I have like $15 for the next 5 days so I’ve been eating nuts for breakfast and brown rice with steamed carrot and tofu for dinner the last few days. It’s keeping me alive but I think I’m getting too much fibre because my shits are getting thinner and thinner. I don’t really wanna shit water for the next week, what’s the cheapest food I can use to bung myself up. I’m thinking just buy a loaf of the cheapest bread I can find and munch a few slices dry here and there. I’ll need to buy some more rice/tofu over the weekend, should have enough left for some bread.
PS. The only way I can cook rn is steaming, the only kitchenware I could afford until next payday was a rice cooker that I can steam stuff in too.
Big bag of rice and big bag of dry beans gonna be the cheapest (hydrate the beans yourself) and gets you complete protein, fiber, carbs
Fiber has the opposite effect to that. That shouldn't be causing that. Unless you have like a specific food allergy or bowel condition. When did the loose stools start in relation to the diet change? Are you using a bunch of hot sauce or anything?
Fiber has the opposite effect to that
I'm confused. I heard fiber is what you need if your stools are too hard?
So fiber bulks up stool and absorbs water to ease elimination. So if your stool is too hard that usually means you are not pooping frequent enough. So the fiber would help push things out
As plenty of others have said I doubt it’s too much fibre.
My recommendation would be to buy some oats, they’re really cheap. OP, you can make porridge in a rice cooker with water instead of milk/milk substitute to keep it cheap.
Oats are fantastic for digestion, and have a bit of protein in them too. They’re also great for energy and nutrients. Anyone reading this should eat more oats not just OP, they’re a very good idea.
Oh my god oats in a rice cooker is an incredible life hack! Thanks
It actually is, it’s a no stir no faff way of making oatmeal/porridge. I don’t own a rice cooker any more, but when I did I had my routine timed to perfection to bang them on before I got in the shower and got dressed, then by the time I came downstairs again I had perfect porridge every time. It’s a nice warm way to start the day.
“Too much fibre” is not a problem unless you’re not drinking enough water.
The recommended fiber intake for adults is like 38g a day and almost impossible to hit without supplementation, like unless you're actively fibermaxxing I doubt that's your issue
Could you elaborate on what you mean by thin poop. Im pretty sure fiber is supposed to do the opposite of this and i don't think there is such a thing as too much. If your shits be watery and ur eating lots of fiber i think you need to go to the doctor tbh.
How long has this been going on for? Not that I'm a doctor feel free to ignore but this sounds alarming
Too much fibre results in constipation and there is a thing as too much, but generally it's difficult to get there.
Water doesn’t thin your poop even more? I’ve been drinking quite a lot of water mainly to fill myself up lmao
wait. maybe i misunderstood your post. water does thin it, whereas fiber does the opposite. not sure how you can have too much fiber and still have thin poop. might be not food related
I think too much fibre can result in both constipation or diarrhea under the right circumstances.
I think generally it has to do with how much water soluble fiber you're consuming vs water insoluble fiber you eat. Iirc it's insoluble fiber that will goop up and slow your digestion down.
In this case I would buy either some off brand metamucil to see if that directly solves the problem, or try something like eating a large bowl of spiced lentils (cause that always slows me way down, sometimes too much).
I guess it depends on what you're eating. You could be having too much fiber. But maybe that's not even the problem. Its actually undercooked legumes, and you are particularly weak to those. I had diarrhea until I doubled the cooking time for my beans and peas.
i didn't know that was a thing. does this apply more to dried beans than canned beans, or both?
Beans contain Phytohaemagglutinin (hilarious name) which need thorough cooking to break down otherwise they'll cause digestive upset. Canned beans are usually precooked dried beans are not and need cooking. Never heard about it for peas tho cos I've eaten peas from a pod many a time
I believe both. Beans have a chemical in them that causes indigestion and, sadly, from what I understand a lot of the traditional measures we take to lessen that effect (such as soaking them for longer) don't actually work. Some people get no gas or indigestion from legumes. Those of us who do should consider cooking them for longer.
Idk if fibre is your problem exactly, you might just be sensitive to the sudden change in diet. In general stuff with soluble fibre can help firm things up a bit, what you seppos call squash is a good candidate but might be costly? Canned savoury pumpkin like Kent?
Sprouting the rice might make it easier to digest? Brown rice will sprout.
Loperamide is on the WHO list of essential medicines and consequently cheap. Will work to allieviate diarrhea.
Can you afford chia seeds? I think those are supposed to help with bulking up stool, just mix them up in juice or something and then drink it up. If you have any hippie markets near you they may sell them in bulk so you can buy as much or as little as you need.
Honestly, it's very unlikely the fiber itself, unless you're switching very suddenly to a high fiber diet from an extremely low fiber/literally zero fiber diet. The diet of rice, tofu, carrots, and nuts isn't a super high fiber diet, but it isn't a super low fiber diet either.
If this week is the first time you've had vegetables in a month or two, that might actually be the issue. Give it more time, and If that's not the case, there's something more complex going on.
It could be a poor soluble/insoluble fiber ratio, but carrots and tofu have mostly soluble fiber and rice has plenty of insoluble fiber. Bread and apples are both good additions to the BRAT diet which aren't as expensive as bananas.
Do you maybe have IBS-D? That could explain the paradoxical reaction to an increase in fiber. Do you have a history of issues with certain foods? Anything in particular that always makes you ill?
Your current diet may be a bit low in protein, and may not be adequately supporting your gut microbiota. Grab some beans and yogurt, these can help replenish the beneficial gut bacteria which may be why you're having a bad time.
If you're in the US, you may want to double check if you're eligible for SNAP or check out a food pantry for some extra help with groceries from TEFAP. (A bit more variety in your diet can go a long way towards getting you regular.)
