How long should this be uncomfortable?!

I’ve been raw for almost four weeks, and before that I’d say my food consumption was around 80% raw and vegan anyway… but since going raw, I have been suffering either diarrhea or constipation, incredibly low energy, low appetite…

I do now have a positive mood and lovely skin and want to stick with it since I’ve chalked it all up to the infamous “detox” thus far but… come on, when do I get to feel good?!!? Did anyone else go through this?? Thanks a lot!

Sam

Comments

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    It sounds like you’re having a cleansing/healing reaction or you might have food allergies that you don’t know about. Also, plants contain natural toxins, saponins, lectins, fagopyrin, etc. You might just need to adjust your diet. Transition more slowly by eating brown rice or a baked potato once in awhile and ease into all raw. It does get better. Allison

  • Thanks a lot for your reply – how often should I throw in a cooked food do you think?

    Also I wanted to add that I’m also experiencing terrible allergies (new) like sneezing and runny nose, and weight GAIN, about 5lbs! Which confuses me…

    Anyone know the common raw food allergies, other than the obvious, nuts?

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    Gluten grains , soy, for me it’s tomatoes, for you it might be something else. I also don’t eat many goitrogenous foods (cruciferous vegetables) because they block iodine abdorption, but I do eat some regularly (flaxseeds). The trick is to monitor your diet and keep notes on how it makes you feel. You might not notice for awhile or you might have an immediate reaction. Here’s link to a list of food toxins: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Green_Grou…

  • If it’s not too personal- what are you eating in a typical day?

  • I love getting personal! Lots of fruit, strawberries, blueberries, oranges… spinach, kale, blueberries, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado, lemons, limes, garlic, dates, flax seeds, sunflower seeds… these are my mainstays, with a bit of almond, walnut, and tahini here and there.

    Thought about monitoring but it’d just say “feel poo, all the time…”

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    Detox can take a long time for some people. What was the 20% your diet like before you went all raw? And how long were you 80% raw? And how long have you been vegan?

    That can often be a big indicator of how bad or long your detox will be – most of us were eating SAD diets before we went raw and that stuff can build up in your body and take a while to get it out. Translation is really that the more “junk” you were eating before, the longer and worse your detox will be. The fastest way to get the detox over with and feel good is to fast. But you will feel even worse before you feel better. It doesn’t happen over night.

    Also, detox symptoms are very varied – you new “allergies” can be part of your detox. It is often said that people detox in places they had problems with before. Like if you had bad acne while you were young and you go raw – you might very likely break out really badly. This happened to me when I went veggie over 17 years ago – I did a fast (not knowing WHAT i was doing) and my face broke out so badly. Now it doesn’t break out at all now when I do fast but I realize that all the junk I was eating before had to come out and that is how it did.

  • FeeFee Raw Master

    Strawberries are apparently a fairly common food allergy and tomatoes as 123 said. Maybe you could try eating fewer types of food in a day with a dairy of what you eat and you should be able to spot the culprits. Food allergies can also cause weight retention/gain. Good luck with sorting your self out.

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    Food allergies can also cause an immune response.

    I don’t see many greens in your diet Granola. Where’s the lettuce? Spinach, kale and flaxseeds are goitrogenous. You may need to eat some sea vegetables for the iodine and other minerals. Brown seaweed (wakame, kombu), nuts and seeds are good sources of omega 3 fats, but you can overdo nuts and seeds, avocados too. Since you eat so much high-glycemic fruit, you could be having insulin spikes or feeding candida. Try to eat more variety and see how that does. Unless you’re eating organic, strawberries top the list of pesticide laden produce. Not knowing you, it’s hard to pin-point the problems, but these are a few possibilities. You could just be having a healing reaction and that’s actually a good thing.

  • Hi Granola! I agree with others about the strawberries and tomatoes. Also your body can’t absorb whole flax seeds so they are better eaten ground if you are not doing that yet it may have an affect on you. If possible add pears to your diet- they have a soothing quality to digestion. Also if you could make some raw oatmeal or granola that should help. It sounds like you like granola from your name!

    I just found out that yucca root helps rebuild the villi in the intestines so try some of that if possible- juiced or soaked in warm water. You also may need to watch your electrolyte balance. Make fluids to drink that have a little sea salt in them. Ginger root also helps detoxify and soothes the stomach.

    I would also try to add some pumpkin seeds to your diet for the zinc. Cabbage juice is great for digestion too. Spirulina added to a smoothie can do wonders if you are suffering some headaches and if sunlight has been bothering you.

    Let us know how things are going. I hope you feel awesome soon!

  • Wow what awesome replies! thank you all so much

    writeeternity I like a lot of what you had to say because zinc, ginger, and electrolyte replacement are all things that have helped me in the past, though usually in capsule or product form. I shall try the sea salt pumpkin seed approach!

    Thanks again to all of you! Still feeling incredibly fatigued and gassy. Considering and researching a (brief) juice fast…

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