Getting more veg down us

[tandrsc]

I don't think it's a secret that we need to eat more veg, but if anyone is like me I struggle with it.

A lot of veg (especially green veg - which is supposed to be the best sort) gives me stomach ache or makes me throw up.

But I have found a way!

I recently bought a dehydrator from Amazon for around £30 - very reasonable I thought; and I have found that I can munch on dehydrated veg with no trouble at all.

It's an excellent way of eating lots of veg as what starts out as a very large carrot dehydrates into not very much.

Some stuff can go straight from bag to dehydrator without any preparation at all, such as pre-washed bean sprouts or frozen peas (yes you can dehydrate from frozen).

Some stuff goes a bit chewy rather than crunchy (like peas), but I find I quite like them that way.

Some dehydrator instructions tell you to blanch stuff first; but you only need to do that if you want to keep the colour, and I'm not fussed.

If I'm putting grated stuff in, I put it on some greaseproof paper so that it doesn't fall through the holes.

And of course it has a very long shelf life with no need to keep it in the fridge - just munch on a handful when you're feeling peckish and you'll know it's all good

After reading Terry Wahls recovery story (http://www.cortjohnson.org/blog/201...ry-wahls-brain-repair-regiment-return-health/) I've got my fingers crossed.

 

[CountingMySpoons]

Interesting. I've been having trouble lately with fiberous veg and fruit. I've not tried to see if dehydrated versions have the safe effect. When I first began recovering I was juicing daily and I miss that but even it bloats me now. Don't you hate how what doesn't bother us one day will mess us up another? For the first 2 or so years of my recovery I was doing well and eating well (no trouble with veg at all) and then this last year has been awful and it seems like more and more foods are bothering me.

 

[Cort]

Interesting. I've been having trouble lately with fiberous veg and fruit. I've not tried to see if dehydrated versions have the safe effect. When I first began recovering I was juicing daily and I miss that but even it bloats me now. Don't you hate how what doesn't bother us one day will mess us up another? For the first 2 or so years of my recovery I was doing well and eating well (no trouble with veg at all) and then this last year has been awful and it seems like more and more foods are bothering me.

I too have experienced increasing numbers of food over time that exacerbate my IBS. First it was only dairy and sweets..then there was gluten. Then it was eggs....If I eat too many cooked vegies they can cause it. Ditto with raw vegies although I'm trying to increase them over time.

I never thought about dehydating them but it actually does make sense. A study showed that IBS was linked to too much water collecting in the small bowel - so your finding MAKES SENSE. (How nice it is when that happens!)...

I never thought about dehydating vegies but it actually does make sense according to a recent study that showed that IBS was linked to too much water collecting in the small bowel. Maybe that's why the juicing has become a problem?

• http://www.cortjohnson.org/blog/2014/11/24/gut-finding-ibs-not-psychological/

 

[CountingMySpoons]

Thanks for posting that link Cort - makes me wonder if I need to start drinking LESS water (I drink around 70oz/day +-).

 

[tandrsc]

I have another tip for this and that's vegetable powders. These are essentially dried veg ground up into a powder.

You can by a variety online - broccoli, kale, spinach, sweet potato etc etc.

I make soup with these by adding a little salt and thickening with instant potato mash granules.

I can also mix them with tomato puree and/or lemon juice to spread on oat cakes.

It's nice to get something nutritious down me when I don't even have the energy to open a tin - which is quite a lot lately

 

[Abrin]

I was reading today about how you can make your own powdered bone broth by dehydrating it in the food processor so the concept of doing veggies as well to snack on is awesome!

 

[tandrsc]

I've had so much success with this I wanted to post an update.

Vegetable powders have proved to be awesome. After two months of eating dried veg several times a day (especially the powders in soups and spreads), they have somehow fixed my stomach. Things I couldn't eat before now give me no trouble at all e.g. fresh leaves don't make me throw up any more.

I now eat wholefood vegan at home and I can eat as much as I like of what I like and there isn't a stomach ache in sight. What's also good is that my weight now looks after itself - this was something I always had to watch.

It's great!

 

[Cort]

I've had so much success with this I wanted to post an update.

Vegetable powders have proved to be awesome. After two months of eating dried veg several times a day (especially the powders in soups and spreads), they have somehow fixed my stomach. Things I couldn't eat before now give me no trouble at all e.g. fresh leaves don't make me throw up any more.

I now eat wholefood vegan at home and I can eat as much as I like of what I like and there isn't a stomach ache in sight. What's also good is that my weight now looks after itself - this was something I always had to watch.

It's great!

That is amazing. Congratulations!