Undigested Rice, Is This Normal?

[Greeneyes4950]

Normally i don't eat a lot of boiled brown rice, but lately i have.

This is pretty gross, but when i go to the bathroom it seems like my entire stool is very soft and is composed of rice (like you can literally see the grains) and a light yellow brown in color.

I know i cook the rice properly because i usually leave it boiling for more than an hour.

Is it normal not to be able to digest rice like this?

[Nancym]

Nope, don't think that's normal. I never have rice come through undigested.

[Salem]

Nope, never happened to me either. Both of my sisters cannot eat rice, the call it "sushi sickness". 20 minutes after eating sushi, they are in the bathroom. Rice is usually really digestible. If your body is rejecting rice, maybe you shouldn't eat it!

Normally i don't eat a lot of boiled brown rice, but lately i have.

This is pretty gross, but when i go to the bathroom it seems like my entire stool is very soft and is composed of rice (like you can literally see the grains) and a light yellow brown in color.

I know i cook the rice properly because i usually leave it boiling for more than an hour.

Is it normal not to be able to digest rice like this?

[AliB]

Your body is probably having a problem digesting carbohydrates. Try following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a while which eliminates grains and starches, to allow your gut time to heal. Because of the damage, the enterocytes cannot produce the enzymes needed for carbohydrate digestion which is why they are going straight through you.

There is a thread on the SC Diet on this section and plenty of info on the internet.

[PaulaJ]

Until not long ago, I used to notice a lot of undigested foods in my stools--it was quite frightening really. For me, I think going gluten-free was a big step in helping turn things around. Some other things I have done to help my digestion, is take HCL (hydrocholric acid) with any meals containing protein (any meal or snack that was more than just a piece of fruit or some vegetables). I sometimes take digestive enzymes as well. If you haven't been gluten-free very long, that could be part of the problem--your intestines need more time to heal. Some other possibilities: your pancreas may be tired and not putting out enough digestive enzymes. You might see some difference by taking digestive enzymes with your meals while continuing to be gluten-free. Also you may need some good bacteria--such as acidolphilus and bifidus. Another thing--I recently found out from my GI test is that I was "borderline" for h. pylori, a stomach bug that can cause stomach ulcers and survives the stomach environment by creating a low stomach acid environment for itself so it can live and thrive. Ulcers aside (I didn't have one)--we need that stomach acid help us digest our food and set off the other chains of events for digestion--such as the release of enzymes in the small intestine by the pancreas, etc. I treated with 4 weeks of mastic gum 1 g 2x day. From what I have read, at least 50% of the population has this bug. Hope these ideas help.

[PaulaJ]

I followed Nancym's link to the Gluten file (thanks Nancy) and read this article - it touches on pancreatic insufficiency "which often accompanies celiac disease, especially in its early stages of treatment." So, as I said, it is possible your pancreas has some resting to do yet and could probably use some help in the form of digestive enzymes to help ease its load, rest up, and get back to normal.

Also, an allergy nurse I know (who also suffers from GI/celiac and has poor pancreatic function so she takes enzymes) said that one thing our pancreas does to help the body get rid of gluten and other foods we are allergic/intolerant to is to put out tons and tons of enzymes to help the body get rid of the antigen or intolerant food. At some point, the pancreas is just tired and cannot keep up with the demands.

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