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Is change in digestion normal?

I have been high raw over a month- might as well say two, eating cooked dinners only and all raw snacks, breakfast, and lunch. Then my dad threw a gathering and made tacos. So, as always, since I'm vegan anyway, I brought TVP with me. It was only the second time I had it that month and I usually eat it once and possibly twice a month. The only problem I ever had with it is not being getting full.

I have had flatulence since then(going on two weeks), regardless of what (especially soy products- I've seem to have become intolerant) I eat-but raw foods aren't as bad.

What in the heck is going on?

First I realized that I had lactose intolerance (that's why I'm vegan), then wheat intolerance (which caused me to go high raw), now soy?

Let's not talk about legumes- oh my goodness I might as well eat soy! I've never had problems with legumes. I have a hard time gaining muscle on a raw diet, and I lose weight too easily on it.

I'm taking Papaya enzymes, but we all know that it's really time that will help the most.

I didn't think this short period of time on the raw food diet would change my digestion so dramatically, causing cooked food to become this hard to digest.

Is that even possible? I did eat Vegetable Pakoras tonight, and was mildly gassy right after a few bites then it subsided- What the heck is going on? I don't want to be 100% raw, but it seems like my body is forcing me too.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Oh and I have heartburn when I have tomato based products---that was never a problem either.

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Comments

  • I'm in the same boat as you, going vegan and then raw because of lactose intolerance and celiac disease...I have only found comfort in food combining, and until I started mono-mealing, and food combining, I had MONSTROUS gastrointestinal issues.

    You're right about the time and papaya enzymes, both have helped me. I did find though that in the end, nothing works quite like mono-mealing. that, and waiting a good long time between meals to let all my food digest fully. Sometimes I get impatient, and I don't leave enough time...and that's when those old symptoms come back.

    oh, and oil: it makes me gassy...I think it's the oil...but so far I ahven't yet figured out what else it could be...fats in general give me trouble.

  • Thanks guys!!! I find it sooo strange- these symptoms. You are both experiencing what I"m going through. I have been consciously eating a healthy diet for about 3 years now, but nothing has changed my digestion like the raw food diet. I big part of me becaming vegetarian was due to my poor digestion of meat. I really thrived on a vegetarian diet and a vegan diet until I developed a gluten intolerance (Seitan is Bad but Oh so Good!!! lol)

    What do y$ou think of that? Is it a good thing or bad that it becomes tougher to digest certain foods while on a high raw diet?

    tabbycats_tofu (oh how i miss my tofu!!!!), I have had a problem with oil for the past year before raw vegan. I would fill sick after frying in canola oil so I stopped buying it. I switched to soybean/vegetable oil and it's much better. Now that I want to lower my intake of soy I think I"ll switch to peanut oil (which was my favorite to fry tofu in Mmmmm) and safflower oil. I don't fry much anyway so it's really not that expensive to switch.

    Since I've been raw I have built an intolerance to almost all fatty foods- coconut, tahini, olives (which I love!), avocado (I can't tolerate the Hass one), and to some degree nuts (except peanuts) and seeds (can only have 2 handfuls and possible 2 1/2 if mixed with fruit a day or I feel sick).

    I was hoping someone would reassure me that this was a detox symptom, but I guess it's obviously not.

  • yeah, i have noticed the same. it's like i lost my alimentary innocence or like i awoke from the matrix and can't go back to living in the blissful ignorance of the past.

    it seems as our bodies detox and our systems refine themselves, they resist going back to that other way of eating. great, on the one hand: it has become increasingly easy to live a healthy lifestyle. on the other hand, tonya zavasta has written about how the ingestion of just nonraw honey made her break out, and that's unsettling.

    fortunately, the change in digestion, for me anyway, has been balanced out with a change in my taste and cravings. my cravings for sad foods like pizza and normal sweets have been obliterated. i used to have a weakness for croissant egg sandwiches. but the last couple of times i have indulged, i felt pretty gross afterward. even the stink of butter it left on my hands grossed me out in a way i had not experienced before. is that a good thing or a bad thing? i have been mourning the loss of the croissant egg sandwich since. i let myself have them, but i don't want them anymore.

    i've always been a foodie. i would still like to taste raw, artisan cheeses at wine and cheese parties without feeling sick. i want to at least taste quality cooked food at restaurants and dinner parties without severe reaction. my hope is that my body will continue to tolerate small tastes, even if it rejects full meals and snacks.

    or will i bliss out on 100% raw once i commit and go all the way? maybe if i stop looking back, it won't be a big deal anymore. will i be as stoked as angela stokes indulging on prunes after a 92 day juice feast? i mean, have you seen this video?

    what do you think? is it about commitment?

  • Yes Tangerina, it is all about commitment. Yet, I don't have any cravings at all. I don't even know what I want at my next meal.

    The strangest thing does happen- has happened since puberty. While I'm eating I will become hungrier as I'm eating- what the heck is that? That has always bothered me.

    Ani Phyo says that we overeat because she believes whatever it is that we're eating doesn't have the nutrients that our body needs to replenish so we eat more to fulfill that need. Now this never happens when I eat bananas or a green smoothie but when I'm eating say dates with peanut butter, cooked vegetable soups, cooked lasagna, or cooked spaghetti (even when I used to eat ground turkey or TVP) and marinera (but not raw spaghetti and marinera), seasame tofu- I have always binged on this foods. I can eat a ton of nut cookies like "pecan pie cookies" or"banana biscuits" (banana, almonds)- yet never with oatmeal dates cinnamon cookies or buckwheat crispies. Is it the carbs that my body is craving? I can't figure out the link but I have always hated this feeling- like a glutton. Yet I fluctuate between 115- 120 lbs and 5'5" (1 yrs and 1/2 postpartum) on a raw diet, 120-125 lbs on a vegan diet, and before my pregnancy on a vegetarian diet I fluctuated between 128-131 lbs. As a meat eater 135-140lbs about 3 years ago. I mean just looking at that lets me know that someting in my diet had to go (definitely meat and dairy), and I only do like exercises about 2-3 times a week.

    I don't want to be 100% RAW because:

    #1 I'm in love with Indian cuisine and they don't eat a lot of raw foods (don't have digestion problems when I eat it I had pakoras last night with minor probelms)

    #2 Some foods should be cooked (rice, potatoes, eggplant, some grains-rice really gets me full) and I wont give up my curried lentils

    #3 I'm afraid of being too thin and appearing sickly. I don't lose as much weight when I eat cooked foods. For whatever reason I'm losing soo much weight on raw I don't like it- PLUS I have lost muscle that I struggle to keep and not lost enough fat. I get my main source of protein from cooked legumes and rice (sprouts just aren't doing it for me at every meal).

    Since I have gluten and fat intolerance and eat mostly raw it's going to be a struggle to keep a healthy weight (speaking of Matt and Angela-which I adore- I think he is a little underweight and he's always so cold so something is lacking in his diet...everyone's body is not going to respond well to RAW)

    #4 100% raw literally means no supplements- like B12 and whether it's a need or not I feel alot better when I have it. The earth is not providing produce that has an abundance in vitamin, minerals, etc that it used to (b12) so

    we do need it's supplement.

    #5 I've heard horror stories about young children on 100% raw diets- they don't thrive and even have brain damage and I have a toddler so that's out of the question. She does eat what I eat but I cook what needs to be cooked and buy her fortified non-dairy milks, PB &J, and whole wheat bread. She's healthy, eats healthy, is active and that's all that matters to me--she doesn't eat much meat (only turkey and chicken-never beef or pork) because I'm vegan and hardly ever cook it for my husband, but she does have an egg every blue moon- and she still doesn't like the taste of cheese. I will never deprive her of anything healthy and as long as she doesn't eat meat everyday it's not all that bad-plus she only eats a few TBSP of it anyway-she prefers legumes.

    By the way I ate grits today with a tad bit Smart Balance Light and have had no problems at all so I guess my system is recovering- yeah!

    Sorry so long guys, but I always try to give much detail so that ya'll would totally understand my perception so as to aid me in my further actions.

  • coconuttycoconutty Raw Newbie

    I have different theories about digestion, and I believe it can change for a number of reasons. I too have had some "not so nice" digestive issues just pop up all of a sudden. It has been gradually building over the past few years since going raw. and now all of a sudden I have gluten intolerances, food allergies, even a citrus allergy... I was completely shocked to hear the news. It is soooo hard to live "normaly" now. Not knowing when I'm gonna end up bloated or feeling yucky. It seems that the worst of it has been triggered by stress, and I'm slowly getting better. I have noticed that consuming kefir and foods that are rich in probiotics has made a noticeable improvment. I think I need to start taking an actual probiotic supplement though. They say that stress and even eating a poor diet can throw your bacteria balance out of wack and that may be why so many people have digestive distress when going raw, just because their good bacteria may not be at an optimal level. Who knows, just something to think about. I've been 100% in the past but at this point in my life I'm not ready to be quite that into it. Sometimes my cooked veggies are a little bit easier on my belly. Things (digestion wise) sure are making life difficult!

    Good luck to you all in your digestive distress! :)

  • Actually I started to get really gassy after taking probiotics for a week. So, I stopped and then the sequence of everything I mentioned followed.

    Ok I had a cooked dinner and about 3 hrs later I had a dates and peanut butter- and got gassy...I'll figure it out. Maybe like Angela says I'm not giving myself enough time to digest my food before I eat again. Then that will by my goal. Thanks so much guys!

  • coconuttycoconutty Raw Newbie

    Interesting about the probiotics. I'm gonna still try them for myself just because I noticed a difference after I started with the kefir and kombucha. So wish me luck! lol

    Could you possibly have a peanut allergy?? Peanut allergy is one of my allergies that came up out of nowhere. I miss peanut butter sooooooooo much. But I do dates with almond butter now. The crazy thing is, sometimes I can eat them and be fine, sometimes they give me probs! I don't get it?!?!

    You know it's weird. My bloating/gas/indigestion is really inconsistent. How about yours?? That's why I can't seem to blame it on any type of food. Sometimes I will feel fine and have some mild bloating, and other times I will have so much discomfort and be constantly burping... and still other times I will get really bad "sour stomach". I do notice that I can't handle eating as much food as I used to which really bothers me. Some days when my stomach is really acting up I can't be as active as I want to be because I can't even eat enough food to support my activity. It's so frustrating :(

  • Peanut allergy makes sense!! I have a SERIOUS peanut allergy now, we're talking hives and rash, plus swollen throat, but a year ago my allergy reaction was general stomach upset and GAS like you're going to explode.

    Oh, or you're mixing your peanut butter (fat) with dates (sugar) and that's fermenting in your gut...read more on food combining and give it a good solid go, and see what happens. It did work for me, but so too did staying away from all peanut products....I REALLY hope you don't have a peanut allergy, because they progress rapidly. My allergy was tested and confirmed a year ago, and since then I've had no trouble staying away from peanut products (excepting an experience on a plane where the attendants gave me bags and bags of peanuts and then didn't understand what I was telling them, and so brought me MORE bags of peanuts...yikes!)

  • lol I hope the probiotics do work for you coconutty and I'm not sure about the peanut allergy tabbycats_tofu...

    I was talking to my hubby and I think I maybe eating my meals too close together and I don't know a thing about food combining...can you direct me to some good sites?

  • "yeah, i have noticed the same. it's like i lost my alimentary innocence or like i awoke from the matrix and can't go back to living in the blissful ignorance of the past."

    ^ OMG, tangerina, I couldn't have said it better myself. I am currently experiencing the same thing!

    ItVeganAtGenesis, what Ani Phyo said about cooked foods and their lack of nutrients causing your to eat more makes TOTAL sense. I've noticed it to ring true for me. I tend to eat much less on the days I choose to eat 100% raw, and I'm much more satisfied.

    Grace

  • Myabe it is true that you can never go back... I was going to post a new topic about digestion but I found this one!

    I have been having MAJOR problems with digestion recently. I can't digest ANYTHING cooked. What's been happening is that I'll eat a meal (which would be a regular size meal for SAD eaters) and then for the rest of the day, whether I ate it for lunch or dinner, I will be so bloated with gas I look pregnant! It hurts and I can't breathe and I feel so full, then I can't go to the bathroom either. I thought it was just wheat, so I cut out wheat, then I thought potatoes, so I cut those out too, then corn, then all grains and beans. Seems like the only thing that doesn't make me bloated is fruit these days. This wasn't happening to me before, I think it has something to do with the fact that I've been on and off raw (mostly on) for about two years. Something IS happening to my digestion. Have I created food intolerances? Even if I eat these things with huge amounts of greens it's the same story. I'm going to try mono-mealing for a couple of days and see if that helps. Yuck.

    I love fruit, though! Must stay positive :)

    Emily

  • miranimalmiranimal Raw Newbie

    I wish I could remember the thread I read this on, but there has been much discussion on this site about eating a diet that combines cooked and raw foods. Some die-hards say that it confuses your digestive system and so, ultimately, isn't good for you. Raw foods are very easy to digest, cooked foods aren't, and so bouncing back and forth between the two throughout the day or week, may be shocking for your whole gi system.

    Just a thought. It's not necessarily what I believe, just the opinion of others I have read. It does make sense though.

    Good luck!

    PS... It also makes sense that your body doesn't want those things anymore. Your mind is attached to them, not necessarily your cells. Like Tangerina said, its sucks loving food so much!!!!!

  • Thanks Ya'll!!!! My problem has been solved after applying what I read about food combining and taking papaya enzymes. I feel great!!! I believe my body is becoming intolerant to certain foods- not just cooked foods. Last night I had a cooked dinner of mexican taco salad (veggie fajita-no wheat tortillas- with corn chips) and wasn't gassy. I've eatten 95% raw today and no problems so it was the TVP that messed my system up plus ignorantly combining the wrong foods. I'm so much better now thanks to your advice. Thank you!

    Unfortunately, I'm really going to miss making nut/fruit cookies and cakes (nuts and dates mainly)....No Blueberry Cobbler :(

  • Well my weight is down to 110 lbs. So, I have been trying to eat more dehydrated grains (i'm not willing to pay for raw oats when old fashioned are very nutritous) to add more protein into my diet. I don't want to rely on a powdered protein, but restricting nuts (i can't tolerate alot of fat) is causing me to lose weight rapidly. I'm 5'5 and 110- that's not cute-but I feel great!!!

    Well, I've been eating and using buckwheat groats on my living pizza and for cereal, but when I made Ani Phyo's breakfasts toast- buckwheat groats with raisins my digestive problems have come back. Now could it be that I digest blended or processed buckwheat better than the whole crispies? I have eaten them plain with soy milk and don't remember any problems but it has been a while. do any of you guys have and suggesting for successful food combos with buckwheat. I've got to get my weight back up to ate least 115. What do you suggest? Any other grains? I don't like Quinoa-sorry.

    I'm still eating cooked dinners sometimes but my weight is steadily decreasing. I'm strong, but am very conscious of looking withered away. I know I could eat more sprouts but the taste is soooo strong.

  • Oh and I have been using hemp seeds in my salads

  • Personally when I became a stick too it was because I wasn't working my muscles enough and not getting enough calories. Weight training and bananas (best source of just calories raw) helped put on some pounds and made it so I didn't look like that.

    Also dried foods really do a number on my digestion, as also too much fat in my diet.

    I really try to keep it at 80 10 10.

    Edit:

    Protein you really shouldn't have to worry about as long as you get a green smoothie a day and a big salad, I like to grind some flax and hemp seeds in my smoothies. You can use hemp powder if you really feel you need it, but I have used it and not and I can't really tell a difference as long as I'm eating enough greens.

  • I've been slacking on the greens...my weight went up a bit in the past few days. Well dried fruit is fruit. So, I have to eat it alone. I've been putting my muscles to use. My hubby says that I look leaner, more toned and taught (Yoga poses and Wii Fit). He's not at all displeased with my overall fitness, but he teases me about being anorexic (so does my mom) because I associate food with my over all health and am very picky about my choices. I don't skip meals, and I always choice healthy options even for my 30%. I'm not even afraid of getting fat. Thanks for the help...More greens!

  • KittyKitty Raw Newbie

    Is hemp powder a good source of protein? I am curious about vegan protein powders because I have been raw since July this year and am losing quite a bit of hair..I am not sure, maybe its all in my head, but I feel like I can start seeing a slight bald spot in the back of my head. Any advice?...

  • Kitty, does your family have a history of thinning hair. Genetics could be a factor. I haven't used hemp powder, but seeds only. I don't have as big a problem as I thought with my protein intake. I don't know why I was so worried. I don't look withered away, but small and leaner. I hear that hemp powder was great. I know the seeds give me energy.

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    I use a hemp protein from rawfoodworld and it is 50% pure protein. I love the boost that I get when I use it in my morning smoothies. Kitty are you consuming enough calories? Under eating could be the cause of hair loss.

     

  • KittyKitty Raw Newbie

    Yes my mom has thinning hair and a slight bald spot but i am only 23? I am taking a B12 supplement and a multivitamin.

    Lil Earth muffin, i dont keep track of calories. My daily intake is a half a blender full of green smoothie - lots of spinach and fruit - in the morning, and fruit throughout the day with maybe a lara bar or piece of ezekial bread. Then a huge salad for dinner. I haven't eaten meat in long time. I dont eat alot of nuts or seeds at all but do eat almond butter daily. I haven't really even lost any weight from where I was before Raw. But I definetly feel healthier. So i guess im getting plenty of calories because im not losing weight? ...I dont know! I just dont want to go bald! I will check out your hemp powder you mentioned.

  • Well that's a lot of fat (nothing wrong with fat) and it can help you keep or add on the weight. You needs the other B vitamins as well as 12 for your hair. So make sure you eat lots of bananas too. You should be getting vitamin e and magnesium from the foods you're eating. Lecithin is also important which has two types of B vitamins. Look into choline (green peas, legumes, cantaloupe) and inositol (grapefruit, oranges, legumes, grapes-also have choline).

  • KittyKitty Raw Newbie

    ItVeganAtGenesis- what is a lot of fat? The almond butter? Do you eat mostly fruit and seeds? I feel like I need to lose 5 lbs but have never read the 80-10-10 book or anything so do not know how many fat grams I should be eating. I just ordered the hemp protein. My B vitamin is a 'complex', i think that means it includes all the other B vitamins but would have to look closer.

  • Now most of us members are not professionals but amateur researchers. We're mainly relating from our own experiences. I personally can't tolerate a lot of a high fatty foods. For instance, I can't eat more than 1/4-1/2 cup of nuts a day or I feel really sick. I can't tolerate hass avocado, but the lesser fat fuerte or Florida avocado. So in my situation all the nuts and butters you eat would not agree with me. Also I don't digest nut and fruit combos well. You can google the 80-10-10, but I follow a guide for fat but I make sure to have fat. I think we need somewhere between 45-60 gm depending on caloric intake. I eat mostly greens and fruit and some nuts and seeds. I do eat a cooked dinner (legumes, rice, tofu, etc) but sometimes 100% all day. If you don't get enough calories your body can steal protein from you hair and nails to turn it into carbs. I posted this a few days ago to show how it it is to meet our protein on a raw diet.

    http://goneraw.com/forum/example-meeting-your-calcium-and-protein-needs

    The chart is also on my blog www.itveganatgenesis.blogspot.com

    Genetics are a big factor too. Sprouts are a good source, but you have to eat alot of them. There was a suggestion to dehydrate them and grind them to a powder and use on and in salads and smoothies.

  • Fruit=Gas! All this time and it wasn't just the fruit/nut combos but the fruit period. Even on an empty stomach I pass a little. I'm starting to believe that unless it's really bad, it's not all that bad. I do know thing. Raw really helps you to become more in tuned with your body.

  • for me, I've got a lot less gas on fruit. but I think every -body- is different

    but boy do I get it with the nuts. I'm a cashew addict :( Tomorrow, no more for awhile. My digestive system just can't take it anymore.

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    My poor system cant handle garlic at all. If i have even just a little bit i smell for days :( I never used to be like that

     

  • lol...thanks guys! I've been doing:

    veggies with nuts (or alone)- but not veggie with fruit (except spinach or kale with banana, but not spinach and avocado or other fruit which has always caused problems)

    fruits never with nuts, but I may try it next month

    this has been working for me

  • Soy is a high allergy food, and contrary to popular beleif, not very healthy. It's quite complex, so here's a link:

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/09/04/why-soy-is-not-the-health-food-you-think-it-is.aspx

  • LGG,

    It's not very healthy if you eat a diet high in soy...that is very true.

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