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

Painful poopie??

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?

Comments

  • 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.

  • the thing that helped me most with…ahem…waste removal is really really chewing my food up. I found that the big increase in fiber and veggie matter made for some unfortunate porcelain vacations, mainly because I wasn’t chewing enough. Chew chew chew!

  • 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.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    Hey artzyfartzy! I can only tell you my experience and what makes sense to me, but I also had pain and “urgency” in the beginning, like my colon was twisting into knots to clean itself out, plus having emergency sessions in the bathroom at 5 am, which did not make me happy because I’m not an early riser! It continued but lessoned with time and is now not a problem 8 months later. What I read from David Wolfe is that digesting raw food is whole different ballgame and you are now giving your digestive system a workout like a muscle – it has to get into proper shape to deal with foods in a new form, and eventually it adjusts and everything runs more smoothly and efficiently. I hope that helps!

  • 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.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    I have colon problems too – when my colon seems to be out of wack I sort of fast for a bit. Skip a meal or to and just drink liquids (smoothie are OK but make sure they are very liquidy). Give your body a chance to catch up with the digesting.

    When the poops come out are they kinda dry? If so, maybe you need some more oil in your diet to help with some “lubrication” down there. Sounds funny but give it a chance – increase avocadoes or add coconut oils or olive oils to your meals.

    Another that works for me – although not raw – is popcorn. Very fibrous so it starting pushing stuff out. Of course, you always just eat something else that is fibrous and raw.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    artzyfartzy—this is common! A great sign! Your body is literally scouring the debris from the colon. Give yourself an extra 15 min. before work in the am. Once you’re done, it won’t happen again until the next day—maybe lasting 5 days tops. it’s like childbirth. It a good sign and won’t be forever.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Yeah, I agree that it is scouring debris out – at least that’s what I have felt it was for me. Water and green juices help the process along and make stools softer so it isn’t as painful, and the olive oil/avocado/coconut oil idea should help, too. If you do decide to eat less nuts, the extra fat from avocados and olive oil are definitely helpful (at least for me) to feel satisfied and not feel a need for cooked food. It sounds like you can use nut butters, too. The last couple of nights when I felt still hungry after a big dinner with lots of veggies, I ate almond butter on a spoon, and it was perfect! The first night, it was “Hooray For Superman!” (my son’s recipe on this site) instead of just plain almond butter, and it didn’t stick in my mouth as much! :)

  • 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 :)

  • Hmm well a lot of veggies and fruit should have a good amount og fiber to help with that. I have a lot of mixed smoothies and that seems to be giving me the right amount of fiber.

  • 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! )

  • KrystaleKrystale Raw Newbie

    Just because it was brought up… Diverticulitis isn’t the pockets on the intestines, it’s ruptured pockets on the intestines. Diverticulosis is when it’s unruptured pockets. And believe me, you’d know if you had it. It wouldn’t just be pain when you go, that’s just when it’s worse. It’s pain any time something is in your intestines and especially before you go. I’ve had it, and the surgeries to correct it.

  • rawpatiencerawpatience Raw Newbie

    okay, iv’e been going through the exact same thing. i’m about 80% raw right now and everything was going along “smoothly” until last night. all of the sudden a painful not in my colon, it felt like something was in there that wanted to come out, only unfortunately i am now constipated…no bm at all today. the only thing that is making me feel any better is hot, strong, ginger tea….just hoping this feeling “passes” soon :o)

  • Make sure you soak your nuts. Do some research on soaking tables. I haven’t found a perfect one but I kinda combine various ones that I do have. This is what I do: Cashews, 2 hours, Almonds overnight, Walnuts overnight. I don’t soak brazil nuts b/c they don’t have enzyme inhibitors. Those are the main nuts I use. Sunflower seeds – 6 hours, Pumpkin Seeds, 6 hours. I don’t soak pine nuts either. Good luck!

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    I’m having amazing success with chia seed pudding! My stools are fuller, more solid and easy to pass. I have to drink more water when I eat the pudding/seeds. The gel makes them slippery and the seeds absorb toxins/acids/pathogens, etc. along the way out.

  • rawpatiencerawpatience Raw Newbie

    right…water, water, water. I get so filled up on smoothies and fruits that I don’t often feel thirsty. Water will sometimes make me feel bloated after eating nuts (even though the nuts are soaked) but I’m thinking teas are a good replacement…for some reason even if i have a full stomache, they seem soothing to me.

Sign In or Register to comment.