Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

When you can't stomach salads

NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

Earlier this month I had the stomach flu which really took its toll on my body. I certainly couldn’t eat raw let alone eat cooked food. I could only eat toast and Saltines, not exactly the healthiest diet but that was all I could stomach. It’s 3 weeks later and I am now trying to get back to my raw diet. However, I am having the worst time ever trying to eat any kind of green salads. I just want to gag at the sight of them. As of now I am slowly introducing green smoothies and fruits back into my diet. That is all I can handle. I would like to start consuming more greens again but unless it is in a smoothie I can’t even look at it. Any ideas on what else I can prepare to help me consume more greens?

Comments

  • I don’t know if this would sound more appealing than salad. If you have a dehydrator you can make kale chips. Take big leaves of dinosaur kale and marinate it in a mixture of apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and salt. Spread out the leaves after about an hour marinading and dehydrate overnight. You can also add tahini, tamari, curry powder or other flavorings to this. Be Creative! and always remember sometimes when you dont desire foods its because the body really wants to fast. Another way to get some greens would be nettle tea.

  • I actually don’t like the taste of green smoothies. I’d much prefer my greens in salad form. Have you tried the baby versions? I buy spring mix – also called mesclun. I can stomach the baby versions of greens much better than the adult stuff.

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    (pronunciation: MESS-klunn) Mesclun is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves. The mix varies depending on the source, but it may include lettuces, spinach, arugula (rocket), Swiss chard, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, fris

  • Hi-

    Glad that you are feeling better. While you are unable to eat greens, is there a food that you are craving? While we all know that greens are very important, every raw foodist I’ve read says that we must listen to our bodies. If yours is telling you that you cannot tolerate a salad, I would listen and wait a bit to see if you start to crave them later on. Perhaps you are still healing from the flu…

    Have you had anything probiotic since your illness? There are some delicious organic raw kombochu drinks that you should be able to buy in your health food store. If you do soy, miso might be great for you too.

    Post back here with a progress report. Hope you feel 100% soon.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    I’m not really craving anything.

    I have tried different greens like spinach and romaine thinking that those choices would be pretty mild. After 1 or 2 bites I stop eating. I just can’t handle it.

    I will have to look into raw kombochu drinks. I never even thought about that option. Thanks!

  • How about having a wheatgrass shot or two until you can manage your greens? I’m guessing you’ve tried iceberg lettuce too?

  • Morning_theftMorning_theft Raw Newbie

    I like a half-blended salad when I can’t stomach salads, as the thing that bothers me the most is the thought of chewing and digesting (slowed digestion and the energy it would take is most likely why you can’t tolerate greens, I’m going through this right now myself) I can’t remember where on this board this was mentioned, but I like to take a romaine heart, half an avocado and a little lemon juice and kinda pulse them lightly in the food processor until I get mush. It’s a lot more appealing than sitting and chewing on an entire romaine heart (which makes me want to be sick right now).

  • LucyLucy Raw Newbie

    You can have green soups and green smoothies with some fruits.

  • If you like nuts and seeds, mashes are a good way to eat greens. I’ve seen recipes for broccoli and spinach mashes on this site. Some of them are light and fluffy.

    The last time I had the flu eight years ago, my mother made a seaweed soup. It wasn’t raw but it was the only thing I could eat without gagging. In Korea, it’s often given to women the day after they give birth because it’s easy on the digestive system. You sort of coax the gut into working again.

  • 1Christine1Christine Raw Newbie

    I noticed in your post you are trying to get back into raw foods after fasting and eating only saltines. I can empathize! Saltines are a “sick time” food from childhood for me!!! Right now, I am still trying to recover from a brutal cold!I know that I am very dehydrated and food does not appeal to me. Being ill and limiting food and liquid intake will reduce your ability to handle whole food products and even liquids in large amounts, especially if they are cold (above body temp). When you limit intake your stomach really does shrink!! Since most of us gulp our food and do not chew properly, our digestive system can be overly taxed. We often forget that our stomach does not have teeth!! I am not a big eater to begin with and this is one of the most difficult things to overcome after an illness. As a start, I agree with “mmtol” regarding probiotics and miso broth. Miso is a fermented food (When purchased it should be refridgerated, NOT be cooked if it is traditional. Many styles abound…I found I really like “Miso Master Organic Mellow White”...I also found I like more than what they say per cup of water) As a raw, fermented food it provides wonderfull healing probiotics. It is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. In that way it helps in the rebuild when you are recovering or just feeling weak in general. Think of the chicken soup theory…Anyway, you can use warm water with the miso paste. Try having a cup of broth every hour or so and then if you develop more hunger …. add warmed veg (carrots, celery, cabbage, kale etc) BUT all sliced or shredded, very, very thin. Chew your foods very well and really swill it around in your mouth. The warmth of the liquid with the chewing action will help awaken your stomach and hopefully get your brain thinking about eating again. I make alot of blended soups in general. Spinach, squash, broccolli, kale, etc. But you really do have to remember to chew and to keep intoducing non-blended foods in increments that you can handle. Each body is different and heals at a different rate. Take care! I really feel for you as I go through the same type of problems and try to find ways to reawaken my digestion! I hope you do well!! Just remember that warm is OK, just not hot…Your body temp is somewhere around 98.7. In my experience, heating something a bit really stimulates as well as calms digestion, if that makes any sense! Ann Wigmore and the rest have advocated starting with blended veg broths, wheatgrass juice and smoothies until the body can get up to solids…Salads are hard! Period! But especially if you already had a weak digestive system to start with like I do…listen to what your body tells you. If it makes you feel bad, make a note and try your next idea!! It is your recipe for success and only your body can be the editor. Go at your own pace and take time to research the books…
    As far as temps it depends on the research you read…see this thread…
    http://goneraw.com/forums/2/topics/2364)

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Do you get nauseous when you eat them? Then, you’re probably not digesting them… and drinking green smoothies with sweet fruit like apple & grapes would help. Try mixed greens or romaine first. If you can’t stomach that, try juicing them.

    We just made a mustard-green & arugula green smoothie, I like the flavor! (but, maybe too many mustard greens because it is spicey) Last time we made one with dandelions and mint, and that was a bad idea… the mint was too bitter. Yes, the mint!

Sign In or Register to comment.