Feeling Gassy and Bloated on a Vegan Diet?

As usual the internet is full of questions and answers you never thought to be asking. Here is a few entertaining examples to start this post with a good laugh:

• I went vegan and I can’t stop farting
• Do vegans fart more than meat eaters?
• Why do vegan farts smell so bad? (This is a youtube video I do not recommend watching)

Let’s take a look on the scientific side of feeling more gassy and bloated on a plant-based diet.

A plant-based diet means in almost all cases that you incorporate a lot more natural fiber into your diet. And that, well, comes with a few noisy and smelly side effects.

If that sounds or smells like something familiar to you, let me tell you one thing. You’re not alone. It’s a common phenomenon of a vegan diet. It happens to most vegan folks when they first transition to a plant-based diet. Why? Because you’re almost definitely eating a lot more fiber than you ever were before. What’s high in fiber? Oh, just — leafy greens, veggies — especially when raw, lentils, beans, bananas, chickpeas, and nuts — the building blocks of a good vegan diet. Something a typical vegan will eat every day, several times a day.

Is farting a bad thing?

From a social and cultural (occidental at least) point of view it’s not the best way to spend your time. However, from a health perspective it’s good. It means you increased your fiber intake, your body is transitioning and it will slow down. As your body adjusts to your new diet, your butt will too.

Will the farting and feeling bloated last forever?

As written, no it shouldn’t. And if it does, I do recommend talking to your GP.

How long does the feeling gassy and bloated last?

That very much depends on you. It depends on how much fiber you incorporated into your diet before you switched to a plant-based diet and your overall (bowel) health. It shouldn’t be more than a few weeks for most, though. And it does get better over time.

What can you do to feel less gassy and bloated?

1. Drink plenty of still water. It helps with digestion, and carbonated water or sodas are definitely not gonna help you with your gas sitch.
2. Fermented foods like miso and sauerkraut that contain probiotics can help balance your gut. Try adding probiotic-rich elements to more of your meals. Ginger is a true superfood generally and can help here, too. It’s anti-inflammatory, so start with meals that have a bit of ginger (lots of Asian dishes do) or add ginger to juices or smoothies. Apple cider vinegar is another great ad-on ingredient that many vegans swear helps reduce gas. Here is how to use apple cider vinegar in pancakes.
3. Get some exercise. An active body usually struggles less with gut health.
4. When transitioning to a plant-based diet, make sure to eat cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli…) cooked / steamed — eating them raw can lead to extra flatulence.
5. Tofu is soy and soy is a bean, so you can probably do the math there. New vegans oftentimes eat a lot of soy products as well as other beans, and it’s worth considering a few swaps — mushrooms here, sesame milk there — to help ease your transition.