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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI am relatively new to 100% raw (about a couple weeks) and have been vegan for about a year, vegetarian about 4, and for the year I've been vegan, I've been about 70%-80% raw. the past month or so, I've been all raw with the exception of half a cup of cooked beans at dinner.
Since January, I have become chronically cold. I live in south Louisiana, so the coldest it gets is about 40 degrees during the day maybe three days a week, and I could have on a coat, sweatshirt, boots, jeans and still be freezing my butt off. Lately, although it has been getting warmer (right now its about 70) I have become colder and colder. My nails have a bluish tint from time to time, and I haven't had my period for 2 months, both of which are signs of anemia. My mom says its because I am too thin (I'm 16, 5"9 and a little under 120) but I have no desire to gain weight nor believe that is why. I aim to eat about 1000 calories a day, but usually only get up to about 700-800.
Anyway, I am also hardly hungry anymore. The only way I can be hungry enough to eat dinner is to just have an apple for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and even then, I can feel ravenous but be filled up by just a salad at dinner. Any advice, tips, explanations?
Comments
It is definitely because you are too thin! At your weight and height, I'd estimate that your body needs 1300 calories just to sit all day and if you are moving and exercising as well, your body is really deprived of nourishment. You must get more calories. Your body can't give up anything that it doesn't have, so if you want to get your period, you NEED to put more fat into your diet. That's the only way you can get it again. I lost mine for a year, and after 2 weeks of eating some nut butters and avocados, i got it again- thankfully!
I was always cold and i thought it was from losing weight, but it turns out it's from hypothyroid. those symptoms are worth getting checked out by a doctor. could be a naturopath if you are more comfortable with them.
I agree that more calories would be highly advisable. And yes, being too thin can definitely cause one to feel cold; I know from personal experience - having experienced both underweight and overweight time-frames in my life.
Take it from someone who last year, was 17 years old 5'9" and 105 lbs., you are too thin. When I weighed between 105 and 115 lbs. I was ALWAYS cold, anemic, my periods stopped, and I rarely ate more 800 calories a day. Your body needs at least 1200 calories a day MINIMUM to maintain healthy bodily function, and that's if you aren't active at all. I also know what you mean about appetite. I don't have a very large appetite either, or when I am hungry, eat, feel full, but still feel hungry (weird feeling) but I have found a great way to up my calories, restart my appetite (most of the time), and restore my health. I hope this helps.
Every morning I drink 1 - 2 quarts of lemon water (organic lemon peel and a pinch of salt per quart) 1 to 2 hours before breakfast. I just sip on it slowly while I do my morning chores, work on last minute homework, and get ready for school.
This stimulates appetite and rehydrates the body.
For breakfast I usually have smoothie of some king with a nut mylk (usually brazil nut) or coconut water (balances electrolytes in the body) base. If it's to much I just pop what I can't drink into a portable beverage container and take it with me to school, and sip on it whenever I can until I finish it.
For lunch I have a salad (various lettuces and veggies) with a dressing of lemon juice, a squirt of flaxseed oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a large sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
For dinner I try to eat or drink whatever is on hand.
This may sound vague but everybody has a varying lifestyle which makes some things more "workable" than others. Everyone has to find a system that works for them.
Like right now I'm trying to incorporate more vegetable and fruit juices to get more vital nutrients and minerals into
my body.
You might try some superfoods if you can save up to get a hold of a few of them or if you mom is willing to pay for some.
raw cacao powder (great source of magnesium and tryptophan)
camu camu powder (great if your anemic, high in iron)
lucuma powder
mesquite (has all essential amino acids)
maca powder (great source of vitamin b12, protein, and prmotes female fertility. I have been taking 1 -2 tbs. a day for a month now and my period just came back after not having it for over a year!)
hemp seed and hemp protein powder (omega- fatty acids)
bee pollen (all essential amino acids, omega-fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals)
chia seed (high in iron and calcium, as well as being a great protein source)
flax seed (has all the nutrients you get from eating grain but you only need a couple tbs. ground up a day)
golji berries (great antioxidant and has more vitamin C than anything other food on the planet so far)
I recommend eating (or drinking) spinach, or eating a couple of brazil nuts (or drinking brazil nut mylk) to get selenium and zinc. Eat bananas for potassium and pineapple for bromine.
I also recommend taking acidopholis for health intestinal flora which also assists with appetite.
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. All your symptoms is your bodies way of saying it's mineral and vitamin deficient, and that you aren't getting enough energy due to low calorie intake. For your age and height your body's BMR (the amount of calories your body would burn if you laid in bed all day and didn't do anything) is about 1780 calories!
I hope you feel better soon and that at least something in this post was useful. Good luck! :)
Thanks for the info everybody. Rawaholic- I will definetly try the lemon water. I thinknthe reason I eat so little is because I am very rarely hungry.
Last night, I had plans to go to an outdoor
Concert and it was a bit chilly outside so I thought "awesome I will be freezing my butt off" &, taking in mind what yall
Said, opted to have a rather dense soup of various sprouted legumes. Normally I just have a salad, because if I have a very filling dinner, I won't at all be hungry the next day. Well, at the show I felt fine but when I woke up this morning, I was not at all hungry. I'm still not, nearly 24 hours after eating it too. I made myself a 16 oz smoothie around 10 (spinach, orange, banana) because my mom was nagging me, and that's all I've had today. I am in no way hungry. I'm thinking maybe there's a vitamin or mineralndeficiency...?
while eating more calories, more fat, more superfoods might help you modestly, the underlying cause of your symptoms is bile blockage (gall stones) and a poorly functioning intestine.
i had the exact same symptoms after going mostly raw vegan 2 years ago - cold, little appetite, underweight, physically and mentally fatigued all the time. i spent a year and a half trying to fix things by changing my diet - even adding some raw fish - and nothing helped at all. finally, i got around to reading about liver/gallbladder flushes and the importance of bile flow. I've done a bunch of flushes and passed lots of stones - my digestion has improved, i have gained some weight, certainly want to gain more, have much more energy, i'm happier, my skin is better, i'm rarely cold anymore.
read The Amazing Liver Gallbladder Flush by Andreas Moritz. do a couple flushes and see the stones come out of you and you'll know you have stumbled upon something really important to your health.
ive got my own version of the flush here:
http://jes-livercleanse.blogspot.com/
Your digestion sounds very sluggish. Start using acidophilus probiotics daily, drink more water and juice to hydrate, and increase the fruits and green smoothies in your diet. Stick with meals that are easily digestible, such as mono meals, sweet and juicy fruits, melons, and blended green smoothies with sweet fruits. I would avoid eating too many fatty nuts and seeds except for some almond or other nut milk or a bit of avocado here and there, because fats are difficult on digestion. HYDRATE to improve digestion!!!
That's interesting. I am going to read up on that.
OMG!!! i know whats wrong with you!!!! I have been reading and studying chinese medicine, and different foods have different energys and effect the way your body temperature feels, i used to have this problem, not as bad because i knew what to do about it! alot of the raw foods you eat have cold energys, esspecially most of the fruits. you need to start eating foods with more warm energys foods with warm energy include, cinnomen, coffee, cayenne pepper, red pepper, and many more that you can look into, once you start eating more foods that have a warm energy you should start feeling more warm..i know what you thinking "that sounds stupid" but its true. another thing is that eating to many raw foods are actually hard on your digestive system, cause its harder for your body to break down raw foods then cooked foods. i know that raw has more enzymes, but once its in your stomach, your stomach acids kill the enzymes anyways. and the vitamins in cooked foods are more easilly absorbed. I'm not saying don't eat raw if thats ur thing, but definetly eat more foods with a hot energy..ps. tea has a cold energy, even if its hot, and coffee has a warm energy even if its iced. so its a little tricky just look it up~erica
i forgot to also add that will get rid of the coldness, but you should probably eat more cause it dosnt sound like your eating enough, if your body goes into starvation mode then your hunger signals will be off. the only way to repair your metabolism is eat! and it might take a few weeks to repair it. if you are not eating enough food, your metabolism will slow down and you won't feel as hungry, cause ur body figures you arnt going to feed it.~erica
iamadumpling - i've also studied TCM and i know about the cold/warm foods. this is a bit off tangent, but what are your thoughts towards 100% raw? do you think it's harmful for the digestion and kidneys?
Madisonshine - everyone has given very good advices. but it seems to me that you have an eating disorder, maybe anorexia? (hope you are not offended.) when you have ana, it's very difficult to get yourself to eat. it's not really physical, but more emotional?
Madisonshine as it seems with everything, each individual is different. Try everything until something works! Everyone agrees you need more calories, so do that. IT's not as important that you're not hungry. You MUST convince yourself even if you're not hungry you will choose to eat! Try some liver flushes. Add cayenne pepper, & peppers. I make smoothies with cinnamon, ginger, and clove, all warm spices. They go great with spinach and blueberries and apples. Add probiotics, and mono meals sound like a good idea too. I guess i'm just saying don't listen to just ONE person. Try everything out. See for yourself, what is going on with yourself. I feel this community is very helpful and supportive, and don't be afraid to let us know if there might be an emotional side to this. I feel emotional bonds are much harder to break than physical. Once you can come to terms with the emotional hold, you can change your physical reality.. most importantly we only want what is best for your life & vitality.
There is a whole lot of great information in this post, but it might come across as confusing since there are SO MANY different responses.
I think it's very important to step back and look at the larger picture before trying to 'fix' anything. Perhaps a trip to a naturopath or other alternative health professional can confirm any potential nutritional deficiencies, gallbladder problems, anemia, etc. These can be serious health issues and cannot always be addressed just through diet alone.
It does sound to me like there is a pattern of disordered eating (anorexia perhaps). As someone who has battled eating disorders for most of my life, I am familiar with a lot of the signs and symptoms. Left unattended, eating disorders can lead to many other health conditions and diseases, so I think this issue really needs to be addressed by an appropriate health professional, asap. Losing your period is a pretty serious signal from your body that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.
I am also wondering if the raw lifestyle is the best choice for you. Even though a raw diet is optimal for nutrition, it may not be what you need right now. Maybe cold, wet, hard foods don't appeal to you right now (for whatever reason), and hence you never feel hungry because you don't find your current diet appetizing. You may benefit from making a list of ALL the foods you really like/love (even non-raw foods) - once you see it on paper, maybe you will realize a lot of what you like, you are not currently eating. Eating is about a lot more than just nutrients - it's also about enjoyment.
You're too thin and eating too little. Simple as that. Be a bit gluttonous for a few days and you should start to fix up a bit.
This also happens to me as a result of being vitamin d deficient and potassium deficient. It has nothing to do with being too thin, your appetite. Being cold, that might. But I'm an athlete that is classified as overweight because of my muscle mass, and I am also cold all the time. It is a result of burning more calories in a day than you've been eating.