Curiouswill

Just trying to figure out why I tend to have upset stomach if I try to eat more vegetable or fruit than usual. I generally eat more junks, meats, and bread more than anything else. One of the main reason for this is that most of the time, if I eat even half of a normal portion of a salad, I generally get some bad stomachache and sometime seriously upset stomach.

there are only a few vegetable that I can stand pretty easily but the most common one for causing stomachache is lot of cabbage/lettuce at times. I do love vegetable when it is coupled with meats and breads. However these coupled meal usually are like hamburger or hotdog. so I doubt I'm eating as healthy as I can.

Is there a common explanation for this? and how to counteract this issue? because I would really love to be able to get rid of this issue so I can start trying to eat more healthy with more vegetable like lettuces and tomatoes and whatnot.

AnthonyG

Many vegetables really should be cooked first, cabbage being one of them. Cabbage really needs to be cooked or fermented (sauerkraut) to make it palatable so getting an upset stomach from raw cabbage is perfectly normal. Coleslaw which is a traditional dish with raw cabbage really should only be consumed a few days after its been made so its lightly fermented. Lettuce though you should be able to consume raw without any issues so I don't know what's going on there. Maybe it's the tomato's your having with the lettuce. The skin of tomato's is known to be an issue for many.

Regards, Anthony

Curiouswill

ok, gonna try the lettuce when I get some extra money soon (I'm nearly broke lol) and see if I could have a simple salad with it and a limited amount of other veg to go with it for experimentation. Which veg is known to be easy on the stomach and still go good with salad?

P.S. I never will ever eat cucumber! so please don't suggest it. the taste of it is the worst possible thing I could have (though I do loves pickles big time lol).

AnthonyG

My standard salad is, mixed salad greens (mixed variety's of lettuce), fresh sauerkraut, avocado and dressed with extra virgin olive oil. If you like pickles the add pickles. There good although better if you get the more traditionally made, somewhat sour variety rather than the ones with a lot of sugar and additives.

Common vegetables such as cabbage, brussell sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato's, capsicums, egg plant (aubugene's) really should be cooked. Carrot is OK raw but to be honest I prefer to cook it.

Regards, Anthony

Curiouswill

I do plan to eat more steamed broccoli but I could only stand it with a little melted cheese so would the slight amount of cheese defeat the purpose of having the broccoli in the first place?

I only like certain variety of pickles, specifically hamburger dill. I'll try that out with a mini salad sometime later.

I've tried sauerkraut and avacado and I don't like them sorry. I know that they are healthy but if I don't like the tast then I'm not likely to follow through with this plan. I'll try my best to get used to it though.

carrot? blech, another one that I don't like. lol, I know I seem a little picky but I'm just trying to get a start with getting used to vegetable in general. maybe once I can stand a little salad, my taste will change to include these stuffs over time.

newsun

I just tend to avoid all those above that 'should be cooked' before eating and I tend to do better, less upset stomach and the air is fresher I go for the simpler things like lettuce and such which can be eaten raw, I feel the best with these kinds of veggies. Also eating fruit on a full stomach can cause trouble sometimes too, since it decomposes faster than a lot of other foods it can end of fermenting and creating gas.

AnthonyG

My two bobs worth is add some cheese. I certainly don't buy into the whole "animal fats are bad" mythology. See, https://www.westonaprice.org to see where I'm coming from. The best way to have vegetables by far is to cook them in home made stock.

Are you familiar with making stock or is this a stretch?

Here's a standard favorite for me. A meat and vegetable soup.

Start with some cooking fat. I use beef fat. I would recommend butter or ghee if your buying it. Gently soften some onions and optionally garlic in the fat in a saucepan and add some sea salt to taste. Add chopped vegetables and soften a little. Use any vegetables really and I often cook carrots, zuchinni, squashes, chinese cabbage (wombok), cauliflower, broccoli, chinese vegetables and more although not all at once. When the vegetables have softened and wilted somewhat add the stock and let it gently simmer untill cooked. While the vegetables are cooking prepare some meat. Thinly slice some red meat or any meat that takes your fancy really. Sometimes I will use mince in the soup.

When the vegetables are done pour the vegetable soup into the serving bowls and THEN add the meat and just let the meat cook gently in the soup. Let it cook as little or as long as you like. I find that by the time it has cooled enough to eat then the meat is well cooked enough. Don't chop the meat too coarse. Then you can do variations galore on this basic theme.

If I was cooking some vegetables only as a side dish and not a soup I would pretty much do it the same way but only use a little stock and not a lot. You let most of the stock reduce in the cooking process.

Do you want instructions on making stock? Its pretty easy really and while the stock cooks on the stove for quite a long time its pretty quick to start it off.

Regards, Anthony

Curiouswill

I wouldn't mind trying to make stocks but my apartment heat up too much rather quickly so I can't cook too much. however, I would like the instruction for when the season start to get cooler. Cold season is a good time to make stocks I think since it would warm me up more and help keep me from eating the more higher calories stuffs (just guessing though).

newsun, could you point out which vegetable are those that can be eaten raw like that? just curious.

wall

i'm pretty sure he's cooking that stock at a low temp. you could get a crockpot as an alternative too.

AnthonyG

Sure, stocks easy enough. You just place some bones in some water, preferably filtered, add a pinch of salt, turn it on to simmer and away it goes. Seriously easy. After its been going for a couple of hours adding a splash of vinegar helps to bring out the minerals from the bones. OK, I learnt to make stock a more complicated way but one day I decided to strip the recipe back to bare bones and I liked it so much I've never gone back.

OK, I've left out a few tiny steps. Its a good idea to soak the bones first in cold water for 15 minutes or so. I put about 2kg (4 lbs) of bones in 7.5 litres of water normally, bring it JUST to a gentle boil and as soon as it starts gently boiling turn down to the lowest setting to simmer and then I let it simmer for 24 hours with the lid on the pot. You can do it in 4 hours of cooking if you let it go a little harder with the lid off although a long slow cook is better.

A crockpot is a great idea for stock. You just use less bones and make less stock at a time. Cooking the stock for long enough that it reduces to a strong jelly is ideal and then when you cook with it you can add some water if required.

arexjay

vegetables and fruit make your farts and poop smellier. if you're not used to it, i'm sure this (the more rank stuff cooking up in your intestines) could cause your stomach to be upset. however, i'm no physician/nutritionist.