The main aspect studied of these women was the cortisol levels after mental stress.  The determiner of how high that stress level would go was a waist to hip ratio measured in inches.  Therefore, their preliminary conclusion was, the bigger the difference between your hip width versus your waist width the higher the level of cortisol.  What does this have to do with belly blubber?

High cortisol levels can increase appetite leading to weight gain.  Well, that’s a no brainer.  However, high cortisol levels also can lead to putting fat onto the abdomen rather than the hips.  This is the fat we hear given the moniker, ‘toxic fat.”  It has been connected to cardiovascular disease.   A very bad plan.  [In the interest of full scientific discussion, the Mayo Clinic’s website poo-poo’d this.  On the other hand, if you research this at all you will find a plethora of peer-reviewed journal articles supporting this.]

What do we do about this?  Here’s what Craig said:
 
“This will sound extreme, but you want to make sure your stress levels are being maintained.”  He also included verbiage on maintaining a balance for those stress levels.  Not all stressors are negative.

Here are some tips on reducing stress he gave with, of course, comments from me:
1.    Get enough sleep.  Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep. 
Also, the time of sleep is important.  Craig reminded me that 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. is the optimal time because it is in sync with your body’s circadian rhythms.  These are the best times for you to heal and recoup (sleep).  The optimal time for exercising is between 10 am and 3 p.m.  He wrote, "On the other hand, who  sleeps for 8 hours and who gets to sleep before 12 and who can afford to workout between 10 and 3? Don't these people have jobs?!"
Make the changes you can, and then go on.  The closer you can shift to this ideal, the bigger difference you will have in your fitness and overall results.

2.    Take time to do some quiet meditation or relaxation.  
Learn some tai chi, yoga or just do some standing meditation.  Craig recommends Paul Chek's book, How to eat, Move, and be Healthy!  Mr. Chek discusses different types of meditation, including standing meditation, which is very simple, and you can do it anywhere.  FULL DISCLOSURE: Paul Chek thinks that meat is essential to living.  So, you may just want to check out his website, 
http://www.chekinstitute.com/ .  He has exercises there that will help and are free.

3.    Eating right and right for your type.  
Craig’s disclaimer, “I must say right now that I am NOT a dietitian, O.K.?  NOT  A DIETITIAN.”    Although, Craig is not a dietitian, I agree that your food “should come form the ground, [or] a plant . . .  Also, find a good dietitian who can find out your food TYPE.  [That was his unprompted plug for me.]
I wasn’t sure what “type” meant.  [Although I knew that it did not have anything to do with the "Blood Type" diet.  I read that diet and it cherry picks references and eating habits.]  Craig explained that he has clients who read some diet, apply it to themselves no matter how they feel and wonder why it doesn’t work.  I have found that if I eat a lot of legumes at one setting I can feel like I’ve had a small martini for about a half an hour.  Also, yeasted products stick to me like glue, but not potatoes.  He recommends that “if you have been eating as healthy as possible, and you are not getting results you want, you may need to look (with a dietitian!)  about changing your fat/protein to carb ratios.  And check to see if you have food intolerences.  One person’s power food can be another one’s poison.”  

I would suggest keeping a food diary.  A food diary should record what type of food, amount, time of day, where it was eaten, with whom, and how did you feel before and after.

4.     Don't suffer from Chunky Aerobic Instructor Syndrome
“C.A.I.S. is a term coined by Charles Poliquin.  He is recognized as one of the world’s most successful strength coaches.  Mr. Poliquin has coached Olympic medalists in 17 different sports and world record holders in 10 sports, and numerous professional athletes. 
C.A.I.S. refers to some of those aerobic instructors that teach umpteen classes a day, and still are overweight, flabby and saggy.  This is most likely caused from TOO MUCH exercise, and exercise at the same constant rhythm, and resistance, with no change. This in turn results in releasing stress hormones including the dreaded CORTISOL. That's right, exercise can make you fat!  How do you avoid this?  
 “Try to limit your workouts to an hour.  What you can't do in an hour, you don't do.  Your warm up and cool down don't have to be considered part of your hour.  
“Although you can do cardiovascular exercise almost everyday, you might want to skip it on days that you are doing weight resistance.
This way, if you feel like you have to go to the gym everyday, at least you’re not over working the body every time you workout.”  
Doing weight resistance everyday, pushes your limits.  “If you feel you must go to the gym everyday, avoid working the same muscle groups two days in a row. Work the upper body one day, lower body the next, then follow by a day of cardio.  This works for some clients.”  
Do Weight resistance without rest, or a minimum rest between sets is best.  This sets a faster pace and you will get a cardio workout, too.
Vary Cardio Workouts.  “Sprinting for 30 seconds followed by a light jog for 2 minutes for a half hour is going to be far more beneficial than just getting on the treadmill for half an hour at one constant speed.
 “DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO ABDOMINAL EXERCISES EVERYDAY.  The most over worked and incorrectly used muscle in the body are the abdominals.  I see people dong literally 1000 stomach crunches a day with the worst possible form.  Nor will crunches get rid of stubborn belly fat.  If anyone ANYONE tells you do crunches to lose belly fat, run the other way.  FAST.  
“There are three different sections of your abdominal musculature, the rectus abdominus ( the "washboard" abs) your internal and external obliques, and your transverse abdominus.  999 times out of a 1000, people over load the rectus abdominus (again, the washboard) because it looks sexy, etc.  However, overuse of the rectus abdominus will lead to:

-back pain
-neck pain
-nerve damage
-poor posture

and it can even effect digestion! Which, can in turn lead to (drum roll please) Stubborn belly fat!  Which, is by no means sexy! “

[Here’s my plug for Craig.]  Spend the bucks on a trainer for a day.  Make sure they are certified personal trainer with a national recognized certification, (Some great certifications include: NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), C.H.E.K. institute (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology) or people who have studied Gary Gray and Gray Cook, to name a few).

This should give you enough information to help you look at your life and your workout schedule to begin shedding that stomach stash of fat.

Craig Fitzpatrick, [I don’t know all of the certified trainer letters after his name] can be reached, when he is a good boy, isn’t playing the ponies, and his wife gives him money for a metrocard, at New York Sports Clubs in Manhattan, at 34th and 2nd Avenue or via email at calveboy@hotmail.com.  Congratulate him on the birth of Prince Hal.
Sunflower Seeds OK for Nursing and Nut Allergies

Question:

I'm nursing and wanted to know if I can eat sunflower seeds. I also wanted to know about beans. I'm deathly allergic to shell fish and my

oldest daughter is deathly allergic to peanuts and allergic to all nuts. We don't eat a lot of red meat for other health reason. I have no

clue what my family should eat for better protein. Any good ideas?

Answer: After finding nothing on Pub Med (the online library of scholastic work) about nursing and sunflower seeds, I went and

Googled sunflower seed allergies.  Sunflower seed allergies are rarer than peanut allergies, although they can have the same reaction.

 According to the Child & Adult Nutrition Services in Iowa , you can still eat sunflower butter.  It is not made with the allergic part of the

seed.  In fact, many peanut allergies have more to do with the processing plant than with the actual peanut.  I’m not sure where you

heard that nursing and sunflower seeds can be at odds with each other, but I found nothing to sustain the theory.

In their nutritional breakdown of sunflower seeds, the USDA nutrition databank writes, “It is also a good source of Pantothenic Acid,

Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol).”  The National Sunflower

Association , of course they are sunflower cheer leaders, state that sunflower seeds are a good source of protein.  Yes, they do have a

good bit of fat, but it is the type of fat you need.

Okay, I’m back to being confused.  What is the connection between allergies to peanuts and all nuts and beans?  Let’s use our

beanies (I’ve got a million bad puns and I’m just getting started), and figure out exactly what these things are.

It appears that you can be Nuts about beans because they ain’t the same.  The definition of beans (legumes) is a specific type of plant,

belonging to the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). These plants produce their fruit as a pod and generally possess

nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots. Examples of legumes include peas, beans, and alfalfa.  A nut is a simple dry fruit with

one seed (rarely two) in which the ovary wall becomes very hard (stony or woody) at maturity, and where the seed remains unattached

or unfused with the ovary wall. Most nuts come from pistils with inferior ovaries . . . and all are indehiscent (not opening at maturity).

True nuts are produced, for example, by some plants — families of the order Fagales

So, for those science heads this makes all the sense in the world.  For the rest of us, my definition is that if you plant a bean, you will

get a plant.  It is dehiscent, it will open on its own.  Plant a pistachio and nothing happens.  They are indehiscent. They will not open.  

Make sense?  Botanically, they are different.  Nutritionally, they are different in a number of ways including their fat, protein and fiber

content.

Beans are a fantastic source of protein and iron.  See the above Quick Vegan Pantry list.  You can add any other bean with that list,

including split peas, lentils, navy beans, black-eyed peas, adzuki and lima (this is another a quick look around my kitchen).  

Of course, just having beans would be going against the grain.  And speaking of grains, (I know you groaned and imagined me bald

and wearing a bad plaid suit), the definition of grain is a small, dry, one-seeded fruit of a cereal grass, having the fruit and the seed

walls united”  The grains I would add to the list are kamut (takes a little time to cook, but fab protein quality and flavor), millet, kasha and

barley.  Quinoa is considered by the American Dietetics Association to be a complete protein as is soy.

You don’t mention a soy allergy, Soy why not include tofu and tempeh in your diet?  [If you didn’t even think, OW! STOP!, I’ll be crushed]

There are cookbooks and a website listed above to help you out.

Also, you can order Food Allergy Survival Guide by Jo Stepaniak.  That might help you through any other allergy questions and she

always has great recipes.

I have the Tempeh-tation to write more, but I think I’ll stop before I get the hook.

Plant-based diet Pantry

Question:
I'm newly plant-based - now I need a food plan, one that will assist with weight loss and help keep insulin resistance in check. Any advice; suggestions on books that might help? Thanks!

Answer:

For books, there is The New Becoming Vegetarian, by Brenda Davis, RD, and Vesanto Melina, RD, MS.  It is easy to read and tells you everything you need to know.

Here’s a Quick Vegan Pantry List to get you started:

Canned beans: black, kidney, chick pea, cannelini
Quick Cooking Grains (except rice, 45 minutes): Whole wheat cous cous, bulgar wheat, brown rice,
   quinoa (Keen-wah)
Slower Cookng Grains: Kamut, Wheat Berries
Liquid Aminos or tamari sauce
Seaweed: Dulse (adds flavor and iodine), Kombu (contains a natural, non-toxic form of MSG) for
   flavor enhancement in soups and

Canola (sauté and cooking) and olive oil (salad and cold dishes for flavor)
Silken tofu (dips, smoothies, pudding) in boxes with long shelf-life
Oats
Nuts: English walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews
Seeds: Sesame (high in calcium), sunflower, pumpkin
Vegetarian boullion cubes or powdered, boxed stock
Whole wheat pasta
Crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce
Soba noodles or whole wheat ramen noodles
Canned soups or dry soup flakes (can be reconstituted with water [split pea, lentil]
Enriched non-dairy milk (B12, Calcium, Vitamins A and D) in quarts or single serve
Cold cereal
Dry fruit (apricots, cranberries, raisins, dates)

In the frig:

Firm tofu
Tempeh (can be an acquired taste)
Juice for smoothies
Maple syrup
Flax meal, I keep the seeds in the freezer and grind the meal myself in a coffee grinder.  About 1 Cup per week or buy them.
Onions
Carrots
Mushroom
Greens – Not lettuce
Lettuce
White Miso (flavors everything and increases protein content)
Tortillas
Nut butter (you can make your own if you have a food processor)
Fruit, fresh
Other veggies you like

I could definitely make a week’s worth of food with the above varying my protein and menu choices.  But, for those of you really curious:

In my frig, I always have hot sauce, hot peppers, capers, vegan cheese for pizza/movie night, ground sesame seeds, garlic, potatoes and vegan buttery spread

On my shelves I always have vinegars, sesame oil and lots of spices

For the beginner, I would also suggest the cookbooks, Vegan Vittles, by Jo Stepaniak and Vegan Planet, by Robin Robertson.  There are a number of marvelous cookbooks out there, but I find a lot of easy, beginner recipes in these two.  If you are more adventuresome in your cooking, you can go to veganculinaryexperience.com.  Also, The Millenium Cookbook, by Tucker and Westerdahl, and Professional Vegetarian Cooking, by Ken Burgeron have wonderful sauces and entrees.  Some of the recipes are a bit more complicated for the gourmand.  Click here to go to Marty's Kitchen for recipes.

Vegetarian Resource Group has a great website www.vgr.org.  
 
Now that you’ve joined the club, join a local vegetarian group.  Having some support will help you sustain your new healthier life.

Beans, Allergies and Gas

Question: I am having trouble with terrible gas and also itchiness on my bottom which is sore also. I'm 53 and it seems like every food suddenly became intolerable to my system. I eat really healthy and am a vegetarian trying to be vegan, but it seems beans give me trouble as well as certain raw vegetables and possibly wheat. Can you help?

Answer: Wheat is a well-documented allergen.  So, getting rid of that should help a lot.  Here’s another couple of ideas.

For the Mucho-Farto-Problemo, [it’s a technical term], you can try to regulate the amount of beans you eat.  It could be certain types or the amount.  If you are new to eating legumes, try just 250mL or ½ cup.  Make sure they are soaked and then cooked.  I had more trouble with ones I just pressure cooked.  I really needed to toss out the soaking water, and rinse them before cooking.  If you are using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly before use, and again, watch the amount at any one meal.

If you find that you cannot tolerate any beans.  Not to despair.  You can stick to grains, seeds and nuts for all of your protein needs.  

Kamut and quinoa have all of the protein you need.  You can mix up grains together and get different tastes.  Just be sure to keep ones that take the same cooking time together.  I like rice and lentils, they are about the same cooking time [50 minutes].  Also, I like quinoa and cous cous.  I start by heating enough water for 2 cups of grains.  I toss in the quinoa [20 minutes to cook] when the water boils, get it to begin steaming.  Ten minutes later, I throw in cous cous.  They were both done five minutes later and had a better texture than cous cous alone.

Since you don’t mention the raw veggies that give you the itchies, I can only guess what they are.  You may want to find out if they are all in the same family, such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant all being nightshades. 

Since you are trying to eat plant-based, I’ll let you in on a secret. Zits and skin problems have been linked to dairy.  You could have had a slight intolerance and not known.  Your body could be done with the dairy and now can’t tolerate it.  If you cut out dairy, and then a week later had a pizza with cheese, you could be throwing off your system.  Get the dairy out completely, and then see what happens. 

Allergies are a very tricky business.  Although we have just scratched the surface, I hope you get to the bottom of your food challenges.

[Yea, I can hear you groaning from here.]


Iron and Toddlers

Question:  My pediatrician recently told me that my 2 yr old daughter has low iron. I was surprised because she usually enjoys eating a variety of dried fruits, tofu, and fortified cereals. She is now on an iron supplement and I'm making more of an effort to increase her Vitamin C, but do you have any other suggestions of toddler-friendly foods or recipe ideas that could help increase her levels of iron?

Answer:

Not knowing what your child’s iron levels are is a challenge, but I’m Irish and I always have an answer.  

It’s great that you know that Vitamin C increases iron absorption however, tofu and many dried fruits are not great iron sources.  On the other hand, green leafy veggies such as spinach (>3mg/1/2 cup) have iron in addition to Vitamin C which makes them all the more nutritious.  Also, I don’t know why, but white beans, tomatoes and lentils (>3mg/1/2 cup) are always overlooked as a great sources of iron.  And, quinoa packs a walloping 7.8mg of iron in every ½ cup.  What’s not to love?  Well, how about feeding a toddler new foods.

I hid everything in soups and burritos.  I’m not sure how you serve your tofu, but if you cook stir-fry’s you can use quinoa there.  My son liked rice and would accept mix grains, but not necessarily new grains as a solo act.  He would eat a baked potato (4mg) and watermelon (6” slice, 3mg) with no problems.  

Here is a link to the USDA Nutrition Data Bank on iron.  There are animal and vegetable sources in the list, but you can see where your food choices rate.  http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR18/nutrlist/sr18w303.pdf

I did not ask my first question at the beginning of this which is: Are you vegan or lacto-vegetarian?  If your child drinks cow milk that may be the issue.  Milk has almost no iron.  In fact, even if your child drinks soy or rice milk, if they are drinking these milks instead of eating foods that could be the issue.  Neither of these is a good source of iron.  Many parents have their children drink milk over eating foods.  If kids drink milk at the beginning of a meal, they won’t be hungry for the rest of the food.

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) or the amount your kid should get a day is around 7-10mg.  With the choices mentioned above and a check on the USDA link, your child should be in the pink.  (Well, red actually since iron is what gives blood its red color.)


Working with High School Groups

Question:  I’m 15 years old and I attend high school. Unfortunately, my school is vary into Future Farmers of America and it is hard being vegan attending here. As president of the Vegetarian Awareness Group at my school, I want to know what I should say when I meet with the principal, since I want to discuss having vegan options added. I feel if I approach him with a health seekers perspective, he may follow through quicker.

Answer:
You are very smart to think of coming from a health perspective.  You can contact Amie Hamlin at
http://www.healthylunches.org/resolution_nys.htm.  She was able to motivate the New York state legislature to add plant-based options to the school lunch program.  She has all kinds of ideas and has made them work.  I am also aware of school food policies.  My thesis for my master’s was working with our school district’s food service manager.  I worked in the cafeteria on a weekly basis for nine months.  

First, you need to understand how the food gets to and is served at your school.  The key person is the Food Service Manager.  A school Food Service Manager has to balance fulfilling the United States Department of Agriculture’s school lunch requirements and making a profit.  Also, your school district should have a wellness policy that includes school food programs.  A wellness policy is required by the US government to set standards for foods served and sold in your district.  Your group should read it and see if there is a goal within the policy that you could complete by having vegan choices in the lunch program.  Then, you can go to your principal and explain how you can help achieve this goal.  Many wellness policies want to increase fiber and decrease fat in the school lunch.  You can explain that plant-based protein foods are lower in fat, have no cholesterol and increase fiber in the diet.  We are all concerned with the epidemic in childhood obesity, so perhaps including these products would help all of the students as well as the faculty and staff who eat in the cafeteria.  Your principal should really appreciate the help in meeting a goal.  Depending on what state you are in there may actually be consequences to not fulfilling the wellness policy goals in a set time.

The Food Service Manager needs to be a part of your discussions since they actually order the food.  If you show that this is a long-term food choice (not some one month fad) and that you are willing to do some research (finding recipes [http://www.vrg.org/ is a great source] or help promote these changes to the students), you may find that they are willing to work with you.

Now, what can you do today?  The simplest changes can be having different types of beans and whole grains on a salad bar and asking for whole wheat bread for sandwiches.  Your group choosing these items on a regular basis shows the Food Service Manager that there is a market for these types of foods.  And guess what else?  These foods are pretty inexpensive.  When it comes to ordering foods, cheap is good.

Your group could try to make this a bigger idea by having taste tests of different products to identify which are more acceptable by the student body.  If you write to the food processing companies, many times they will donate the foods for such a student project.  You could suggest a weekly vegan choice, such as, every Thursday there is a vegan choice.  Again, you can work with the Food Service Manager to come up with a choice.  The speed of the changes depends on your Food Service Manager and their openness.

Your group could also engage with the PTO/PTA to have healthy foods at school events.  These are usual havens for junk foods.  

Check you wellness policy concerning foods served at school events or sold for school fund raisers.  

Start with what your school can do today and then plan for how you can keep bringing in more products.  Having been in the veggie struggle myself for over 25 years, your tenacity is your most important asset.


Brittle Nails

Question: 
I have 2 girls. One is 2 years old the other 4.  They are both raised vegan.  I have always been careful with their nutrition, but I noticed that their big toes nails have vertical ridges and are  very brittle/ cracking very easily. Is there a mineral or a vitamin missing in their  diet? if so please let me know.  thanks a lot.


Answer:
The main culprits for brittle nails is a deficiency in Biotin, otherwise known as Vitamin H, and Iron.  Two oft quoted studies showed these results, although the jury is still out.

Your daughters need a daily dose of 8, and 12 mcg of Biotin, respectively.
Below is a list of Biotin sources from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine:

Dietary Sources

Nuts and soybeans are rich sources of biotin. See table for dietary sources of biotin.
FOOD                                      Biotin (mcg)
Peanuts                                   1/2 cup: 73
Filberts                                     1/2 cup: 51
Almonds                                   1/2 cup: 34
Peanut butter                                2 Tbl: 32
Soy protein isolate                       1 oz: 8.5
Cashews                                 1/2 cup: 8.9
Sweet potatoes, canned       1/2 cup: 5.5
Swiss chard, cooked             1/2 cup: 5.3
Tomato sauce                         1/2 cup: 4.7
Carrots, cooked                      1/2 cup: 3.9
Avocado                                          half: 3.6
Carrot                                      7.5" raw: 3.6
Papaya cubes                            1 cup: 3.1
Banana                                         one:  3.1

Biotin deficiencies are rare because it is ubiquitous in food.  However, lotions with biotin or silicone have been seen to improve nails.   

As well as intake of biotin of 2.5 mg per day for an adult.  I’m not sure you want to subject your children to this.  Biotin is a B-vitamin, and therefore, water soluble.  This generally means that any extra will be eliminated via urine and not build up in the body. 

Hydration is also an issue with nails according to the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.  They state that low hydration can be seen in cracked nails.     Also, additional selenium intake has been used to strengthen nails.  
Spoon-shaped nails are related to an iron deficiency.  This is different than brittle nails.  If you are concerned about your children’s intake of iron, you can have them tested.  A simple blood test will show.  If you are economically stressed, you may qualify for WIC, a government program for women, infants and children.  They will administer the test for free.

You could use an online program such as Nano Nutritionist.com or Sparkpeople.com to track your kids’ iron and water intake, if you feel that would put your mind at ease.  For what you are doing, you could use the no-cost part of the sites.   Nano Nutritionist can hook you up with a dietitian for a monthly fee, should you feel the need.  [DISCLAIMER: I have been employed by Nano Nutritionist.]

If you find that the intake is low in iron , lentils are an excellent source of iron.  The USDA website,
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869, is a terrific reference for finding the top vegan sources for iron.

When you get your daughters’ nails in order, remember there are plant-based polishes for any mani or pedi they desire.
Raw vs. Dried Fruit

Question:
This may sound dumb, but do dried fruits have the same nutritional qualities as fresh fruits?
 
Answer:
I love these yes and no questions.

The American Dietetic Association will say no.  BUT, you begin killing the vitamin C in any food the minute you begin to process it.  

Other stuff changes when you take out the water, such as fiber.  Let’s get up close and personal.

Raisins vs. grapes – For our purposes ¼ cup dry vs. 1 cup raw fruit
Raisins have 104kcal vs. 104kcal
Raisins have 19g calcium vs. 15g
Raisins have 1.23g protein vs. 109g
Raisins have 1.2mg vitamin C vs. 16.3mg
Raisins have less folate than grapes

I looked at apples, papaya and pineapple.  Basically, other than vitamin C and water, everything is the same with the same 1:4 ratio of fruit.  This means that with 1 part dry is approximately equal to 4 parts fresh.  This includes fiber, carbohydrates, protein, calcium and sugars.  If you are in the market for a specific nutrient, go to the USDA website on food composition:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.  It was made for food fact-wonks.  You can find a lot of foods there. 

Unfortunately, non-dairy milks aren’t on the list, although kamut and tempeh are.

I am going to say a couple [like I ever stop at just a couple], of words concerning this nutritional quality subject.  You can look up all kinds of information on how much a food has of A, B, or C, but it does not address the synergy of the complete food.  The more raw foods [I am not a raw fooder] you eat, or the closer you get prepared foods to their raw state, i.e., edamame vs. tofu, the less scientific data there is, but the more synergistic properties of the food work together as they have evolved to work with our biochemistry.

That being said, if this question has a bet riding on it or a parent wondering if it is okay to send raisins instead of a banana as fruit for a boxed lunch, here’s my upshot—if  you are looking to get a good source of vitamin C or folate, eat the raw.  Otherwise, it appears that the old trailmix holds up in the fruit department.


Floating Stool, a good thing?

Question:
Should a healthy stool float?

Answer:  Not in my experience.

Stool floats, not because of too much fat in the diet, rather because of gas in the stool making it less dense.  The question is – How did so much gas get in the stool?

Gas can come from a lot of sources, so let’s look at how the colon works, shall we?

Thanks to my colleague, Dr. Milton Mills of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, I have a better idea on what goes on around there [the colon goes up, over and down(around)  the exterior of the small intestine]. You need to understand that food gets chewed for about 30 seconds in the mouth.  It makes its way to the stomach in another minutes.  The chewed food, or bolus, enters the stomach and is there for approximately an hour.  It is out of the small intestine in about another 3 hours.

Most folks have a bowel movement approximately 18-24 hours after eating a particular food.  [Those of you with no lives can experiment on how your body works by eating corn.  Looks pretty much the same way in and out]  With the aforementioned time table, we have covered about 5 out of the 18-24 hours it takes for that corn to meet your teeth and end its roller coaster ride through the body and come to a complete flush.

What is going on for the rest of the time?  Nutrient production and absorption, and water absorption.  It is this nutrient production that can be the genesis of the gas. If nutrients aren’t absorbed the bacteria in the colon have a party with what is left.  The result is gas in the stool.

A change in diet, intestinal infections, or a malabsorption can bring on this problem.[i]  These can also cause diarrhea.  If you have had diarrhea for more than 2 weeks, you need to see a healthcare professional.

Check what you have been eating, or if this is long term, consult with a healthcare practitioner for any lack of nutrient absorption of which this may be a symptom.

  Medline Plus.[i] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003128.htm. Retrieved July 22, 2008

Contact me at: marty_davey@yahoo.com    Copyright . Marty Davey, RD,MS. All rights reserved.

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