~chrons, colitis, ibd~ gaining weight as raw vegan?

emilytiddlywinkemilytiddlywink Raw Newbie

hello ~ i'm new to this forum but joined to perhaps gain some advice? I am a 21 year old woman fruit based raw vegan. Was vegan for several years, developed colitis (chronic autoimmune disease of colon) and have found remission through raw fruits :-) the only thing is that during my last flare in my illness I began to associate food with pain and lost a lot of weight. Now in remission with fruits I have gained a healthy relationship with food, healed my ulcers, no blood loss or fatigue, healed anaemia. It's so lovely to experience I am very thank full. The only thing that has not healed is my weight? I am still very tiny 5 foot 3 tall although i only weigh 35 kg. I know this is not a healthy frame but i've been this way such a long time i've grown to be comfortable in it~ and i have so much more energy than I did when I was ill in my colitis. I have a lot of difficulty increasing my weight no matter what I try. My favourite and staple fruits are papayas bananas and pears...I eat lot of raw pumpkin zucchini and beetroots too. I know I don't eat enough, but I am working on it, healing takes time. Some days I eat lot of dense fruits like avocado and dates and tahini and seeds to help my body into balance. Some days I get very hungry and I just go with it. Last night I had raw soup of beetroot and avocado but it wasn't enough so later I had several thai bananas with carob and tahini, a giant persimmon and kiwifruit. My stomach was so distended. Then when I wake up I have to go to the bathroom four times and it's not even noon yet. My poop and digestion is healthy. But it's as if the foods I feed my body if it is large amounts they just go straight through me. My parents are so supportive but don't really understand the amount of volume i have to eat. They will look at my papayas and zucchini and see such a large volume when most of it is water. They worry about my body as they see this large volume and probably wonder where it all goes. I don't even know myself.

Is there anyone else here who is healing with gastrointestinal disease? Will you like to share your experience? 

Harmony1

Best Answer

  • Harmony1Harmony1 Raw Superstar
    Answer ✓

    I haven't had gastrointestinal disease but thought I would drop by and welcome you to the community. It seems like you're on a good path with just one more hurdle to go. 

Answers

  • emilytiddlywinkemilytiddlywink Raw Newbie

     thank you sweetest heart for your warmth ~ :o)

    Harmony1
  • Harmony1Harmony1 Raw Superstar

    smile

  • ClaireTClaireT Raw Master

    Can high-fiber foods help to slow things down? I know mango and persimmon have a decent fiber content. 

  • shaanacaroltashaanacarolta Raw Newbie

    This might seem obvious, but...make sure you're eating more calories than you're burning.  A moderately active woman of child-bearing age should be eating 2000 calories a day to MAINTAIN her weight.  Very hard when you're raw, but try to get 2500-3000 a day until you are a healthy weight.  That will add almost a whole kg a week, which is on the high end, but in the range of healthy weight gain.  Calorie counting in your situation is incredibly important.

    It's going to really depend on what foods trigger your symptoms, but raw nuts and seeds are high in healthy fats and calories.  Air-popped popcorn, raw corn on the cob, hummus. There are all kinds of vegan protein powders made from peas, hemp, flax...Sunwarrior brand is one I've seen highly recommended by the raw community.  If you exercise, including yoga, cut it down to one or two days a week or cut it out completely until you get your weight under control.  

    Juicing is another way to get extra calories and additional vitamins and minerals into your body without all the chewing.  Make sure you're getting enough protein and fiber from things like kale (juice-able) and legumes, if you can eat them.  Split mung beans are very easy to digest, and if you soak them in your fridge for two days with plenty of water and rinse them well, you can blend them and put them in soups and smoothies or make hummus out of them with very little, if any, gas.

    Fruits are natural diuretics, so the pooping is a normal part of what's happening.  However, if that's happening frequently, you're not keeping anything in your body, so there may be absorption issues.  It's really important to bulk up your digestive tract with insoluble fiber--dark, leafy greens, like kale and spinach; cabbage; celery; and psyllium husk to maintain a healthy colon and slow your digestion to a healthy pace.  Another point to consider is you may have an allergy to one of the those foods you talked about gorging on.  If you have a latex sensitivity, bananas and avocados can be serious trigger foods, which may be causing you to poop too much.

    For some other insight, try looking at http://www.joyfulbelly.com/.  It is an Ayurvedic lifestyle website, so it focuses on being vegetarian, though meats are listed on there for the Western audience.  The fundamental principles of Ayurveda are about maintaining a healthy digestive system and that food is medicine.  You can sign up for a free account, and then take all of the quizzes, especially about digestion and poop.  After that, it will tell you which foods are best for your conditions and body type to help you balance it, and there are free recipes, which may help bring your weight to normal.  You can also purchase a consultation with the owner, and he can help you determine if certain Ayurvedic herbs will help balance your digestion.

    If it still doesn't work, I would see a nutritionist.  It also could be that your body type needs meat and/or dairy.  As crazy as it sounds, the people that tend not to want meat are the people who actually need it most.  It may not be possible with your digestive issues, though, I don't know.  I'm not a doctor. 

    ClaireT
  • Energy HealerEnergy Healer Raw Newbie

    Hello there... when was the last time you did a parasite cleanse? Also google .... h.pylori and IBS, Crohns. %80 of the population has h.pylori and does not know it. It is one of the main causes of acid reflux, ulcers and IBS... etc... Mastic gum, a supplement I ordered off of Amazon really helped me. Good luck!

  • marinay4510marinay4510 Raw Newbie

    Check out FullyRaw Kristina's story. When she started, she was extremely thin. Now she finally looks amazing!! It took a long time until she was able to gain all the weight she needed to 

    ClaireT
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