O-k, I really do not mean to be gross, but how long does it take?

Question

For your digestive tract to adjust to becoming a vegan? I have had constant diaheria and loose stool for weeks now. I have at least 3 -4 BM's a day. Is this normal? I feel great otherwise.

I eat a wide variety of soy, grains, veggies, legumes, nuts and fruits. I also drink protien smoothies, and lots of water. Thanks for your concern.

I have not seen a doctor yet but I have an appointment with a nutritionist just to make sure my Iron levels and other things are normal.

Answer 1

emrace it! Your body is clearing out years worth of sludge. Your system will adjust when it feels good and clear. I went through the same thing. Its perfect if you are having 3 or 4 bms-thats the way we SHOULD be. If you go once a day, it is considered constipation! Think how often you need to change a babies diaper? Thats because their perfect little systems know we should poo after every meal.

Answer 2

It may be that you've done this too quickly for your body. But the fact that you feel great otherwise is good news. This is one of the reasons that I always suggest that people make this transition f over a period of weeks, if not months.

YOU do need to know how to do this properly. You might try a book called "Becoming Vegan". You should be able to find it in your local library system. Or you can order it through any book store.

It's actually normal to have more than one bowel movement a day. It should take your system about 24 hours to process and eliminate the remains of anything that you eat, so three meals a day should equal three bowel movements a day. The more fibre that you eat, whether soluble or insoluble, the more quickly your body can get rid of the waste. After all, this is waste, and you don't want it around for all that long.

Find ad read that book, and see your doctor about your diarrhea. Don't let your doctor talk you out of this, at least not on a permanent basis. But you may have to go back to at least a vegetarian diet and then make the transition again, but more slowly.

Answer 3

No, that's not a normal experience when the transition is made healthfully. It should not last for more than a few days.

Have you done this under the guidance of a dietitian or nutritionist? Being vegan can be complicated to ensure you meet all of your nutritional needs. There is more to it than just cutting out animal products. If you are eating as you normally would but simply avoiding animal products, your health will suffer.

There are books available at your local library, but it would be wise to ask for a referral from your doctor to have a plan designed by a nutritional expert, according to your needs.

I'm no expert, but it does sound like you are relying too much on fruits and vegetables and not incorporating enough grains and protein. In the meantime, you could drink a fiber beverage, which is not only made for constipation, but also adds bulk to stool when there is diarrhea.

It is also important that you drink lots of liquids at this time, as diarrhea will lead to dehydration.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I am confused when you say you have constant diarrhea and loose stools, but have 3-4 BMs a day. Which is it? Because constant diarrhea is something you don't want to just shrug off, you do loose valuable salts and minerals in the diarrhea, and if your potassium levels get messed up, you will start to have your muscles do weird things (convulsions and cramping is two things I know off the top of my head).

I know when I eat alot of raw vegan food, my stools get alittle soft, but not watery (they still are solid like a ripe banana -not getting too gross I hope, and not very technical I guess :-)). If they get watery, then I know I have some bug that is trying to make its home in my large intestine and I need to take some medicinal herbs to flush it out (grapefruit seed extract works really good for that).

With all new things, it can take 6 to 8 weeks for your body to adjust. So if you feel great, and it has been just a couple of weeks, then it is normal for you (the feel great is the reason).

Good luck on your new adventure being vegan! I am going on three years now and I feel so much healthier and younger! Listen to the nutritionist, but make sure you read up on anything suggested (like iron pills are not necessary - I had black runny stools (almost like tar) when I took them, so I stopped taking them and ate lots of dark leafy greens (kale being the best) and iron is no problem for me now. In fact I have more than when I ate meat!). Just do your own research, and ask for their research behind the nutritionist's suggestions when he/she tells you.

Answer 5

The first thing I would think is that you are combining the wrong foods at one meal. This is the best way to create diaheria. For example, eating fruit with something else such as a grain vegegetable or grain.A few things come to mind. First, if you’ve gone from a pretty bad diet to suddenly eating healthy, your body will have to adjust. All those strong acids that your body is used to using for meats and junk processed foods may still be there, getting ready for the usual meal, but when different food comes in, the digestive juices are anticipatedly wrong. Could take months to fully adjust. I would conjecture that it would be no different from the person who hardly eats any beans, then suddenly moving to a country where their staple food is beans. I’d be willing to bet that they’d be running to the bathroom often and stinking up the neighbourhood.

Personally, when I first started eating better, I ate brown rice instead of pasta (being a bicycle racer, pasta is a staple of the diet), it just wouldn’t fill me up at all, It seemed I just couldn’t extract the nutrients from rice and it didn’t digest well, yet the Japanese bicycle racers I knew had no problem. Now I eat rice nearly every day and it digests very well and I have no digestive problems. In fact, when I used to eat meat, I could be on the toilet at least half an hour. Most guys think taking a poo takes at least that long is normal. Now it’s just minutes. I know other guys who have bowel movements every few days. One guy I know thinks it normal to poo every 6 days or so. This is how backed up people are. It really should be once every 7 hours after the typical meal (depending on the food).

The second thing that comes to mind is that you are combining the wrong foods at one meal; this is the best way to create diarrhea. People do it every day; drinking their orange juice with their breakfast of toast with butter, and cereal with milk, then coffee on their way to work. I also see people eating vegetable salad with fruit and nuts in there, then topped with some salad dressing. There’s the construction worker eating a processed meat sandwich, coffee with cream, doughnuts, potato chips, then at the end he eats some apples for a good balanced meal. Yum!

It’s great to eat a variety of foods, but not all at one meal. Basically, one should eat fruit alone, and not mix with other types of fruit (acid, sub-acid, sweet; lemons, apples, figs). Proteins only mix well with starchless vegetables (lettuce, peas, carrots) and they mix well with beans & legumes (lentils, kidney, lima beans, etc.) and starchy vegetables (bread, grains, potatoes). The last three are all a good combination together. This is basic Science 101, not some kind of alternative thinking.

Answer 6

It's the fiber. Our bodies always adjust. Once you adjust to a high fiber diet, you may find that you get easily constipated if you go without fiber for even a day. So it's a 2-way street.

Answer 7

it should take less then 1 week, i think the problem here is protein drinks, cut out and eat simple, like eat oatmeal and only oatmeal for breakfest, some bread for lunch, and bread for dinner, maybe some fruits or veggs with the lunch and dinner, you got to eat simple for awhile, then it'll adjust and you can eat all kinda of vegetarian delicous food

Answer 8

Go to Gnc or Vitamin world and Get some Vegiterian Vitamins by in bulk it is cheaper!

Answer 9

That isn't normal. You might want to see a doctor. Or at least adjust your diet.

Answer 10

Being a vegan means that you have a constantly high level of fiber in your diet. You'll have to get used to the more frequent bm's. I'd be remiss if I diddn't remind you that you are an omnivore. The human body does need a certain amount of animal protien to be healthy and function properly. Just be careful of sudden changes and consult a physician is all I ask.