TresSugar

You Asked: My Vegetarian Diet Is Making Me Gassy

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:47:51 -0700

Dear Fit,
I am trying the vegetarian lifestyle and have finally given up bacon and hamburgers and went meat-free. I have a family history of obesity, heart disease, and cancer, and have read that a diet rich in fruits and veggies can play a huge role in prevention. I've been loading up on the green veggies, beans, fruits, and tofu. My taste buds don't really miss meat, but it hasn't even been a week and I'm having some, well, unpleasant side effects. I'm unbelievably bloated and gassy all the time, and am close to giving up on my veggie quest. Is it possible that my body is trying to tell me that a vegetarian diet isn't right for me, or is there a way to go about this so that I'm not feeling so inflated?
- Puffed Up

First of all, I applaud you for taking your health into your own hands and going meat-free. Your body is greatly benefiting from consuming less saturated fat and more plant-based proteins. I'm actually not surprised that you're experiencing such embarrassing and uncomfortable side effects, but that doesn't mean you can't become a vegetarian. To hear my suggestions read more.

From your diet description, you're doing everything right with your food choices, but there's such a thing as too much, too soon. Vegetarian foods are very high in fiber, and if your digestive system isn't used to that, it translates to gas and maybe even diarrhea. So my advice is to slowly ease into this diet. Be a flexitarian for a while. Consume your old diet that includes meat, and gradually increase your fruit, vegetable, legume, and whole grain intake as you fade out the meat. At first, eat small portions of foods that are especially gas-producing such as broccoli, beans, green peppers, apples, and high fiber cereals. Slowly increase the portion size over time and the gassiness should begin to dissipate. Making the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle overnight is a shock to your system, so all you need to do is move forward slowly, listen to your body, and you'll be meat-free (and less bloated) within a few weeks.

Simple Tip: Rotate Ingredients When Cooking Over Gas

partysugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:15:23 -0700

When using an older stove with a flaming gas burner, it's important to rotate the ingredients to ensure even cooking. Last week, while I was helping a friend make risotto cakes, the cake in the center of the pan was done in minutes, but the cakes on the outside were barely browned. Since the heat is strongest directly above the flame, it's only natural for the middle items to cook more quickly.

Although my friend started to worry, I pointed out that if we rotated the cakes to give each one time in the center of the pan, they would evenly brown. The process is slower and requires patience, yet the reward - in our case fully cooked, golden-brown risotto cakes - is worth it. Do you have an old-style gas stove? How do you evenly cook things?

Do You Avoid Foods That Give You Gas?

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Eating spicy foods, green peppers, broccoli, beans, meat, dairy products, high fiber cereal, and apples are a few common foods that can result in gas for some people. I'm sure you know exactly what kinds of foods cause your tummy to gurgle and become bloated. So tell me . . .

Do You Grill With Gas or Charcoal?

partysugar — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:30:41 -0700

3 Gas Myths That Won't Save You Money

SavvySugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:30:57 -0800

While there are many tested tips for saving on gas and preserving on fuel, there are also a whole lot of misconceptions and wives' tales about when and where you should be filling your tank. Consumer Reports took to the streets and squashed some of the myths that have probably been cemented into your "fill 'er up!" schedule.

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5 Simple Ways to Save on Gas

SavvySugar — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:00:17 -0800

Despite a dip in gas prices at the end of the year, most SavvySugar readers estimate they spent between $1,000 to $2,000 on gas over the course of 2008, which certainly isn't chump change. Every mechanic, car nut, or know-it-all has a pocket full of suggestions for minimizing gas usage, but the penny savers at Consumer Reports have put together some tested tips for saving on fuel I found incredibly informative. Check them out and start saving today.

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Top 20 Winter Gas-Saving Ideas For Your Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:00:36 -0800

When the weather outside is frightful, your home's temperature - and your gas bill - shouldn't be. Reducing your gas heating costs isn't as simple as turning down the thermostat; everything from plugging up air leaks to using a broiler can cut your monthly heating costs drastically. So I've compiled the top 20 ways to save cash on gas at home.
Source

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High Price For Cheap Gas - Would You Rather Pay More?

LibertySugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:01:42 -0800

Last Summer the religious prayed for relief at the pump, lawmakers called for a 55 mph national speed limit to conserve fuel, and cash-strapped drivers chanted, "Drill, baby. Drill!" But today, oil goes for $40 a barrel, one-third of what it cost in July. Recently, Salon took an in-depth look into the negative consequences of falling oil prices.

Low gas prices mean economic hardship and instability in oil-producing countries - like Nigeria, Russia, Iran, Kuwait, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico - who use oil revenue to fund education, health care, or to create jobs. In addition, without the pain at the pump, we give less priority to conservation, public transportation, and developing alternative energy sources. Continued dependence on increasingly unstable oil countries could be the high price of low gas prices!

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Oregon's Green Idea: Taxing For Miles Driven Instead of Gas

LibertySugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:01:24 -0800

Oregon drivers may soon start limiting their joyrides. The governor has called for a highway tax based on miles driven, not gasoline purchases after gas tax revenues dropped to $4.8 million a year compared with 2006.

The idea is that a state task force would equip every new vehicle in the state with a Global Positioning System device to record every mile driven and where. Motorists would pay at the gas pump based on how much they drove, whether they drive a Prius or a clunker party bus.

Oregon is one of the first states to start talking about a mileage fee, but Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Texas have expressed interest in dropping the gas tax and charging drivers for their mileage. The proposal has already received plenty of opposition from Oregonians who say it would discriminate against rural residents, who have to drive farther for groceries, school and work, and caused concerns about government monitoring.

Do you think it's a smart move?

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How Much You Spent on Gas in 2008

SavvySugar — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:00:45 -0800

Gas won the crown of the most overpriced expense in 2008, and if you drove at all there's no way you couldn't notice its impact on your bank account. Most of you estimate that you've spent between $1,000 to $2,000 on gas over the course of 2008.

Now that prices have come way down, I encourage you to save the money you're no longer spending on gas. You were able to get by when you were paying almost $5 a gallon, and since gas prices are now about half of what they were at their peak, you should notice that you have a little more disposable income on your hands. Estimate how much you've saved in gas this month compared to what you were spending at the height of gas prices, and apply at least part of the difference to the amount you transfer each month into your savings account.

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