So you get a stomach ache when you try to eat…

Reader question: How long can we imagine it takes to get used to the gut and stomach with new diets? What happens in the gut and stomach when you try to change your diet? I started eating more beans, lentils, and vegetables but had gas, stomach cramps, and alternating diarrhea and constipation. What is your advice?

The nutritionist answers: Important with fiber

– Very good question! The fact that you can get used to eating more fiber is a modifiable fact and depends a lot on who you are. What happens in the gut when you change your diet depends entirely on your gut flora. If you develop symptoms as I described them, you likely lack or have too little bacteria that can break down fibers, for example, onions, garlic, and grains, says Sophia Antonson, a certified nutritionist.

Depending on the ability to break down the fibers, you will experience more or less symptoms. Still, fiber is very important, because for those with sensitive stomachs, you just have to eat the right kind. Nicer varieties are, for example, kiwi, banana, cabbage and broccoli varieties, brown rice and oats.

My advice is to contact a dietitian who can help you properly navigate all the high-fiber foods and make a good plan of how to increase your intake without your stomach reacting. In the long run, your endurance should increase and you can start eating more and more solid fiber as well.

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