Transitioning to plant based foods usually has one unpleasant side effect - excessive gas.
The gas and flatulance is especially bad in the first couple of months and in this short post I would like to explain why this excessive gas is created and how to deal with it when transitioning to a plant based diet.
Our body can adapt to almost anything, this adaptability is what makes such a dietary variety possible for us.
To be able to successfully digest the foods we are eating our body needs help. Help that comes in the form of gut bacteria.
Gut bacteria lives inside all of us and is extremely important for good digestion. The bacteria eat the food inside our digestive tract and minimize the amount of waste from the food we consume.
There are many types of bacteria that live inside us and it depends on the food we consume.
When transitioning to a plant bases diet from a diet with animal products, there aren't enough bacteria inside us to effectively help our digestion to deal with the big amounts of fiber and other plant based nutrients.
Luckily, in a couple of months our incredible body adapts to the plant food and there are enough bacteria inside us to help us digest all the plant food we are eating now.
While our body adapts we can do some things to help us stop farting like crazy :
First, drink a lot of water, water helps digestion, metabolism and will substantially lower the flatulence, bloating and the gasses.
Second, chew better, the digestion process starts inside our mouth and the better we chew the easier it is to digest the food. Try to do at least 20 chewing motions for each bite.
Lastly, soak your food well before cooking, all grains and legumes need to be soaked in water from an hour to 12 hours before cooking. The soaking process helps to soften the food and make it easier to digest.
Going vegan can be challenging but if you follow these tips you can at least avoid the gas.
Thank you for your time.
With love.
Eugene
