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I am McDougalling since december 2011, but my digestion is still not OK. So I am starting elimination diet tomorrow. Today I already have oats for breakfast.... Sweet potatoe don't agree with me and it's hard to find here anyway, so my starch will be brown rice and maybe butternut squash, but I don't like the taste of it so much. Vegetables will be broccoli and swiss chard. Raw fruits are the worst thing for my digestion, but I will try some cooked cherries and bananas.

What is wrong with your digestion?

The elimination diet is very bland for most individuals.

Suggestion: Report every meal here, in detail. Your readers might be able to make suggestions.

Dear Lola,

Have you tried probiotics? I thought I had an ulcer last year, but between probiotics and McDougalling, I do not have any symptoms anymore. Also, my skin is in the better shape that it has been in for years.

Not sure what your struggles are, but if you have not considered probiotics, they might be worth investigating.

Here is an article by Dr. McDougall about them:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/august/050800pro.htm

ready4more

I am bloated and from time to time I have cramps. BMs are not totally effortless and I feel I should be going more often, not just once a day. It's not just digestion, I also have some acne again and anxiety.



I read everything about digestion from McDougall, I even have Digestive tune up book. I tried enzymes and things were somewhat better, but I actually cant afford them often. I already know some foods give me problems(raw food, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, too much corn) and I want to know exactly what suits me.


I will post my meals. But for now I will eat only rice, broccoli, swiss chard and savoy cabbage.
I am McDougalling in a way which most people will find bland, so I won't have problems with this. For example, I usually ate oats and banana, broccoli and rice, polenta with salt, savoy cabbage and millet etc.

I can't do this elimination diet. Eating so much brown rice, gives me hard bloated stomach and I can't eat a lot of it, but I am hungry all the time. I also can't eat potatoes, because I feel sleepy and more hungry after eating them. Baked potatoes are much better.
Oats and millet are much better for my digestion and I can also eat rice cakes or brown rice bread, but cooked brown rice is the problem. I came to this conclusion few months ago, but I wanted to try again. Now I really see I really can't eat brown rice.
It seems, the more processed grain is, the better I can handle it. ˝Fried˝ polenta is better, corn flakes is even better, bread are better than whole grains etc. I also have more energy.
So is there any problem if I don't eat lots of whole grains, except for millet and oats? And I can't eat any raw food, all vegetables must be cooked!

If I start eating probiotics or enzymes, when I eat hard to digest food, will I have to eat them forever?

The McDougall Elimination Diet does not require anyone to eat brown rice. Use other approved starches.

I have problems with sweet potatoes and it's hard to find them here anyway. I am not sure I can get taro and winter squashes are also not OK. So there is nothing left, but puffed rice and I am eating it. Now it's my 3th day on mostly processed grains and I have so much energy since I am getting more calories easily. My digestion is 1000 times better, no more bloating, excessive gas etc.

I really don't know what to do anymore. I was drinking soy milk with calcium carbonate, which is antacid, so maybe this is why my digestion worked better. Because when I stopped, there it was again... bad digestion. Or maybe it was because I was eating not so ripe bananas. I really don't know what to do anymore.
I can't eat anything.

OK, now I will stop eating all fruit for some time, and no cooked brown rice. I will increase my consumption of vegetables, because they are neutral and stick with starches/grains that(this is just my predictions) are OK - oats, millet, rice cakes, corn flakes.

I really think it was the bananas, because if I eat too much of them in one sitting, it feels like I have a rock in my lower stomach. And sometimes my mouth burns after them. Other fruits cause indigestion.

I know that Dr. Klapper talked about usage of probiotics at one of the advanced study weekends. If you watch this one you can find out if he gives tips on using them, from McDougalls home page http://www.drmcdougall.com/

He suggested using them at night or when you won't be digesting food for a few hours and that you should test probiotics to make sure they're active (put a pill in water for a few days and there should be some growth like you would see in bread).

I took some for a few weeks and now I take some at night when I feel sick or out of sorts.

Good luck figuring it out.

Have you tried large bok choi for enjoyment? Can you make yourself a great salad everyday,with romaine, other greens (I eat bok choi like carrots)and vegetables?

Lola, I have had many of the same experiences as you.

I have completely eliminated fruit due to issues with it. I eat mostly lots of veggies (raw and steamed) with a small amount of white rice (I cannot tolerate brown rice). The ratio of rice to veggies varies. I have started having a sweet potato and for now they seem to agree with me, but mostly my diet is rice and veggies.

Good luck! I understand the struggles in finding what works for you.

If your mouth burns after eating it then you are probably allergic.
Do not use Splenda as it can interfere with digestion.
If you have problems digesting foods, read about digestive enzymes. Avoid vegetables that are gas causing vegetables until you resolve your issues. If you eat some beans for protein, take some beano when you eat them or the digestive enzymes. Protein will help keep you from getting hungry too fast. Soaking brown rice for 24 hours before cooking increases the protein in it. It may also aid in digestion but I am not sure. Don't eat large amounts of it. Corn flakes is more of a processed food. Sweet potatoes do have a chemical in them that many people are unable to tolerate. Drink plenty of water to help prevent constipation.

After all this months I finally get it what is my problem. I wasn't eating enough vegetables and I didn't include any legumes. So this is why I was so hungry, I overeat everyday, but I was still hungry at night. Now I start having 1 bowl(2 cups) of vegetables and 1 cup of legumes for breakfast and 1 bowl of vegetables for lunch and one for dinner. Grains for lunch, dinner and snacks.

It took me so long to finally get it, but better now than never.
At the beginning I was eating lots of vegetables, but still overeating - my body must has been undernourished of previous WOE.
I was also eating too much fruit, which my body didn't digest and this is why I had so much gas.

Now I am not eating any fruit. Just cooked veggies(broccoli, brussel sprouts), legumes(navy beans), rice and corn cakes, rice bread, oats, corn flakes and a little soymilk.
I will try butternut and swiss chard again. I hope they won't give me problems since they are both very nutritionally dense.

Thanks to you all, I learned all this.

Burgess, you have problems with brown rice on elimination diet. But what problems? Digestive or some others?