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Fermented foods. (tmi may be in this post if you want to skip)

User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

On Friday, I started having stomach pains. Everyone on FB is a doctor and has told me it's either pancreitis (sp?) or gall bladder. LOL Google tells me it's cancer. hahahaha Anyways, I'm sure it's from the peanuts I ate. I've had this pain several times, and I've always eaten peanuts when it happens. I try to chew them really really good, but I think I ate them too fast so I didn't chew them enough and bam! Sharp stabbing pain right where the two rib cages come together at the bottom of the rib cage. Inside the ^ part, if that makes sense. As the day went on, the pains got worse. I would get a five minute break then it would hit again. I tried to go to bed thinking laying down might help and hoped I could sleep. Two hours later of tossing and turning, I got up to go sit in the living room, but never made it past my bathroom. Lets just say food tastes better going down, than it does coming back up. And just to be sure, it came back up twice! And having your husband stand at the door while you're doing this just is not sexy. At. All. But he did give me a cold cloth to wipe my face with. :) Now that you all have this wonderful visual (and I apologize if you were eating), I did some research on gut health. Since my husband lost 4 feet of his small intestine, he's had a lot of problems with his stomach. Let's just say he knows where every public restroom is in every mall in the city as he often has to make a mad dash for one.

I went on Pinterest last night to see about fermented foods and gut health. About the only thing I saw that sounded good was fermented apples. So I went online to Amazon and ordered cultures to make my own fermented apples. I think my mother may have made something like this when I was a kid and if memory serves me right, they were good. The cultures are supposed to be healthy bacteria. I'm also going to buy some digestive enzymes from work. I'm hoping to get my stomach healthy, and to see if it will help my husband as well. 2 1/2 years since his surgery and his stomach is still not "normal" and I'm thinking it never may be.

Has anyone ever made the fermented vegetables? The most common one looks more like fermented coleslaw. I was wondering about the flavour and crispness of the cabbage after sitting for so long waiting to ferment. I don't know that I could eat soggy cold coleslaw. Does it stay crisp? And have you tried fermented fruits? I'm also going to try raspberries and blueberries. Hoping a small serving a day keeps the doctor away.


fermented apples

Comments (38)

  • Elmer J Fudd
    5 years ago

    Sorry to hear about your problem. Unless you are in great distress, it may resolve on its own. If not, please see your doctor. Good luck.

  • beesneeds
    5 years ago

    If you are having reactions after eating peanuts- it might be the nuts rather than you need to eat fermented foods. But it would be wise to check with your doctor about that. It's always best to check with actual medical professionals rather than non-professionals on the internet when it comes to one's health.

    That said, I'm pretty sure what you are describing as soggy cold coleslaw is actually sauerkraut, a fermented food. Kim-chi is another common fermented vegetable, so that might be what you are describing too.

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  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I used to have a similar pain exactly where you describe. It came and went but was almost incapacitating in its severity and the only relief I found was soaking in a warm bath. Went through a battery of tests - they suspected a twisted intestine - but nothing of concern turned up. The docs finally came to the conclusion that it was stress related so really not a big deal at all although hugely uncomfortable when it occurred.

    If your pains do not disappear on their own shortly, then for sure visit your doctor!! There is NO benefit to any sort of self-diagnosis and for heaven's sake, Facebook is worthless!! It could be nothing but it could also be a signal of something more serious that needs attention.

  • User
    5 years ago

    I hope you remember to post your results. Iv'e never heard of something like that , but it's worth investigating . Funny you should mention Google ....... when I look up symptoms for myself - I have every disease known to mankind and I should have been dead 10 years ago ..LOL !

  • Rusty
    5 years ago

    Debbie, you would be wise to see a doctor before introducing any new food into your diet. You don't want to take a chance on causing harm, do you? I don't know what the symptoms of a peanut allergy might be, but it does sound as though the peanuts could be causing your distress.

    As for 'fermented coleslaw', that is commonly known as sauerkraut. And I have made that many times in my younger years, it needs no 'starter' to ferment. So I'm wondering if other vegetables and fruits really 'need' a starter. I just glanced at the website you linked to, but I would certainly study it very thoroughly before I considered actually following any advice or 'recipes' offered there. A number of things about it seem, at first glance, pretty sketchy to me.

    Anyhow, I do hope you will be feeling better soon!

    Rusty

    P.S. Also, your description of the pain, along with throwing up, is very similar to what I had when I was diagnosed with ulcers. There are just so many things it could be, you really need a professional diagnosis!

  • annztoo
    5 years ago

    Since it happens only with peanuts then it sounds like you have some type of sensitivity/allergy to peanuts.

    You may want to research probiotics for intestinal health. There are many brands out there but they don't all have the same ingredients, so learn what to look for and read the labels.

  • Elmer J Fudd
    5 years ago

    My understanding is that most people don't need to continue taking probiotics on an ongoing basis. Once particular gut organisms are introduced, they develop and reproduce on their own. Other than when affected by events like taking antibiotics, they take care of themselves without need for continual additions. Selling them for ongoing use is a racket like so many unneeded "supplements" people take without doing so on instructions of a physician.

    Self-diagnosis is rarely accurate nor useful.

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    5 years ago

    I would get a similar stomach upset if I ate cashew nuts.

  • OklaMoni
    5 years ago

    I got that sort of feeling and reaction after eating fried fish in any restaurant. I could pan fry fish at home, and had no problems.

    That was in the mid to later 80's, and I just cut out fried fish. Now, deep fat fried anything doesn't taste or sound good to me at all, and I only eat one or two servings of french fries per year.

    Haven't had a similar problem since.

    Moni

  • OutsidePlaying
    5 years ago

    Please be careful introducing anything into your DH’a diet and yours too. Did your DH have Crohn’s? If so then he should be eating a restricted diet anyway and apple peels are not allowed.

    I worked with someone who had most of his colon and intestines removed and he followed a very strict diet with remarkable results (no colostomy bag). He was consulting with several doctors at a major hospital in our area.

    As for your health, yes, digestive health is very important to overall health but I would at least get to the bottom of any food reactions before introducing something new.

  • nickel_kg
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    There's a lot of fermented foods I like, but with your recurring distress, I'd recommend (like many above) calling a doctor before making significant diet changes. They can help you figure out what's going on: is it always peanuts? only peanuts? etc ???

    Scientists are learning more about the gut microbiome and what to eat to influence our 'old friends' that live in it. Very cautiously I recommend Dr Mosley's gut health book to you -- but don't let it take the place of a real life doctor, please. Your health is important enough to have a real-world health care professional involved.

    edited to add: those apples sound delicious!

  • sprtphntc7a
    5 years ago

    i agree with others, consult your primary or go see a gastroenterologist ... eating peanuts, popcorn, seeds etc is also a sign of diverticulitis... lots of things could be going on besides 'gut health'.

  • maddielee
    5 years ago

    Stay away from peanuts and look into early signs of diverticulitis. Quickly..

  • joyfulguy
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Sorry to hear of your major discomfort, Debby.

    Despite claiming to carry a number of years of experience under my belt, I cannot make any claims to any medical skills. And my tummy has scarcely ever given me problems, so I have little to offer following consultation with it.

    I'm a bit suspicious about your difficulties after having peanuts, might indicate some allergic issue - but check with experts before jumping to conclusion(s) that might be way off base.

    As you've heard - fermented cabbage is sauerkraut, that's fairly easily obtainable. And any Korean restaurant can provide kimchi, which is a staple of Korean diet. But I suggest that trying a new dietary effort might add more complications to the diagnosis.

    Hope you get the problem dianosed and dealt with soon - and without complications along the way.

    ole joyful ... who's never got close to pancreatitis - and hopes you don't

  • User
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago


    Fermented Coleslaw, not sauerkraut. They're similar, but different. :)


    My husband does not have Crohns or Colitis. He had 55 years worth of scar tissue wrap around his small intestine and it strangulated it. He had emergency surgery to remove 4 1/2 feet of small intestine, about 6" of large intestine and they took his appendix out because it's useless and he didn't need it. ;) Introducing "new" food to him doesn't affect him. He's been eating "new" foods since he met me. :) His diet was a very bland diet of hamburger and Kraft Dinner until he met me. lol He can't do spicy foods anymore. He loves them, but with him missing part of his intestines, spicy foods don't do well with him at all, so we have cut back on spices. And if I saw a doctor before introducing new foods to my diet, I would never leave her office. I'm pretty sure it's a reaction (not necessarily an "allergy") to peanuts.


    Why don't I see a doctor? I used to get bad heartburn. So bad I would have to take time off work. I had an upper GI done, and during the test, I had heartburn. The test came back there was nothing wrong with me. My mother had excruciating pain for months. Not a single test would come back with what was wrong with her. Final a bowling partner who was a nurse asked my mom about her symptoms: mom is lactose intolerant.


    So for me, I'll stop eating nuts, try a few foods for a few weeks to improve my gut health (drank a tea with fresh lemon, ginger and honey) to see if that helps. BTW, I tried Kombucha for the first time today. That stuff is nasty! I saw that there was ginger in it, and it might settle my tummy (it's still bugging me from Thursday night). I gagged down 1/2 the bottle. My husband drank the other half. We both agreed never to do that again. lol

  • Feathers11
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Store-bought kombucha is an acquired taste for many. I make my own and it's much better and more easily tolerated. I'm able to flavor it how I want, too. Kefir may be something to try.

    ETA, among my kombucha brewing friends, we agree that a little goes a long way. The bottles you can buy at the store say 2 servings--I only drink about a half cup at a time. A store bottle would last me several days. I'm sorry you had to choke it down! It's not always a pleasurable drink.

  • georgysmom2
    5 years ago

    Doesn't sound like you really want advice, but my first reaction was just because they didn't find something wrong with you last time when you had an upper GI (how long ago was that?) doesn't mean to say you don't have something wrong with you this time. Just saying.

  • maifleur01
    5 years ago

    Beyond the upper GI a scoping of your stomach if it is your stomach may be something to add to your discussion of your problem with your doctor. If you are eating the peanuts with the same thing it may be the combination or what you are eating the peanuts with rather than the peanuts. Thinking of a friend who loved salty things with a soft drink. The combination in their stomach caused major gas cramps.

  • joshuasamah
    5 years ago

    I have a granddaughter with a severe peanut allergy so very aware of the symptoms of an allergic reaction to peanuts. They can include stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Please follow up with a physician and get tested for peanut allergy. Reactions can be life threatening.

  • aok27502
    5 years ago

    I have no Info on fermented foods, but that pain sounds exactly where my gallbladder pain was. I had gall stones.

  • Jasdip
    5 years ago

    My first thought was diverticulitis, as has been mentioned.

    I've heard about milk kefir as a probiotic a few years ago and always have some in the frig. It's an acquired taste for me and I use it more for cooking (pancakes, muffins) and also put it on cereals. I can't drink it straight.

    I also make water kefir, another probiotic.

    Donna Schwenk is a guru on fermented foods and kefirs and kombucha.


    Fermented vegetables etc

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    The pain you experienced was where your stomach is, and the fact that you vomited them up tells me they were still in your stomach and never made it into your intestines. So looking to change the bacteria in your intestines doesn't make sense to me as a way to treat this issue. Avoiding peanuts does.

    My mother had similar experiences with scallops and BHA/BHT preservatives. She avoided them and then no problem.

  • arcy_gw
    5 years ago

    Do you react to peanut butter the same way? You mention nothing else that sets you off this way. Seems like a lot of work, when stopping the intake of peanuts would be your cure. I began a shot of Kefier daily to get my gut in order. Don't know if once "fixed" is a thing. Americans eat a lot of chemicals we don't even know are there...seems like what ever messed up guts would come back unless like you we know it is peanuts and avoid them. Lots of stuff about drinking vinegar, so I guess that is a cousin to this fermented food thing? Frankly I think you have proven self diagnosis/internet/facebook is not the way to go. Time to talk to an expert.

  • User
    5 years ago

    Debby, I don’t want to speculate about the pain you have, but symptoms like that can point to any number of issues, so I would still urge you to go see a physician (or at least mention it the next time you do). If for no other reason just to ensure that it really isn’t something serious.

    Regarding the fermented foods and gut health, another alternative to fermented foods would be a good quality probiotic, especially with your DH’s intestinal issue.

    Here is a small ariticle that explains why. I wouldn’t take the internet at face value based on one article, but the arguement in this article is surely discussed as well on other sites.

    https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/11/the-one-thing-health-experts-arent-telling-you-about-fermented-foods/

  • Elmer J Fudd
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    lukki, this physician sells supplements on her website. That's the point of the "article" you cite, it's a lead in to her product "discoveries".

    I looked a little more - her training was as an ER doc, so she has no experience, background nor special insights regarding gut matters. Experts don't sell products as she does, but quacks do.

    You're right, you shouldn't take things you find on the internet at face value. Especially not "information" on self-promoting commercial sites like this one.


  • DawnInCal
    5 years ago

    Nothing to add to the comments above except that I hope you are feeling better and that you/your doctor figure out what is causing this stomach upset.

    We love fermented foods and recently bought a crock for making sauerkraut, kimchi and other pickled foods. It arrived yesterday and we are looking forward to trying it out. I have added fermented apples to the list of recipes to attempt.

  • Chi
    5 years ago

    Koumbacha, miso, yogurt, kefir. I eat those and I also take pro-biotics sometimes. Personally, for me, I see a big difference when I take them and when I don't. I am a vegetarian and if I don't take them, my food passes through my system way too fast (~6 hours) and I suspect that I'm not absorbing everything I need. Probiotics slow it down.

  • eccentric
    5 years ago

    Debby, I can't eat fermented foods - funny I thought this thread was going to be about this. Actually fermented foods are just the beginning.

    If you don't want to go to the doctor, I would try avoiding peanuts in any form.

  • Elmer J Fudd
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    lukki irish said :"Do you stalk my answers "

    No, of course not. Not yours nor anyone else's.

    What often motivates me to comment is when people cite information without apparently recognizing they may be using an unauthoritative source. Cites to sites that have economic ulterior motives to try to convince people to buy their products are unreliable. Supplements are mostly unregulated by the FDA so that claims are very often outlandish and unsupported in the normal way medicines are tested and proven.

    Bona fide, mainstream physicians don't sell or endorse supplements. Biomedical experts don't sell or endorse supplements.

    I have a friend who's a surgeon. In the middle years of his career, he became disillusioned about what he was doing and surgical medicine in general. He closed his practice and with hopeful enthusiasm joined a group of physicians advocating "alternative" and "natural" approaches to medicine. He lasted there 18 months before leaving to join a surgical group practice. His simple comment to me was "everything these people were doing was bogus".

    Later edit for clarity:

    Apparently lukkiirish deleted her comment that I quoted here, I added attribution so my comment wouldn't be orphaned and make no sense.

  • patriciae_gw
    5 years ago

    There are a ton of things that you can have an intolerance to. I would see a doctor who can steer you to who you should see.

    By the by being scoped for Gerd could actually cause it to happen at the time. If everything looked healthy then something else was causing it. I turned out to be intolerant of onions.

  • Sammy
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I heard that if you only eat peanuts when the ambient temperature is above 82 degrees Fahrenheit, you can avoid gastric upset. The science behind this is that the warm air warms your pyloric sphincter which relaxes it allowing the good bacteria deeper in the gut to come to the peanuts as soon as they enter the digestive system. The sooner the good bacteria in your gut can mix with the peanuts, the better.

    P.S. The preceding paragraph is total BS. :)

  • ritaweeda
    5 years ago

    I would not think it safe to settle on any of these "diagnosis" without seeing a doctor. I had to undergo several tests before I was informed that my pain was due to a "lazy gall bladder". My grandson nearly died at the age of 11 before they realized his problem was Crohn's. Don't fool around with it. In the meantime, if it's found that it's simply a symptom of allergic reaction to peanuts you'll be good to go. As for fermented foods, I tried to eat Kimchi every day and just couldn't - the taste of it is just not to my liking for a daily dose. So I then tried the Kombucha and yes there are some that are hard to swallow due to the taste but there are others that are almost pleasant, try different ones. The worst one I tried was the ginger and lemon one - ugh! And I only drank about 4 ounces a day for about a week and then slacked off to just occasionally. Not something I would think would be a good thing too much all the time.

  • patriciae_gw
    5 years ago

    Wondering how warm air can get to your pyloric sphincter?

    I had no idea that so many people were eating fermented food for gut health. Learn something new all the time.

  • Elmer J Fudd
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    "Wondering how warm air can get to your pyloric sphincter?"

    It's probably safe to assume it doesn't.

    With the body at 98.6 degrees, "ambient temperature ..above 82 degrees Fahrenheit" is actually cool air.

    More nonsense, make believe medical understanding.

  • joyfulguy
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I could add some hot air, should anyone happen to be interested (but it doesn't help much with the fuel bill, unfortunately).

    Might be about as helpful as some of the non-professional advice, though.

    ole joyful

  • joyfulguy
    5 years ago

    How are things working out, debby?

    Are you pretty well back to normal?

    Any more info on what may have been the cause?

    ole joyful


  • Sammy
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    More nonsense, make believe medical understanding.

    Of course it is, Elmer; I made up every word of it!

    Note: See the addendum I made to my previous comment.