Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with digestion

I like salad, it hates me

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:53:32 -0800

I've regularly eaten salad as part of a healthy diet, including a period my freshman year of college eating it twice a day. I had no issues. But now, no more. Within recent years, salad has become a no go because it goes right through me. That's a shame because I honestly enjoy salad. The issues with salad have been within the last three years (over which I've also lost approximately 50 lbs) and don't seem to be tied into any particular location -- so not a case of poorly washed vegetables, etc.

Things I've considered:

- I am on Glumetza (an extended release Metformin) for PCOS and I switched to the ER after first having this issue. It went away for some time and was not an issue, generally, if I didn't take the pills with the salad. But now it's back. This is a side effect of Metformin, but my dose has been constant for about 4 years so that shouldn't be it. I do have a note, however, to discuss dosage with my doctor to see if weight loss has changed any.

- food allergies. Salad ingredients: spinach, egg whites, avocado, a splash of lemon dill dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, dill), cucumbers, green peppers, green olives, artichoke hearts and grilled chicken. I eat all of these in different meals and have no issue so I don't think it's an allergy/sensitivity/intolerance. I am lactose intolerant but there's no dairy near my usual salad bar.

Early 30s, female, mildly over weight, no health issues aside from PCOS. Any tips/suggestions/things I may have overlooked?

anon because, well, I don't need my digestive system linked with my name.

Sequential Eating, Metabolism, and Digestion

JamesBlakeAV — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:41:05 -0800

I was researching sequential eating and would like some advice, here are my thoughts and questions: It seems that it takes (on average) 2-4 hours for foods or beverages to leave the stomach. I was wanting to eat/drink something specific every two hours. I have 8 hours to sleep every night, and I like to eat right before sleep as well. This leaves me with 16 hours in a wakened state. Or, 9 segments of eating/drinking. (I drink water right when I wake up) On the basis of sequential eating, what are some useful tips/advice I could keep in consideration while putting together snacks of 1-3 things? It's looking like 4 meals a day, 5 drinks a day, alternating every two hours. OR, what I would rather prefer, is eating 9 meals a day (fruit in the morning with my water), and drinking 6oz of water every hour on the dot. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

YANMD, but do I have IBS?

uncannyslacks — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:06:48 -0800

YANMD, but do I have IBS? How do I cope? I am wondering if my symptoms are simply IBS or perhaps something else. Essentially, I go through periods of being able to eat normal amounts of food at meals and then periods of not being able to eat very much without getting nauseous. During these times, I will often just switch to crackers, cereal, and other mild foods.

I spoke to the doctor about these things and got a blood test. The doctor basically told me that I probably have IBS.

I've started taking probiotics, and I've stopped drinking coffee. Both of those things seemed to do me good in the short term, although I'm not sure how much they help now. I still drink alcohol, but even that in small amounts now seems to bother me. I used to be able to drink lots of coffee, alcohol, and eat regularly in college. I took a relatively stressful job 1000 miles away from home 2.5 years ago, and these symptoms started appearing around that time, although overtime they have become more pronounced.

My cousin has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), my other cousin had Chron's which made it difficult for him to eat at times, my mom can't eat when she is stressed, and several of my family members have celiac disease (can't eat gluten). Needless to say, digestive issues run in my family.

Basically, all signs seem to indicate IBS, but I'm not sure how to cope. Do I have IBS? Were you diagnosed with IBS? How were you diagnosed? How have you learned to cope?

I can get an A, but can I do it without a trip to the bathroom?

ocherdraco — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:52:12 -0800

[TMIfilter] Test anxiety and bodily functions. Help me keep it together. This semester, during exams, I've developed a very nervous stomach. Twice during exams I have had to be escorted by a proctor to the restroom so that I can vomit and/or deal with diarrhea. What's weird is that I'm not actually that nervous. I have been well prepared for all six of the exams I have taken so far, and have gotten good grades. Last semester (my first back in school after five years working) I did not have these problems.

For my exam this morning, I thought I had prepared; I ate an early dinner the night before, did not eat or drink before the exam this morning, and visited the bathroom several times beforehand. But still, as soon as the papers were handed out, my bowel rebelled. I tried to deal with it, breathing deeply and telling myself that it was just nerves, but about an hour into the exam I had to ask for an escort to the bathroom.

This has got to stop. For one thing, it's miserable, and for another, I've got the MCAT coming up in a little over a year, and I can't be a slave to my bowel for that. Also, it seems highly unlikely that future exams will all be proctored by people who will be okay with escorting me to the bathroom. How can I keep my digestive tract from sabotaging me?

Most Efficient Anaerobic Digestion?

gzimmer — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:25:16 -0800

All other factors held constant, what types of microbes at what temperatures would yield the most efficient way of turning an organic waste stream into a a source of methane fuel for use as natural gas? I haven't taken biology in many years, so I'm missing a lot of knowledge in the area I'm sure. But I'm learning more about anaerobic digesters and find them very interesting, but I'm having trouble finding more indepth analyses of the specifics of the microbial interactions and how it could be optimized.

Perhaps I'm a cow? Why do I regurgitate my food?

HopStopDon'tShop — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:03:46 -0800

YANMD digestion filter: I regurgitate food. Regularly. If I do any vaguely strenuous exercise within 2 hours of eating, or sometimes longer, up come bite-sized portions of my meal, intact, into my mouth. WTF? It also happens if I go to the toilet (for, you know, a bowel movement) within 1 or 2 hours of eating. It doesn't seem to matter whether I ate a lot or a little, spicy or non-spicy, fruits, veggies, meat, whatever. And if I exercise, particularly if there's any abdominal exercise involved, I can count on having to re-chew my food and swallow it again. Does anybody have any idea what could be going on here.

(I've read that this could relate to some sort of allergy but I was hoping there might be someone with experience here - I've spoken to my doctor and he doesn't seem to care much as there's no pain or discomfort, really - there's no bile in there or anything.)

Why is suck

chaiminda — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:46:34 -0800

Always hungry, except when I eat meat - then I want to throw up. What is wrong with me? About ten months ago I had such terrible nausea/diarrhea that I went into urgent care. They did blood tests and had no idea what was causing any of that, but did diagnose me with pre-diabetes as a result of the blood tests. I did lots more GI tests and was eventually given a blanket "probably" diagnosis of IBS (I was also treated for a parasite, but I feel no different after the treatment). The strength of the GI symptoms comes and goes, but I do almost always feel nauseous while/after eating meat and other high-protein/fat things, like cheese.

Between controlling my blood sugar (I have to eat really, really low carb) and the nausea whenever I eat high-protein stuff, I am pretty miserable a lot of the time. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is there something I should have my doctor check for? Would a nutritionist be any help?

Guts: FIFO?

five fresh fish — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:04:15 -0800

Intestinal systems: FIFO? First In–First Out: Is that how guts work? Or is there some mechanism that promotes some material forward while holding other stuff back?

What do these foods have in common?

abashed — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:02:40 -0800

I've identified the things my digestive system doesn't like, but I don't really understand why these foods are causing me trouble. Can you tell me what these foods (list inside) have in common so I can get a better understanding of what it is I am reacting to and so I can avoid other related things? Foods I can't eat ever, under any circumstances without serious and immediate Bad Consequences (I can't stress enough how eliminating these things has completely changed my life):
High fructose corn syrup
Onions - all kinds, even onion flavouring seems to be a problem
Oats
Fruit juice - especially apple juice
Any and all breakfast cereals - I've found a single one I can eat without trouble
Wholegrain wheat and seeded breads - white bread seems to be mostly okay for me, though
Milk chocolate - dark chocolate is okay
Yoghurt (the typical store-bought kind, either plain or sweetened) - but Greek-style yoghurt has been okay so far

These are okay in limited amounts:
White wheat - I seem to be okay with white bread and pasta, but only if I limit it to a couple times a week and only if it's plain white bread and not seeded
White rice - again, eating this occasionally is okay and long grain or wild rice seems to be better
Lentils - more than twice a week and I'm hating life, but small quantities are okay

Is there a pattern here that I'm not seeing? I don't know what these things have in common, so I find this all really confusing. My doctor had me try the elimination diet in the first place, for which I am grateful, but he has not been incredibly helpful since then. I am told that my list is not consistent with common food intolerances so I must be wrong about some of these things. I guess this is possible, but I've been keeping track of my diet for about a year now and while I do still have some troubles and the list needs refinement, this is what I've figured out so far. Any ideas?

Is it dangerous to eat ice?

princeoftheair — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:05:59 -0800

Aside from the dangers to your teeth, is it dangerous to eat ice? Was talking to a friend about eating spicy and cold things during the summer. I've heard from a few people that eating or drinking cold things, especially ice, can be hazardous to infants and the elderly, but can't find any specific reason for this.

Is there any particular medical reason, other than damaging your teeth, not to eat ice? It's just water, isn't it?

Running & S****ing

Anonymous — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:43:32 -0800

Two weeks today I'm running a half-marathon (my first). The running is not the problem; issues with my digestion and its effects are. How can I deal with running and the need to poop? I'm down to run a half-marathon in fourteen days. I haven't run this distance before, although I'm pretty proficient at shorter distances. I've been training hard, and I'm confident that all else being equal I can do the distance without too much pain and suffering. But there's a complication. I have had a medical condition related to my stomach and oesophagus for a few years now, for which I take daily medication. One of the side effects of this med regime is that I experience some IBS-like symptoms (hell, it could really be IBS to be honest): the chronic urgent need to poop which cannot be quelled, bouts of appalling fecal laxity, you get the picture, but it's all extremely unpredictable. Believe me when I say diet doesn't change this, and the meds have been juggled and chopped and changed and the regime I'm currently on is an improvement to how things were. So, with my running, I can be merrily out on the road in the middle of nowhere and get suddenly horribly gripped by a all-powerful need to shit, and it's impossible to carry on. After a couple of close things, I settled on a scheme: how it usually works is I go out first thing in a morning, twice a week, and I make sure that the day before I eat a very light lunch and then skip dinner entirely, so that I have very little in my system, physically, and this will be alright for me to get through an hour's running. But as I've increased my distances in these morning runs in prep for the half-marathon, I've found that with this scheme of very limited food intake 24 hours before running, I find the second hour extremely hard going indeed, almost impossible. So I was wondering if the hive mind has something insight here. Is this a common problem for runners (I don't know any to ask)? Can it be overcome by eating normally, and then taking some sort of pill (like an anti-diarrhea pill) to jam myself all up inside? Or can I get energy from non-food forms, like runners drinks or bars or gels or something? Any other idea about energy-rich foods that will have a very very light impact on my digestive system?

Weird abdominal issues

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:21:24 -0800

Weird abdominal issues: I have a doctor's appointment for Tuesday and would appreciate thoughts on whether it's OK to wait until then. Background: I'm a late 30s male, normal weight, taking simvastatin for cholesterol control for about the last 6 months.

In the last two weeks, two possibly related symptoms have appeared and might be getting worse (or maybe it was the feast last night).

The first is an intermittent weird pressure (or sometimes pulling) in my lower abdomen, immediately above my testicles. Not really any pain and just slight discomfort, but disconcerting. I can't find any weird bulges or the like. Maybe a hernia? I have done a little heavy lifting that I am not accustomed to.

The second is bouts of severe indigestion in the middle of the night: discomfort and nausea, a little gas, but no vomiting or diarrhea. Bowel movements are essentially normal and regular.

I suspect the second symptom might be diet related, but would diet explain the first? Lately I have been worse about eating fatty foods, getting lazy since the statin meds have reduced my cholesterol. Also, I drink quite a bit of strong beer, often 4 or more glasses a night. This amount hasn't given me any trouble before. The nocturnal indigestion might correlate with the amount of drinking. I plan to cut out all alcohol the next day or two and see if it helps. I have no history of food allergy, lactose intolerance, etc.

I have a doc appointment on Tuesday. I've been trying to call the office today to see about getting in, but nobody is answering the phone and they are closed on the weekend, so I probably can't get in before Monday or Tuesday.

If there is a reason to suspect this needs attention before then (appendicitis?), please let me know. Thanks!

throwaway gmail: medicalaskme

2 x food = 2 x calorie intake?

omnigut — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:33:02 -0800

fatfi: if you eat twice as much, do you take in twice the number of calories? Or does your body begin to ignore food or process it differently once you pass a certain threshold?

Could I have a food allergy, intolerance or both?

greenfelttip — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:27:16 -0800

Could I have a food allergy, an intolerance, both or neither? Special snowflake diet/symptoms info inside. I've been reading a lot about nutrition and health lately, and some of the info I've come across leads me to believe I might have a food allergy or intolerance, or some kind of combination. I've already made an appointment with my doctor to find out for sure, but she's on holiday and can't see me for three weeks. So I turn to you guys for a general idea of what kind of measures I should be taking in the meantime, if any.

Salient points to consider:

- I frequently have episodes of feeling bloated, somewhat nauseous (though I don't vomit) and constipated. It feels as if my body is taking a long time to digest the food I eat.

- I'm often really tired/sleepy and can't figure out why - especially in the mornings and mid-afternoon. I usually get around 7-8hrs of sleep a night.

- I know I'm allergic to cats and dust. I have allergic asthma. However, I'm often wheezy/short of breath even when there's not much dust or no cats around. Yet my lung capacity is (according to my doctor) apparently very good.

- I sneeze all the time. Every day, up to a few times an hour, in all manner of different environments, at all times of year. My eyes and especially inner ears are often also very itchy. This 'sneeziness' has been an issue all my life.

- My diet is not the healthiest, but not the crappiest either. I eat a decent amount of veggies, fruits and legumes each week, nearly always cook at home and pack my work lunch. 1 cup of coffee a day. But I have quite the sweet tooth, and particularly, a big thing for dairy. Everything tastes better with cheese melted on top of it.

- I'm a mid-twenties female, from an Asian family, in case it's relevant. No other health issues.

So do you think it's likely I have a food allergy/intolerance?

Is there a way I can test for it myself?

Is it safe to cut foods out of my diet before I see my doctor? If so, which foods, and what should I eat instead to make sure I don't miss out on any nutrients? Any supplements I could take?

I'm currently suffering from a particularly severe case of 'funny tummy', with more digestive problems than usual - feeling bloated, really full, and often slightly nauseous. So while I'm looking for ideas about my general nutritional health, I would also really appreciate tips on what I should be eating and doing right now to make myself feel better before I can see my doctor.

Of course, YOU are not my doctor :)

With many thanks in advance!

sugar-free, flour-free diet?

bearette — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 22:27:33 -0800

Do you have any experience with the sugar/flour-free diet esp. in relation to it aiding digestion problems? After having some pretty bad stomachaches and digestion problems (got an endoscopy and according to that my stomach was healthy but the doctor said my "digestive ability was not that good" and I should avoid overly sweet, oily, spicy, etc, foods) I decided to try and cut added sugar (not cutting out fruits, etc) and white flour from my diet.

I am wondering if anyone has done this/is doing this, and if it has improved your digestion? Anything I should be aware of? Is it wise to look at this as a long-term thing, or have you found it too restrictive? I know a lot of people do this to lose weight too, so experiences about that are also welcome (I certainly won't be disappointed if I wind up losing weight).

I decided to do this because I know I eat to much sugar. As for flour, I have a hunch that bread is hard for me to digest and causing the stomachaches. It's only been a few days on the diet, but I feel good so far.

I know that consulting with a physician about this question would be optimal, and I will consider that, but I live in China and it's difficult to get that kind of consultation here (doctors offices are run more like huge clinics).

Time frame for improvement when lactose intolerant?

medusa — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:59:12 -0800

If you have lactose intolerance, how long does it take to feel better after stopping eating dairy products? My doctor thinks I might be lactose intolerant and has told me to stop eating dairy products for a few weeks. 10 days in things are as bad or worse as when I was eating milk/cheese/etc. (For me, this means lack of appetite, stomach & intestine pain and cramps, gas, and diarrhea.)

It would be helpful for me to get a sense of other people's experience of this: once you stop eating milk products, how long does it take for you to feel better?

My gut is not a calorimeter.

phrontist — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:34:26 -0800

Prompted by this comment, I'm here to ask what the deal is with "calories" as a measure of "nutritional content" (whatever that means). I understand that the calorie value we see on food packaging is arrived at by burning the food in a calorimeter, and that this would be an effective measure of the total chemical energy in the substance. How well does this actually approximate the energy our body can put to use (mechanically, or for other biological processes)? Isn't this measure essentially useless for people trying to lose weight? Why do we put so much emphasis on it then? Are there some foods which have an astronomical number of calories which our digestive systems can do little with?

Bacteria: How much is too much?

hermitosis — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:47:45 -0800

I eat lots of yogurt and drink lots of kefir and kombucha. Do all these cultures live compatibly in my digestive system, or am I creating World War III in there? I probably drink two servings of kombucha and two servings of kefir every day (not at the same time), and often one additional serving of yogurt. I don't feel any ill-effects, but I have to wonder what's going on in there now, and if I'm maybe canceling out the beneficial effects of the individual cultures I'm consuming. Anyone?

What can you do to aid in the digestion of a whole bag of coconut?

gwenlister — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:47:25 -0800

My idiot cousin ate a whole bag of shredded sweetened coconut last night and SHOCKINGLY feels really ill today. Is this something hospital visit worthy? Is there anything she can take/eat/do do help the massive pile of coconut move along in her system?

Is This A Digestion Issue?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:12:15 -0800

I have poop problems. If you can stand talk of poop, please tell me if I should be worried. Hey there. I'm 25, female. Here are some of the things that have been worrying me.

1. Most of my life, I've had a bowel movement, maybe, once every other day. It was fairly common for me to feel constipated, but nothing really noteworthy. Now, it's up to five times a day (but usually more like two or three times). I'm going so much, my butt regularly bleeds from all the wiping (but only a little bit). I noticed the increase in my going about 3-4 months ago. (It's not diarrhea, but it's sometimes pretty close to it. Oh, and I get diarrhea every once in a while too. Maybe once or twice a month.)

2. Know how you can't digest corn, so it just comes out the same way it went in? I'm getting that a lot...but with foods other than corn. Pretty much vegetables, from what I can tell. For instance, (and I'm so sorry for how disgusting this is) I ate coleslaw with dinner and the next morning there were recognizable pieces of cabbage. Same with spinach, tomatoes, and other bits I couldn't recognize. The pieces are disturbingly big. This happens regularly, nearly daily. It never, ever happened to me before this period in my life.

3. The color keeps changing. Sometimes it's brown, but it also now is sometimes greenish, or reddish, or orangeish, or reallyreally dark brown. Maybe it has to do with what I ate previously, but I can't really tell.

There have not been any changes in my regular diet.

Those are the main three things that have been worrying me. It's hard enough for me to ask anonymously on the internet about this, so you can imagine how much I don't want to have to talk to a doctor about it. Is this something I really should talk to a doctor about, or is this just how poop is sometimes?

Beyond these issues, I've been feeling okay (pretty much). No weight changes, no stomach pains, nothing like that. The only thing I have to complain about is I've been growing more and more tired all the time, and my doctor doesn't have an explanation for that. Could it be related? (because yes I saw a doctor because I've been feeling so tired, and no I didn't bring this up. Yeah, I know that's kind of stupid.)

Thanks for any advice.

I want to free my brother from his stomach issues.

stormygrey — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:55:24 -0800

What could be wrong with my brother's stomach? I come from a rather "robust" family, the kind of family where my size 10 makes me the skinny one and when I got to an 8 they thought I was sick, yet my youngest brother has always been very thin and a picky eater.

For the past year, he has had a severe digestive issue and has dropped an alarming amount of weight, its almost like his peristalic wave is severely retarded. I am going to give you a lot of back story in case somehow, somewhere, you can see a connection.

He started taking vitamins regularly at a very young age and has never seemed malnourished, however, he had the hardest time catching up in size and weight to his peers, he was a tiny, tiny child, until perhaps middle. He is currently 5'7 and normally weighs around 135 or so, so smallish, but in the realm of normal (I am 5'8 and my father is 5'9) We are also all academic, all of us (me and 3 brothers) were all star students, scholarshiped to death etc. My other brothers and I were diagnosed with ADD as young adults(19-21). He and I suffer from Asthma. I am allergic to shellfish, iodine, and wheat. He doesn't have food allergies that I know of, but he hasn't had the battery of tests I have.

I am going to give you a lot of back story in case somehow, somewhere, you can see a connection. I used to babysit an autistic child who also had horrible digestive problems, so there might be a connection. My brother had early signs of some manner of Autism (he is currently 27), the high pitched squeel, non verbalness etc. After lots of speech therapy, handwriting therapy etc. He is an awesome young man, not the most communicative, but awesome.

He received a double degree in French Horn perfomance/composition and physics, he understands the world in waves and is really a wander to behold, I had to learn about harmonics to talk to him more often. He ended up moving back home when he graduated to find a job. He ended up as a special needs teacher, one of his students said "I love Mr. Tim because he's just like me". He also started taking classes at night to get a teaching masters. He would drive almost two hours after school got out to get to his college. He understandably was a little stressed.

He doesn't show stress. He will nap as much as he can, etc. so when he started having stomach issues, everyone including the doctors thought it was stress. However, he finished his masters up, he transferred to a low stress small school and its still happening.

The biggest symptom that affects his life is that if he eats anything after 4 and then lays down around 10, it all just comes back up. Its not like he's throwing up exactly, its just rises back up into his mouth. The food that he does keep down takes a very, very long time to come out and he ends up painfully constipated. They tried laxatives, but that provoked some kind of crazy reaction that put him in the hospital (I am not clear on this, he doesn't exactly want to elaborate on his poo problems to his sister). He has done all kinds of research on his own, trying all manner of probiotics, supplements, etc. He has had scopes going up and scopes going down, contrasts etc. The doctors still almost blow him off, give him some antiacids and tell him to take it easy. It blows my mind. He is 27, 112lbs, and is now losing hair. He lives on yougurt, ensure, and vitamins. He is living a life dicated by when and how he can manage to get enough nutrition in him.

He's in the Chattnooga area, I am in the Atlanta area, I have want him to come live with me and see if any Atlanta specialist might have better luck. So wow, sorry, that was long and crazy. I am worried about him, worried about heart problems and quality of life. Hive mind, what can we try, what should he eat, who should we see?

Digestive flora for fauna with poor digestion

subbes — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:55:29 -0800

Best probiotic supplement for an allergic cat? OR: Probiotic/digestive supplements with short ingredient lists. Backstory: At the vet's today, we decided it's time to begin treating our cat Torgo's IBD/IBS/general digestive issues more aggressively. As well as a short course of Flagyl and regular Prednisone, the vet recommended probiotic supplements with the prescription food he's been on for over a year now (Hill's z/d).

He did say that it may be difficult to find a probiotic, because of Torgo's food sensitivities. We haven't done extensive tests to determine what he's most sensitive to, because I don't want to put him through the discomfort of a reaction.

Does anyone know of any good probiotics that have limited other ingredients? The fewer ingredients there are, I'm hoping the less chance he will have a reaction, and the more I know of with limited ingrdinets, the more we can try.

Apertifs perhaps?

iurodivii — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:43:19 -0800

How can I get my digestion back in functioning order? For the previous 13 months I drank an enormous quantity of alcohol which I calculated out to averaging seven or eight drinks a day; and not going more than a handful of days alcohol-free. It was quite the bender. It served its purpose. I had my fun. Now its time for the next thing. I have thus far taken February off from drinking.

The problem is that my digestion, which degraded during the bender, became much worse when I stopped drinking - a proliferation of gases escaping out both ends and cramps when I eat anything of modest substance. My appetite is basically non-existent even when I work out. It is quite the struggle to eat in the first six hours I am awake.

I know I brought this upon myself, but I would now like to bring upon myself the appetite to eat two, maybe even three meals each day without feeling sick to my stomach. There isn't much difference between a simple rice soup or beef with cheese and garlic all over it...it all feels wrong inside me. For example the salad I forced down for dinner feels like a ball of needles in my intestines.

My attempts thus far:
I eat yogurt daily.
I have upped the probiotics by taking it in pill form as well.
I drink a quart of fresh ginger root tea (not the dried teabag stuff) a week.
I have also kicked in a liver and gall bladder herbal tincture recently.

I would love to hear suggestions I have not thought of; and if any of them help me sleep through the night, all the better.

Digestion and the end result.

jason's_planet — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:43:56 -0800

This is a question about digestion and the end result. This is purely a matter of abstract curiosity. I promise not to provide too much information. OK . . . here goes:

At what point in the digestive tract does food start to resemble feces?

Is it in the large intestine? The colon? Does this vary for different types of food? Would yogurt, for example, convert to feces at a different point in the digestive tract than, say, a big piece of steak?

Does this vary for different people? Or is this point pretty universal?

Thanks for your time.

Will the real owner of the tummy please stand up?

grumblebee — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:31:38 -0800

This is a dumb question about long-term relationships and stomach gurgling. Yes, you read that right! When I'm in bed with my wife and her or my tummy rumbles, we can't agree on whose tummy it is. Anyone else experience this? What's the cause? I keep thinking about posting this and putting it off, because it seems so stupid. But it comes up over and over, and I'm baffled by it. It's not a problem. It's just a nagging curiosity.

I'll be lying in bed next to my wife and I'll feel and hear my tummy gurgle. Note that I don't just hear a sound, I FEEL that bubbly, fluttery feeling. Sometimes, after it happens, we look at each other and I say, "Sorry, that was my tummy."

At which point my wife surprises me by looking surprised and saying, "No it's wasn't! It was MY tummy!"

"But I FELT it," I say.

"I felt it, TOO," she says.

This happens again and again. We both experience it as coming from our own stomachs. It seems to only happen when we're really close to each other. It never happens when we're sitting on opposite sides of the sofa.

(When it happens, we're not lying stomach to stomach. In that case, it would be understandably difficult to tell the perpetrator. We're usually both lying on our backs.)

Does anyone else experience this? What cause it? Is it really just happening to one of us and the other person is imagining things? Or do long-term couples start to have synchronized digestive issues?