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

always sick

joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

i've gotten sick every month since september. it's been a cold/cough thing and it usually lasts a week or two. i'm about 80% raw, sometimes have cooked veggies for dinner. do you think i can contribute my sickness to not eating all raw?? i like having warm foods since it's freezing here, but if i constantly get sick, is it worth it? i never used to get sick this often before i started eating raw foods. i figured my immune system would be really dynamite by now, but i guess not. any thoughts?

Comments

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    hmmm

  • are you getting enough zinc and proper immune defending minerals into your diet, whether you eat raw or not?

  • If you've been on antibiotics in the past which I am sure you have like most people they are really really damaging for you immune system and it needs an extra helping hand to build it up again. The best thing to do is eat lots of fermented foods or take probiotic to restore your healthy bacteria. Hope this helps :)

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I remember when I used to eat Ezekiel bread, peanut butter, noodles, and other cooked foods on a regular basis I got sick all the time. Now I never get sick now that I don't eat that stuff anymore. Like, it's been 3-4 years. The last time I got sick I had eaten a bunch of gluten free millet bread and then had a bad cough and really sore throat, with fevers, for 2-4 weeks. The body gets really sensitive. I'm not perfect now though, I have liquid cooked foods like soups and stuff every now and then. Maybe you should try easier to digest cooked foods - starchy vegetables feel pretty heavy to me. that might just be me though. Have a bowl of some kind of broth with a small amount of vegetables in it, a few beans, etc just to warm you up. Take a probiotic and enzyme supplement too because that will really help the sickness and digestion of the cooked food. The bacteria will strengthen your immune system.

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    There's a lot of other factors in health. Even with food, there's other factors besides raw. For instance, if you eat right before bed a lot then your sleep won't be as rejuvenating and healing as it should be. If you're always stressed out then your body will wear down. If you are lethargic and never exercise then you won't have as much energy, etc. Increasing your percentage of raw might help you out but there are so many factors that I'm sure you could improve other things and get the same results. Whatever works

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    what do you eat that IS raw? do you get enough greens and fruit? those are the things that keep me from getting sick. I also take raw vitamins (vitamin code) just to fill in.

    i agree with eecho, look at other factors in your life. to get sick, you have to be exposed to germs and get stressed somehow. get enough sleep, don't drink or smoke, don't get too stressed out.

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    thanks for your thoughts guys!

    rawgorgeous, i was on antibiotics in march because i got my wisdom teeth out. what an experience! i definitely do need to build my immune system up. i've never fermented any foods though and that is a good idea.

    rawkid, it's just weird to me that i used to be on an all cooked foods diet and now i'm not and this is when i get most sick. i think the veggie broth sounds like a good idea. one of the main reasons i eat cooked foods is because it's cheaper and it's what my family eats. my favorite is a potato. i'm going to read about probiotics since i'm curious about them now.

    i'm thinking a reason could be that i'm just exposed to so many germs, like bitt said. i take the trolley, bus, and go to school and the gym everyday. i haven't taken vitamins for a while but maybe i need to. my main fruits that i eat are bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, strawberries, and raspberries. as for greens, i really only eat iceberg lettuce and spinach. i'm not really a fan of the darker leaf varieties.

    eecho, i get lots of sleep haha except i don't sleep when i'm sick. i just can't for some reason... probably because i'm sneezing and coughing the whole time.

  • WhiteAppleWhiteApple Raw Newbie

    I would say definitely put dark leafy greens in your diet somehow with me I just throw them in a smoothie. In fact I am having a chocolate smoothie right now and I put a big leaf of kale in it and you would never know. This morning I put a few big leaves of kale with 3 kiwis, 1 banana, and 1 carrot (and I don't like carrots but I never know its in there). Spinach is not that reliable for minerals because of oxalic acid which blocks absorption of calcium and iron. You need some basic minerals and vitamins dark leafy greens are by far the best they are basically superfood.

    I would suggest Vitamin D supplement. You said you starting feeling more ill in September maybe because of the sun it happened to me this October now I supplement at every meal.

    If you are out in public that much you should try to eat immune boosting foods like Vitamin C (citrus) and zinc all the time to keep it going so you can help reduce chances of getting something. Maybe Airborne might help, I used to use it quite a lot when I felt or was sick and it always helped.

  • Talking about getting sick by eating some SAD food, on Halloween night and the next day I gorged on chocolate which I hadn't eaten for a long time. That was Sat and Sun. I got soo sick Wed. and I hadn't been sick a day since going RAW (between 80 to 100% daily) 2 years ago. My two kids who eat about 80% RAW also got sick at the same time. My SAD husband and other 2 kids were not affected. I guess this is just one hard lesson to learn and hopefully it will make me think twice when tempted with cooked food:)

  • I knew oxalic acid was bad for calcium absorption but I didn't know it was present in spinach, thanks whiteapple :)

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    I've heard you mention you don't like taking supplements - but a multivitamin/mineral might be good to have as a backup particularly if there isn't a lot of variety in your diet. Otherwise Eecho makes a good point about other factors like stress weakening your immune system.

    I get exposed to plenty of germs via my office. Many of my coworkers have school-aged kids and come in sick all the time, but I don't usually catch anything. Maybe once every two or three years I get a cold.

    Ditto the green smoothies to add more nutrient-dense greens to your life! Iceberg lettuce has almost no nutrients. Romaine is really mild and far more nutritious.

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    suasoria, i'm thinking it's the cooked food i was eating. i quit eating the potatoes since i posted this and i feel much better. i am honestly the least stressed person i know haha there is nothing in my life that is stressful- thank god.

    i try to drink green smoothies everyday or every two days. iceberg is just so delicious!! haha i love it. i'm okay with romaine in salads but the flavor is just too strong in smoothies for me. i like celery in smoothies though.

Sign In or Register to comment.