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There are a number of reasons why your protein levels may be low and it may not be your diet that is the problem. I’m surprised that your doctor is testing your protein levels and not talking to you about what to do next! Low protein levels may be an indicator of a much more serious problem than diet. My only suggestion would be to see your doctor A.S.A.P and rule out any physiological cause!
Willow, I agree with Kevin. This is definitely something that should be checked out. Consider visiting your local naturopathic physician since they may be more willing to work with you to improve aspects of your raw diet lifestyle. You may need some professional supplementation to improve the immediate problem while you are trying to find the cause. If you need help in locating a local N.D., let me know and I will try to help you find one.
just so you know… when someone replies to a forum it automatically goes to the top of the forum list, so you can just type “hello” or something on the same forum to get people’s attention, rather than re-posting. =)
are you eating a lot of dehydrated food by any chance? this is just a stab in the dark, but doug graham says that food in it’s unnatural stage (i.e. not fresh or whole) doesn’t have everything in it that our body uses to make it’s own b12. you could try adding more whole fruits and veggies to your diet.
from personal experience, a lot of my nutritional problems were stress related. i was eating tons of things that were high in iron, but was still anemic. if your body is under stress it uses whatever it has to cope with that first. doing yoga CHANGED MY LIFE! there’s also meditation, tai chi, or just a few minutes of quiet time in your day.
i wish you the best of luck willow! it can be so frustrating to feel not in control of your body… but the body heals itself when conditions allow. this may take a little more time.
willow – do you ingest an adequate amount of greens? (smoothies, soups, etc.)? They are an amazing source of protein. Highly suggested if you aren’t already. :)
I drink between 1-2 quarts of green smoothies a day and am able to maintain a healthy weight. Because of the incredible energy boost from them (by alternating the types of greens I eat) I sometimes spend 3+ hours at the gym daily. The energy just doesn’t seem to end some days. Wishing you the best.
willow, try wheat germ( you can get it dried at hfs, but be careful to buy a raw one) or sprouted wheat berries and wheatgrass, they are very good sources of protein and contain B12 too!
If you eat enough protein, but don’t absorb it well you could try to do some kind of detox, for example juice fast, master cleanse or fruit detox, mono eating for some days. These because clening out the system improve digestion ans assimilation of nutrients.
thanks..yeah.Linda, I don’t have insurance, and through a time shares program have a not very involved or knowledgable doctor who IS supposed to be quite holistic…but she is only good for a prescription for lab work that I can get free at the hospital….but I really can’t see a doctor for free. I am not making a lot of money at this moment. So I don’t have any help trying to figure this all out. And pianissima….I am anemic too and was before I went on this diet…I think I have an absorption issue…..but meanwhile I will try to overdoo it on greens, which is the only thing I haven’t tried yet. The info that you gave me is good…I already supplement like crazy…...we’ll see…Thanks for all the info.
oh, i meant to say i was anemic BEFORE going raw. haven’t had any iron problems since, but like i said i attribute my ability to ABSORB it to less worrying (which is hard when you are worrying about your diet… gets to be a pretty vicious cycle.) yeah, greens are the ultimate healers. and they aren’t too expensive if you pick them wisely. parsley is super cheap.
How old are you? Lack of HCl acid is a common problem and will cause you not to digest your proteins. This can be related to a lifetime diet of cooked food and/or problems being to acid . The body “steals from Peter to pay Paul” to maintain it’s alk. state which degrades the ability to digest food over time because of the shifts in pH in different parts of th GI tract. This is easily supplemented. I would also use digestive enzymes for awhile too, if this were to be your problem. Greens are great because they alkalinize due to their mineral density and also remineralize your body. So don’t just eat them…juice and drink them too!
Thanks for all the good ideas. I will try them all. Is anyone from Maine?? I was wondering if anyone knew of a good holistic/nutritional/ naturopath in the area.