BM question...TMI!

[iluvcacao]

Okay, I don't understand what is going on with my body. I'm on Day 10 of my 30 day challenge and things are strange. Before going all raw, I had a BM every morning like clockwork. Three days into all raw I've started getting constipated. I'll skip a day and then the next day have the strangest stuff happen. I'll go to the bathroom finally, normal-like stool, maybe on the firm side. Then get up, done with my business...within a few minutes I'll be back with light diarrhea and stomach cramping!! :( This has happened twice now :eek: today, and then two days ago. I was high raw from July to before starting my challenge and had pretty soft stools most of the time, which I chocked up to detox, but they were not diarrhea. Anyone have insight into this? It is kind of freaking me out. Thanks for reading through my TMI! :o

[Raw Magwene]

I had a similar experience when I first went raw. For 2 weeks, I was really constipated. I have no idea why, except that maybe, it was the change in diet. You'd think it would be the opposite.

Supposedly, fiber cures both constipation and loose stools--If you're loose, it slows stuff down. Try pears (highest fiber fruit, and in season now!) or some psyllium in OJ or water.

Soft stool means your body is expelling waste too quickly, so you're intestine's not getting the water out. My neighbor claims your stool should be the consistency of peanut butter.

Hope that helps a little!

[sungoddess]

I had very similar situation to this. It didn't stop till I went mostly low fat, but it may have just been that it would have done that anyway!

[VeryBerry]

I have the same problem, although I had it before raw too.
That is one of the reasons why I went raw.
I am trying probiotics.
If that does not work I will try low fat, I don't eat that much fat as it is,
and to be honest, I am a little scared to go low fat.
Any sugestion?

[alex]

Your intestinal microorganisms are adjusting to a new food source (for them as well as for you). I am a believer in taking a probiotic - I notice when I forget to do so.

Your symtoms should pass - if they do not - better get it checked out.


alex

[Raw Mom]

I'm a big believer in better out than in. I'm on my third month raw and all kinds of things are happening in my bowels. Cramping I notice when I've had some cooked food. Dr. Mehmet Oz says stool should be like toothpaste, and come out in a swirl, like your colon. I'm every morning at least twice. As long as the raw keeps going in, I'm good. And think of all the non raw you've put in in the last however many years! It's gotta come out. Sometimes it gets stuck and needs the push from the other side. That's when I know the raw is working. :D

[Missrawdiva]

I had the same problem and I incorporated golden flax seeds into my diet.. worked like a charm!!

[Rawkinlocs]

Maybe your body is just undergoing some major cleaning. I think that in our SAD society, we have become so accustomed to diarrhea being an indication of something wrong that anytime we have watery stool we think the worst when in fact, just as with cold symptoms being the body's way of cleaning out the respiratory system, the watery stool could be (at times) the body's way of cleaning house. I'm no expert, just a thought.

[solarliving]

My stools are similar. I think your intestines are cleaning out due to the high fiber. I go about 2-3 times a day now and in the morning my stool is large and solid and then afterwards kind of mushy. I know TMI : )

Occasionally I take 2 TBL. of Chia seed in water. I eat 2-3 Apples/day.

I just started reading, "Greens for Life." It talks a lot about our similiarities with chimpanzees and what their diet consists of. About 500 mg of fiber a day! They eat mostly fruit and greens. The average SAD eater gets about 10-15mg of fiber a day. I am inspired to go full force on the green smoothies. I might even just start snacking on Red chard.

[k-lee]

I'm not sure how this will be taken here, but I'm ready to share this with the world.

I recently quit smoking pot. Yup, I'm an ex druggie. I was a regular pothead for about the last 14 years or so, smoking an average of 3 times a day, depending. It was the last and strongest addiction for me to give up. Yes, it's true, I was able to go 100% raw food for about 11 months before I was able to give up the pot.

The point I'm trying to get at here is that I found my bowels to be really sluggish almost all of the time, but if I would run out of smoke for a few days, then I would have the exact same symptoms you describe. It's as if the pot would put my intestines to sleep, and cause me to get constipated. Then when I would have a day or two of sobriety, I would have a huge large relatively hard movement, followed by waves of loose stools for the entire day, sometimes going up to 5 times a day or more. This would happen every single time I ran out of pot. Like clockwork.

I'm not trying to say that's what's going on with you, but find it interesting. Maybe you're eating or drinking something that has a numbing effect on the intestines, perhaps? I've noticed that every negative side effect of pot also happens to me when I take Kava Kava extract. I get sleepy, drowsy the next day, and my intestines fall asleep. Go figure. If I stay away from those mood-enhancing substances, I'm fine and have very regular BM's.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[iluvcacao]

K-lee, congrats on being able to give up your addiction! That is really interesting that the same kind of things happened with pot...hmmm...nothing comes to mind right away that would have a numbing affect on my bowels, but maybe it isn't something obvious. Today has been a more "normal" day, so yeah! Thanks to everyone for the replies :) I have lots of good ideas and feel better about the whole thing.