Can you learn to tolerate certain foods?
 

Help! I can't eat any raw vegetables at all without g.i. distress. Is there anything I can do to "retrain" my body to tolerate them? Low carb life without salad is no fun! (Probiotics don't seem to help.)

Does the amount that you eat of raw veggies matter in terms of your symptoms? If more is worse than less, I'd suggest building up slowly over a week or so.

If that doesn't work, then try to widen your repetoire for sauteed, roasted, and stir fried veggies.

try cooking them a little less at first and see how that works for you.
Personally, I have no problem with most veggies, but that doesn't hold true
for bell peppers....BOOM!!! If I eat them raw in a salad or a dip they go off
like little hand grenades in my stomach ... LOL, but cooked they are no problem.

You may want to read up on the GAPS diet. It is for people with 'leaky gut' which may be your problem.

I have also read that total abstinence for a period of time and then a slow reintroduction may work. Not sure what the period of time is.

I have had this problem twice when going back to low carb. I would say avoid the common 'problem' veggies, cabbage, broccoli family, etc. Start with SMALL amounts. I started with 1/2 cup romaine lettuce or two celery sticks twice a day. Supplement with another type of fiber, psyllium or ground flax was mine. Keep up the probiotics. It can take time for your digestive system to adjust and for the bacteria (which most likely is causing your issues) to balance out.

Start small w the least irritating.

Do you take digestive enzymes?

Probiotics help a little further along the digestive tract, but digestive enzymes help as you are eating. I even take them an hour or two after a meal if I feel like I'm digesting my meal too slowly.

I also have trouble with too many raw veggies. Lettuce doesn't bother me too much, but I can't eat cucumbers or raw broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower. If you're packing or making your own salads, try lightly steamed veggies. Steamed broccoli & green beans taste really good with salad dressing or dip!

By the way, when you eat salad or raw veggies, do you usually eat a combination, or one at a time? The reason I ask is because it took me many years to figure out that I can't eat cucumbers. Just one slice of cucumber will make me feel bad for several hours...and even the most boring iceberg lettuce salad at a restaurants will have ONE wedge of tomato and ONE slice of cucumber!!! :laugh: Maybe there is one veggie that is bothering you more than others.

I still have problems with certain veggies. Broccoli, cucumbers, green pepper and cauliflower. I take digestive enzymes and a probiotic. I love these veggies and only eat cauliflower and cabbage at home because I like them very much but they do cause gi issues and bloating. I don't know that the issue will ever go away but it may be a hair more tolerable since low carbing. I could not look at these veggies before lc or i would get so sick ...I'd get bloated and pray to vomit or something else. (trying to be discrete)

two things affect the digestibility of vegetables: cooking and CHEWING. chewing food super well till it's really liquid is almost the same as cooking it, in terms of breaking down the cell walls which are probably what's causing your difficulty. try the 100 chews method for awhile? just chew each bite till it disappears basically. good luck.