Are You Eating TOO Many Vegetables?

I always loved eating vegetables and enjoyed mixing them into large salads and sautés for dinner. But many times, in the evening, I felt bloated and gassy and couldn’t figure out why.

It sometimes got so uncomfortable I had to make multiple trips to the bathroom. This happened sporadically but was starting to get worse. I wondered if something was seriously wrong and told my doctors about it. I had a slew of tests and a colonoscopy, but there was nothing was wrong with me. I came to the conclusion I had some weird food sensitivity.

It didn’t seem to be gluten intolerance or even cruciferous vegetables so I was stumped.

Then, I figured it out

I often would sauté multiple varieties of vegetables in a large skillet with a little olive oil and then add chicken or shrimp with a small amount of either pasta, potatoes, or rice. My plate had all the ingredients for a balanced meal, or at least I thought. About two hours after dinner my stomach would explode. It must have been a combination of the vegetables I combined.

I never used rich sauces. It was always olive oil, garlic, and sometimes a little tomato, lemon, and feta cheese. It seemed like I was doing everything right and eating smart so what was I doing wrong?

The only thing I could think of was I was eating too many vegetables in one sitting. All that nutritious fiber was stressing my stomach out and it rebelled.

We often see images posted on Pinterest that are gorgeous plates of vegetables with rainbow colors and we copy them. I guess too much of a good thing isn’t as good as it looks

Don’t go overboard with vegetables

The National Institute of Health states that women need 25 grams per day of fiber. A cup of vegetables contains 8 grams. If you eat a large bowl of salad along with a mixed ratatouille, it may put your stomach in overdrive and it will retaliate. That may result in a stomachache, gas, bloating, diarrhea, or even constipation.

What spurred me to have my colonoscopy was that some blood showed up which terrified me. The doctor told me my colon was fine but I had a couple of internal hemorrhoids. I’m sure they were caused by all my trips to the lady’s room.

Too much of a good thing is not good

If you gorge on too many carrots your skin will turn orange. A while back, I was eating spoons of almond butter and had an adverse reaction. Drinking too much nut milk can give you a stomach ache because it is highly concentrated with nuts. A similar thing happens if you overdo your vegetable allotment. Your body cannot process all that goodness.

You may want to try eating just one or two easy-to-digest vegetables per meal rather than mixing in every vegetable in your fridge like I was doing.

The CDC’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet and that adults consume 1.5–2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2–3 cup-equivalents of vegetables daily.

That doesn’t mean you need to eat 10 cups of vegetables in one meal.

Funny thing: After a day of severe bloating, I craved a juicy hamburger so I picked one up at a favorite restaurant. The white bread and protein soothed my stomach and I felt better afterward.

Diets to settle your stomach

Not long ago, I had a sudden bout of serious diarrhea that may have been caused by food poisoning. My doctor had me go on the BRAT diet until my stomach stopped churning. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast. That seemed to work.

Later, I moved on to the Low FODmap diet. It has a list of less digestible food that you eliminate for 2 months and then add one item at a time to see what food you are sensitive to.

I still haven’t quite figured out what my food intolerance is but I also cut out coffee and I am feeling really good. So who knows?