# What vegetables cause problems?



## suffering (Sep 16, 2005)

What vegetables typically cause problems?The last few times I've eaten lettuce, I've seen the lettuce in the toilet bowl, so I think that might be a problem.What other vegetables cause people problems?


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## anniemac (May 30, 2007)

I have found all vegies go straight thru, its just that the green & colourful ones are easier to see, in the toilet. I always thought that vegies would be the best thing to eat when you are sick, but its scary to see them go straight thru you, isnt it? Cheers, anniemac


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## 18704 (Feb 12, 2007)

1. Tomatoes, most definitively a bad trigger for me, and anything that contains tomatoes such as tomato paste, tomato sauce or puree, spaghetti sauce, etc.2. Lettuce is another trigger...I *can* tolerate Butterhead/Bibb sometimes but sometimes I can't. Romaine, Iceberg are on my 'triggers' list. Even the Butterhead goes right through me at times.3. Corn in any form whether it's on/off the cob, cream corn, popcorn are triggers.4. Any type of peppers (green, red, etc) are triggers for me.5. Potatoes are iffy, sometimes I react to them and sometimes I don't. The same goes for Carrots.6. Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Spinach, any type of beans (green beans, peas, etc.) are all on my 'triggers' list.7. Pumpkin I can tolerate, as well as Asparagus. Sweet potatoes/yams are also ok as long as I cook them...canned ones are a no-go.8. Onions are a trigger but I can tolerate Garlic and Shallots.9. Avocado is ok for me but I do get gas from them. I love them though so when I eat them I do expect the gas afterwards.For me vegetables are pretty much all triggers, either cooked or raw, so I tend to stick to white rice (brown has to much fiber and also a trigger). I only use Olive Oil instead of butter or margarine when I make it. To vary the plain white rice flavor I'll make it with organic chicken or beef broths instead of water sometimes. The broths I use are both organic and very low sodium. Make sure to read the labels too because most others such as Butterball, Swansons and other broths have MSG (monosodium glutamate) which is also a bad trigger plus they are loaded with sodium and other artificial additives and flavors.There's tons of other vegetables so I'm sure it'll be a trial and error thing getting to know which would be a trigger for you. Also, since we are all so very different in what our trigger foods may be what may be a trigger for me may not bother you at all. I tend to eat high protein and low carbohydrate, the carbs I do eat are refined such as crackers, breads and pastas that are made with white flour. Anything wheat, be that breads, pastas, whole grain 'anything' are triggers.


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## JohnS (Jun 15, 2007)

I also have noticed that if I eat anything such as lettuce on a sandwich, a salad, peppers, Broccoli that it goes right through me, my body does not digest them. I am very careful about what I eat, I try to eat fruit in the morning, but noticed watermelon is good once in awhile but does break down in the stomach, grapes and apples are also eaten but not everyday. I tend never to eat fastfood, maybe once a month, with 5 kids I will go get them McDonalds or something but we tend if we are out to eat we will go to a resturant where the food is not processed as it is in fast food chains. I prefer Bertuccis, they have a good filet migeon and a good price and the kids menu is good because the kids can get pasta with butter or pizza. Would end up paying the same as McDonalds but the food is not loaded with Trans Fats and other fats that to me would rush through me faster then anyone can imagine.I hope I can find the perfect diet that I am not worried that after I eat I will have to rush to a bathroom or figure out where one is. With me I am typicaly out with my 3 oldest kids so it is tough to have them all go to the bathroom with me and wait so I tend to try to hold it until I get home and that causes more presure and pain.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

In general cooked vegetables will be better tolerated than raw.Some veggies like the cabbage family veggies like broccoli have raffinose in them that no human digests but the bacteria in the colon can (why beans are the musical fruit the more you eat the more you toot) which can be a problem for some.The hard, tough, fiberous parts of veggies are not broken down more in the stomach/intestines. They need to be ground up and that is done in the mouth. You find some plant material in all human's stool (and animal as well). It is easier to see when the stools are loose. If you want to see less of it, you have to chew better at the start.K.


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## Verleen (Jan 5, 2007)

So basically there is not a whole lot we can eat! I am having a rough day today. Had spaghetti last night so obvisouly it is the sauce. Last time I had it, no problem! Have also been eating a lot of raw veggies. Baby carrots, cukes, bell peppers, celery. So I think what I will do is just not eat the rest of today and tomorrow start anew and see what I can and cannot eat. So frustrating!!! Guess maybe I should be like my grandson and just eat pasta with nothing on it!! Or white rice. Oh, yippee!!!!!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

One thing to remember is that food is NOT the only cause of IBS symptoms.If you eat something safely some of the time then it may not be the reason you had symptoms the last time you ate it.Also no foods are universally bad. There are some trends, but some things that set some people off are totally safe for other people. You shouldn't assume that because X is bad for one person it will be bad for you.For some people all starch all the time is the problematic diet and they do better just eating veggies and meat.K.


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## 22468 (Aug 21, 2005)

Hi Verleen;It took me about 3yrs. to sort out what foods I could tolerate. All trial & error. But one thing I would like to suggest is no raw veggies..I found I needed to cook or steam what I ate in that catagory. Cruciferous produce is a no-no for me...ie; broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, etc. Very little fruit. Maybe twice a week I can tolerate a pear or peach..Nothing like the juices full of citrus. I could go on & on, but it is all in what your body can tolerate. I am coming out of an almost 7mos. flare of ibs /colitis. The gi guy didn't help at all. I went to the nutrition store here in town, in which the owner is very knowledgable in supplements, etc. She helped me more then the doc. I just started having a couple of normal stools this past week, so things are starting to look up. She gave me some powdery drinks to do, & said it would take about 2mos. for things to work. I've been taking this for about 6wks. now... And I can only take about a fourth of what a non-ibser/colitis person can take. But it's worth it, it's starting to work. yayyyyyy!!!!So hang in there, I know it's a long process in finding what works for you.







Let us know how you're doing w/it all. We have all been thru it. All good blessings coming your way;Luv


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## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

The only one I have a problem with regularly is salad, although I can still eat that sometimes. Iceburg is the worst. I thought I could handle baby greens but I ate those a couple days ago and felt pretty bad - I don't know if it was the lettuce or just a coincidence. I'll have to do more experimenting (FUN!), but I do try to get as many ruits and vegetables in my diet as possible. Of course, if I'm having a bad couple days I'll steer clear, but from a nutritional standpoint I'm afraid to just cut them out in a major way.


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## Verleen (Jan 5, 2007)

Thanks, all, for your support. I knew I could come here and everyone would understand! I, too, am afraid to cut out veggies completely so I think I will try steaming them and see what happens. Oh, my, salads, especially with iceburg lettuce are a huge no-no for me! and I LOVE salad! Of course! I told my husband, who is so very understanding and has NO problems what so ever, that I was having a really terrible day and he said tonight he was going to fix white rice and beef tips. Hopefully, that will be o.k. He does all the cooking and is so good at it and poor guy, feels helpless not knowing what is going to set me off! He can eat ANYTHING and I told him to go ahead and cook whatever he wants for himself and I will cook what I seem to tolerate. But he insists he can eat whatever I can! So sweet!! Anyway, you are right in that something that triggers me might not someone else. It is all trial and error and depends on what your body accepts or rejects. I just love getting some hints, though! Thanks again, all!! Hope everyone has a great day!


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

I don't know about you all, but finding a food that always has the same reaction is very very difficult. And i have to wonder if it's the food, or the ibs....or just me!!! Lettuce is a big problem for me...in fact i call myself the human salad shooter....and raw veggies are bad for me....but like i said, sometimes i can eat the stuff with no problems at all....that's what's so weird about this...the inconsistency of it all. I know if i just eat pasta, rice, bread, things like that, i tend to be much better, but how bland and boring. It's very frustrating to try to figure this all out. I've had ibs for over 23 yrs now...i am 41 yrs. old, and i'm no more comfortable with what to eat now than i have ever been. I know what i shouldn't eat, according to what everyone says and experience, but then again, i always hope against hope that one day it will change and i won't have this anymore....







It's like fighting a losing battle sometimes. I wish i had more answers to give you all, but i don't. If anyone else finds them out, let me in on it please!!!


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## 20749 (Apr 22, 2007)

Corn and onions, OMG. And I love both of them! Angie in Texas, US


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## suffering (Sep 16, 2005)

Verleen said:


> So basically there is not a whole lot we can eat! I am having a rough day today. Had spaghetti last night so obvisouly it is the sauce.


Some spaghetti sauces will have a lot of citric acid, which can be a trigger for some people.Yeah, this is so confusing. Lettuce is recently giving me problems. I also think cooked tomatoes might cause problems for me, and that raw tomatoes are usually OK. I love ketchup and haven't found it to be a problem. Also I usually get broccoli with my favorite chinese dish and that rarely causes problems for me.A few people have mentioned white rice. Can that be a substitute for vegetables?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

White rice is usually well tolerated.


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## KittyKat12 (Jul 16, 2006)

For me, tomato anything, onions, green pepper, cabbage and most recently lettuce. Sometimes it feels like my diet consists of nothing but bread and rice.


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## Isabel (May 25, 2007)

I read somewhere (I think in Heather's website), that we can eat fruits and vegetables as long as we eat lots of food rich in soluble fiber first before eating fruits and vegetables and that the soluble fiber must make up a large chunk of what we're eating. Also, that we must not eat fruits and vegetables on an empty stomach.I've eaten raw mangoes and avocado and did not have an attack. Today, I will try eating raw tomatoes and onions (having guacamole) and see if I get an attack. I've already eaten some toast before having my guacamole. We will see...Off-topic (but want to share what's working so far for me now): I take Caltrate during each meal and this flax seed/linseed drink before each meal and so far, my stomach has been really calm. I still have loose bms though and been having diarrhea for about 8 weeks now. My BM is down to 1-2x a day, usually after waking up and after breakfast. I recently read that flax seeds/linseeds are natural laxatives but the effect it has on my stomach has been great so I really don't know if I should stop taking it. Anyway, last Monday, I ate spaghetti with ground beef (which I fried first) and lots of tomato sauce (but ate more pasta than meat). The following day, I had tolerable stomach cramps but no increased D attack. Maybe it's the calcium finally working. (I stopped taking anti-diarrhea pills already).


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

Hard to say since everyone is different.. what ones affect and what ones don't a person. I think cooking softens and breaks them down to be a little more digested.. but that doesn't mean everyone can eat the same thing ... I know what I can eat.. and that is nothing raw... I tolerate... broccoli, carrots, celery with all the stings removed.. and cooked.. potatoes, sweet potatoes ....pumpkin.. pears and applesauce... The broccoli and potatoes I can eat whenever.. the others are a sometimes thing.. and the carrots I usually eat when I have potatoes... as they help bind the carrots.. I find it easier to say what I can eat rather than what I can't... too many... to mention.. Some things I might be able to tolerate a tablespoon or so... once in awhile..of say winter squash... but there are things that just are no no's and will always be... like all type of greens.. corn.. even to the corn meal... which bothers me.. tomatoes.. and seeds.. So.... each person has to determine for themselves what is ok and what isn't..


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## suffering (Sep 16, 2005)

And I thought vegetables were supposed to be healthy. I think I have better luck eating cheeseburgers.So what is the nutritional value of vegetables anyway? Do they provide vitamins and fiber? Vitamins I can get somewhere else, and fiber sounds like a reason to avoid vegetables.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Full of nutrients and fiber and other assorted good stuff (i.e. healthy)DOES NOT IMPLYeasy to digest and completely free of compounds that trigger diarrhea, gas, etc.Unfortunately some of the foods that are full of goodness are also full of things that can be problematic for some people. Usually most people can deal with the things that foods do to us. IBSers don't cope so well.Cheeseburgers will bother those that cannot tolerate much fat so all grease all the time isn't the way to gften it is a matter of amount and the totality of the meal. You may tolerate a couple of bites of something in the context of an overall meal that is easy on your system, where you would not tolerate a lot of something that makes up almost the whole meal.K.PS most of the compounds in veggies and fruit that may be the best for you are not the vitamins and fiber but the minor compounds in them. NONE of the studies with isolated bits o stuff from foods ever seems to do as well in promoting health as eating whole foods. You can prevent some nutritional issues with a vitamin pill, but it is not the same as eating real foods.If you can get small amounts of these foods it may be worth trying. Also if all foods setoof then eat what is healthy and don't worry about it. Most IBSers cannot control all symptoms with diet alone


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## BruceB (Jan 1, 2003)

Lettuce is a big issue for me. What ot me thinking about vegatable now and especially lettuce is that during the spring months in the USA we import a lot of vegatables from Mexico and other south of the border areas. As we know that area as well as areas around the world have bacterias that we are not used to. So, when we injest foreign bacterias they often can cause the issues. I try to find local grown fruits and vegatables as much as I can. But I can tell you for a fact that we do get vegatable in the winter and spring from areas that cause bacterial issues. And during those times is when I have most of my problems. I can eat just about any vegatable or pepper and not have too bad of issues. Califlower is the worst for me followed by broccoli. I can eat pinto beans if they are cooked correctly. (Correctly being hard boiled for the first 20 minutes, drained, rinsed, then filled with water and boiled slowly until done. This removes the gas.) I take Lomotil and Imodium-D when it breaks out. Lomotil is a prescription opiate drug that stops or slows down the spasms. Bottom line, watch out where vegatables come from.


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## dreday (May 4, 2007)

wait, so if none of us can really digest vegetables, does that mean that it's dangerous for us in the fight against the future possibility of all those diseases since we aren't takingin the daily recommendation of vitamisn and minerals from those veggies and fruits? i hope that question made sense.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It is not that you do not digest them, really. You digest them as well as any human can, there are indigestible parts of all plants and those are seen in the stools of all people.The risk percentages are small, so it isn't that you 100% will get cancer or heart disease if you do not force yourself to eat your 5 servings (a serving is a 1/2 cup) of veggies today. You might go from a 3% risk to a 4% risk.However I do think that if you can find some cooked veggies you can eat in small amounts with meals full of safer foods that is a good thing. If you can tolerate V8 juice or other vegetable juices it might be worth getting some in that way.Just because you can't eat a raw salad doesn't mean you can't get any of your veggies.The vitamins you can get from a pill, it is some of the minor componants in combination that may be the things that make for a lower health risk diet. Now some things like tea or cinnamon have some of the same compounds in them, so there are ways to get at least some things in other ways.K.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

dreday said:


> wait, so if none of us can really digest vegetables, does that mean that it's dangerous for us in the fight against the future possibility of all those diseases since we aren't takingin the daily recommendation of vitamisn and minerals from those veggies and fruits? i hope that question made sense.


I ate my last fruit/vegetable 30 years ago. I am 51 and still living.. I take vitamins from time to time, twice a week. I am never sick.........except my IBS/D, day and night, night and day.....


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## Jana21 (Jun 13, 2007)

I found that eating Beano has really helped me with eating vegetables. You just take it right before you eat vegetables. www.beanogas.com It pretty much allows me to eat whatever vegetables I want just as long as I don't eat too much and if I eat them in combination with other foods. (I find the same is true of fruits - they don't bother me as much when I eat them in combination with other foods.)I do have to be really careful with my salads too - I try to stay far away from iceberg lettuce because it seems to be the worst (but it really isn't that good for you anyway); instead I eat more spinach or mixed greens. Also, some restaurants put sulfites in their salads to preserve them - that is a big irritant for me. Don't give up on the vegetables!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you do give up all fruits and veggies you do want to take vitamins pretty regularly. (or ceril or other things they add vitamins to)One of the kids at my college managed to give himself scurvy about halfway through his second semester because he wasn't going to eat any veggies or fruits at all ever again as soon as he got away from Mom. Took them forever to figure out wht was wrong because it really isn't seen anymore. K.


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## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

BruceB said:


> during the spring months in the USA we import a lot of vegatables from Mexico and other south of the border areas. As we know that area as well as areas around the world have bacterias that we are not used to. So, when we injest foreign bacterias they often can cause the issues. I try to find local grown fruits and vegatables as much as I can.


That's a good idea. I try to buy locally grown/organic (which is often one in the same at my grocery store) as often as possible for other reasons, but this is just one more good one


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