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Protein Powder and Farting


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I have been lifting for a few months, both while vegan and not. Protein powders including whey and casein made me have horrible smelling farts. It also made my tonsils swell up and be annoying (one of the reason for the vegan switch)

 

I have switched to a vegan protein mix (this will remain nameless for now) that features a mix of hemp,rice, and pea proteins, with a ton of fiber and vitamins to boot.

 

This has given me diarrhea and farts that are the most horribly smelling scents I have ever experienced. I'm talking, like mud, grass, and baby diarrhea mixed together. Did I mention they are warm?

 

 

I gradually upped the protein supplement specifcally to try to avoid this, but it did not help.

 

Anyone who has used supplements has experienced gas, but why is it far worse smelling then the diary protein? I mean, this kind of reaction must mean something...

 

Most importantly, is my system refusing to digest it and just farting out all of the good stuff?

 

Anyone else experience this?

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I experienced terrible smelling gas while using whey and casein powders. I was also just farting a LOT. Then I realized... duh... I was making big, delicious shakes and, in the process, ingesting a lot of AIR. Since stopping these products, I have only added a bit of Nutivia protein + fiber powder to my oatmeal, but haven't used it in shake form. I've noticed my gas levels have gone back down to normal. I guess they smell pretty normal (but my sample size is also smaller). So, while I can't comment on the terrible smell, if you are having a lot of shakes you might consider letting them settle for a bit so that you don't swallow as much air. Then at least you might pass less gas, although it might still be awful smelling.

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I haven't experienced anything to that extent, but I take a custom blend of pea and rice proteins to which I have added a "protease enzyme complex." The enzymes make a huge difference (for me) in digestibility.

 

I also add a greens supplement to my smoothies that used to bother me at first, but after sticking to it for a while and eating lots of other food around the same time of day, I tolerate it just fine these days.

 

If you're talking about Vega there's a whole bunch of other crap in there like maca and stuff that I could conceive giving you digestive issues besides the protein itself.

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Casein, whey, dairy are full of bacterias and strong viruses, that's why milk, yogurt and cheese stink less than 1 week after opening it and kept in the fridge, even if it's been pasteurized ! Also, any diet (vegan or not) with too much foods high in proteins (which mean a lot of sulfur, phosphorus, etc) will result in lots of stinky wastes.

Follow the Food Combining Rules. Simple chemistery: if you mix many things together it can explode and smell really bad. But if you eat simply, like mono-meals (one food per meal) and allow enough time between each meal to allow to digest the previous meal, you will have no problem, and if you chew well also like FallenHorse said. Space is important between meals, drink water 10-20 minutes before a meal, not while or after eating, especially if it is fruit juice or anything with sugar.

 

When I eat a diet like this I never fart a single time for weeks and weeks, believe me or not: many fruits in the morning, carbs at lunch like rice with avocado and a green salad, few hours later some hemp powder with water, for dinner a huge salad with many veggies. Some more fruits if I want to at the beginning of these meals.

And then when I eat all kinds of stuff mixed with all kinds of stuff and eating more often and larger servings and more cooked and processed food or more proteins, mized with sugar, etc, the symptoms you described begin to appear.

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I have never gotten gas from protein powders, but I have only used one glass a day and never animal product derived powders.

 

Fiber is recommended because your body doesn't digest it, thus it acts like a broom and cleans you out. Fiber sitting in your system can also cause gas. Try using a protein powder without fiber.

 

Try using less protein powder and/or eating less.

 

One cause of flatulence is eating too much at one time.

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Wow, lots of helpful posts. I actually think that it's more of a bean, or simply high protein issue as I cut out the powder and still had the nightmare farts.

 

As a vegan, especially one trying to put on lean muscle, I believe that beans are a reality of every day. So I may just have to deal with it.

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If you're eating much soy you might consider eating more tempeh and replace ordinary tofu with sprouted tofu (if you can find it. Wildwood makes one). They're more digestible than regular soy. Sprouting your own beans/lentils would help too if you have the time to do that.

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When I first made the switch over I was eating a lot of processed foods like breads, faux meat, etc and almost all cooked foods and I had terrible gas problems. Now I eat a lot more raw fruits and veggies and barely have any bad gas anymore. Just my experience. Protein powder does not give me gas, but I have only used Sun Warrior and it seems to be a unique product.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Try soy or hemp.

Easier to digest.

 

Most people have issues with soy.. But for some odd reason, despite having IBS and being unable to tolerate tofu, soy protein isolate works well with me.

I like to put hemp in my green smoothies too.

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