I used to be the person who ate a giant raw salad for lunch every single day. However, as I’ve moved into my late 50s, I noticed that those raw greens started making me feel incredibly bloated and uncomfortable by mid-afternoon. It felt like my digestion just slowed down to a crawl.
About three months ago, I decided to try lightly steaming or roasting almost all of my vegetables instead of eating them raw. The difference has been night and day for my gut comfort. I still get all the nutritional benefits of my favorite greens, but without the painful gas and heaviness that used to follow my meals. It turns out my system just needed the fiber to be a bit more ‘pre-digested’ by the heat.
I’m curious to hear if others in this age group have made a similar shift? Have you found that certain vegetables are still okay raw, or do you cook everything now? Also, does roasting vs. steaming make a difference for you?
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I had the exact same experience! I can’t touch raw kale anymore without paying for it later. Roasting broccoli with a little olive oil has been my go-to lately. It’s much tastier too.
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I still do raw salads but I have to chop everything very finely, almost like a slaw. If I don’t, I definitely feel the bloat. It’s interesting how our bodies change as we get older.
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Does this apply to fruit as well? I’ve been wondering if my morning apple is part of the problem.
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I find that steaming is better than roasting for my digestion specifically. Roasting can sometimes create a ‘skin’ on peppers or onions that still irritates my stomach. I also started adding a bit of ginger to the steaming water, which seems to help even more. It’s all about trial and error at this stage of life, isn’t it?
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Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been struggling with my lunch salads lately and never thought to just steam the greens instead.
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