Oren Aks & Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
As an adult who has been eating and pooping pretty consistently over a lifetime (hopefully), you've probably noticed that some foods move through you faster than a skinny kid down a theme-park water slide, and others are more like William Howard Taft going down that same water slide.
Presidential jokes aside, it's not just you; there's a scientific reason certain foods affect your bowel movements differently than others. Why do you always have the runs after a night of drinking? What did you eat that's giving you all that constipation? We asked a gastroenterologist, Dr. Kathlynn Caguiat, for her expert opinion on these pressing poop matters.
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Bread
Ah, glorious bread, the starch that makes grilled cheese and BLTs possible. And it can be helpful in the poop department, too... unless you have celiac disease. "Bread has low fiber and can help with loose stools or diarrhea," Dr. Caguiat says. "Eating lots of it can cause constipation. In patients who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity this can lead to abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea." So if you're a little runny, white bread toast might be the answer... unless you have problems with gluten, in which case it'll probably only make things worse.
Red meat
If you notice things feeling a little backed up after a particularly meat-heavy meal, it's not a coincidence. "Red meat tends to cause more of constipation because it is low in fiber and it has iron, which can be constipating," Dr. Caguiat explains. A burger on a white bun is basically screaming constipation, in other words.
Alcohol
After a night of heavy drinking, you can usually expect a head-pounding hangover and frequent trips to the bathroom. "Alcohol can increase gut motility and it doesn't get broken down before it reaches the colon, where bacteria feast on these, resulting in bloating and diarrhea," Dr. Caguiat says. For the laymen, increasing gut motility means that everything moves more, and faster, down the pipes than you're used to. Which you know, since you've likely experienced the effects firsthand.
Fruit
Fruit is like nature's candy, and just like unnatural candy, too much of it may lead to bathroom problems. "Fruits contain certain sugars that we don't digest, and therefore end up being digested by gut bacteria," she explains. "Again, with fermentation, gas is the byproduct, which can lead to bloating and diarrhea." Apple-and-banana farts are no good, so consume in moderation.
Cheese (and other dairy products)
You probably don't need a doctor to tell you that cheese -- known by some as dairy heaven, others as dairy crack -- can screw up your gut and haunt your roommates for days. If you're one of the 65% of adults who are lactose intolerant, the aftereffects can feel like coming down from a hard drug; it wreaks havoc on your GI tract. "Cheese (and dairy) contain lactose that when consumed by people with lactose intolerance can lead to bloating, gas pains/abdominal cramping, and diarrhea," Dr. Caguiat says. "This happens because the enzymes that break these sugars (lactose is a form of sugar) are lacking in susceptible people as they age. The gut bacteria end up digesting them (fermentation), leading to gas production (hence the bloating and crampy pain), and this draws water into the colon, leading to diarrhea."
Basically, cheese turns most people into farty, bloaty, runny messes. But it's totally worth it.
Vegetables
Yet another reason to keep eating your veggies; they help you have healthy poops. "A high-fiber diet is good for colon health as it helps bulk up the stools and draws water into the colon to help pass soft stools," Dr. Caguiat says. But there can be too much of a good thing.
"Too much fiber can have the opposite effect, constipation, especially when you eat much more than you consume water," she adds. "Also beware that certain vegetables are gas-producing (cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, etc.) so this can lead to bloating and gas pains."
Sweets
Aside from the lethal amount of sugar and calories and resulting spike in blood glucose levels, there's another reason to limit your intake of candy and treats. "Similar to fruits and alcohol, [sweets] tend to cause more bloating and diarrhea by the same way of fermentation," Dr. Caguiat explains.
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Christina Stiehl is a Health and fitness staff writer for Thrillist who is one of those 65% percent of people who shouldn't eat cheese, but never listens. Follow her @ChristinaStiehl.
Have you ever experienced vomiting or diarrhoea whenever you eat meat? Do you feel dizzy whenever you consume beef? If you answered in the affirmative, you may have meat intolerance.
Meat Intolerance Explained
Meat intolerance refers to your body’s difficulty in digesting meat (beef, lamb, and pork) and experiencing adverse physical reactions to them.
This condition, while not life-threatening, could be a sign of other issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn’s disease.
Meat intolerance has several causes:
- Inadequate chewing: If you don’t chew meat properly, your digestive system may have a hard time processing huge chunks of it. Try taking smaller bites of meat so you can digest it properly.
- Insufficient fibre intake: You may experience meat intolerance if your diet is low in fibre, which is an invaluable digestion aid. Eating plenty of fibre-rich vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, spinach, and broccoli will help you tolerate meat better.
- Large portion sizes: Eating huge portions of meat such as steak or ribs can cause meat intolerance. It can take your digestive system two days to digest meat because its fat and protein content contain complex molecules. Eating smaller portion sizes should help your body digest meat properly.
Meat Intolerance vs Meat Allergy
Meat intolerance is not the same as meat allergy. The latter is an allergic reaction to red meat such as lamb, pork, and beef. It’s also known as alpha-gal syndrome, red meat allergy, or mammalian meat allergy (MMA). Unlike meat intolerance which is a digestive issue, meat allergy concerns your immune system and can be life-threatening.
What are the Symptoms of Meat Intolerance?
Symptoms of meat intolerance include:
- Bloating: Eating huge amounts of meat can slow down the elimination of waste from your stomach. This, in turn, may cause bloating.
- Nausea: This is one of the most common symptoms of meat intolerance. If your stomach feels uneasy after consuming meat, it could be a sign your body isn’t digesting it properly.
- Fatigue: Meat intolerance may cause your bowels to get stuck, giving you a heavy feeling in your gut which makes you feel tired.
- Weaker immunity: Red meat has a natural sugar known as Neu5Gc. Since the human body doesn’t produce it, it considers this sugar as a foreign invader. When your body cannot tolerate meat, you may experience a toxic immune reaction which weakens your immunity and makes you susceptible to various ailments.
- Bad breath/body odour: Improperly-digested meat has a foul odour that will eventually get released through your mouth and pores
- High blood pressure: Too much sodium in the meat you consume may result in hypertension which is a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.
- Dark circles under the eyes: Your body will try to produce antibodies to expel meat particles in your bloodstream which it considers as foreign invaders. This defence mechanism may produce an unwanted side effect – dark circles under your eyes.
- Constant hunger pangs: Whenever you eat too much protein and not enough carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels decrease. The end result: you feel constant hunger.
- Constipation: Red meat has high iron content. If your digestive system retains too much iron, you may feel constipated.
How Do I Get Tested for Meat Intolerance?
If you suspect you have meat intolerance, seek professional help. Set an appointment with your doctor or dietitian. These specialists will ask you which meats you ate, the specific symptoms you felt, and how long it took for them to appear.
One way to test intolerance for a particular food such as meat is the trial elimination diet. If you suspect you have meat intolerance, your dietitian may ask you to exclude meat sources from your diet one at a time. He will then determine if your symptoms improve in the next two to six weeks.
Your dietitian will ask you to consume meat again after that time frame to see if your symptoms reappear. This will help determine your specific threshold for meat.
What Should I Do If I Have Meat Intolerance?
If your doctor or dietitian determines you have meat intolerance, you should avoid consuming the particular meat which triggered your symptoms. Take the necessary precautions when eating out. Cook your own food as often as possible. Not only is this a safer alternative, but it’s also cheaper.
Instead of eating beef, pork, or lamb, try consuming plant-based protein sources such as lentils, quinoa, kidney beans, chickpeas, eggs, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, and edamame.
Using A Food Diary to Identify Your Meat Intolerance
We recommend using a food diary to help you identify exactly which meat triggers your symptoms and how that particular food affects you. Your food diary will also help your doctor or dietitian develop the most suitable intervention plan for you.
Need Our Help?
Do you want the help of an expert regarding your meat intolerance? Set an appointment with one of our accredited nutritionists or dietitians by phone on (07) 3071-7405 between 8am and 6pm on weekdays or send us an enquiry.