I didn’t put this in the other ‘poop’ thread because I have a specific problem that I need help on right away. Oh gosh, I can’t believe I’m writing all this in a forum! LOL .. I’m pretty new to raw. I eat about 60-80% RAW. The past week or so I noticed that when it’s time for me to ‘go’ its super painful. I have no belly problems at all whatsoever & could eat pretty much anything I wanted ( before eating a SAD diet & then a vegetarian diet) – now that I’m incorporating raw foods into my diet I feel awful when I have to go. Before going raw I ‘went’ about 2-3x per day with no pain? Can this be because of nuts? My intestines feel like they are in knots during this time? then it goes away?? Wouldn’t I feel the pain/bloating like I’ve read that others experienced right after eating raw nuts?
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Are you eating more nuts and seeds than you did before on a vegetarian diet? If so, you might have diverticulitis, which are little pockets inside the intestines that trap such things, and it doesn’t always cause pain and bloating but can cause difficulty with waste elimination. Don’t eat hard nuts, such as peanuts, that don’t digest completely. You should still be able to eat cashews and almonds, but chew them well. Small, hard seeds (like poppy seeds) will be difficult as well. Try soaking and softening them. I have this problem and find that I can eat most foods as long as I soak and soften the harder things so that they digest more completely.
Hi; I don’t have an answer but just a similar experience. I went from an omnivorous to a vegetarian diet overnight many years ago and had real gut trouble and pain even though it was the best thing I’ve ever done for my health (so far). At the time there was also too much white flour and stress in my life but eventually I felt better. When I started adding more raw, I would suddenly feel the urge…like SUDDENLY! and it would also hurt, . Not sure if it’s just the sudden change for your digestive system to cope with but maybe you should check it out with someone who knows their stuff about the human body and raw diets. Hope you feel better soon.
dkyoung: yes, I didn’t hardly eat nuts at all before I went raw. I didn’t soak the nuts I made my recipes with .. so I’m going to for sure going to try doing so next time. It makes total sense now that almond milk didn’t cause me any pain because I made it with purchased (raw) almond butter. thanks so much for the advice. You’ve given me hope ;p
Amatzener: I wondered too if it was the sudden change to raw. you described exactly the feeling I have too. has this went away for you totally? how long did it take?
MonsieurReality: I am going to try to chew those darn nuts more. I might wait a few days to give’em another shot because I’m sooo scared at the moment to feel like I did this morning ! haha.
Soaking nuts and seeds or chewing them really well is good advice for anyone suddenly introducing them into their diet in a big way. Also, try introducing them in smaller amounts. These items are tough on the digestive system, and if you didn’t eat them in big amounts before, the sudden change is even tougher. Go gently! As someone said, this isn’t a race.
dkyoung: good idea lessening the amount of nuts. I think I learned my lesson and will try to incorporate them into my diet s-l-o-w-l-y..
amysue: it sounds like I am having the exact problem you did. i’m relieved it may go away because I didnt want to eliminate nuts entirely as I’m afraid it would make me turn to more cooked food. thanks for the advice.
queenfluff; thanks for the tips. yeah, they suddenly are dry now ( and now I’m constipated! ).. I’m going to try popcorn and more liquids – that makes total sense.
lzhpt: Oh yay! a light at the end of the tunnel! and you are right… I am noticing less and less pain already. thank goodness! I was all depressed thinking I couldn’t handle this raw lifestyle or something..
angle: thanks for the tips! I’m going to ck out your son’s recipe right now :)
i just wanted to note on this topic just incase anyone new to raw experience my problem.. i am now feeling fine and i was definately detoxing. ( I still am.. just in other ways..glad the bowel part of detox is subsiding! phew! )