If our bodies are supposed to heal naturally on raw, why is everyone taking supps?

[RawNnyc]

I'm confused, again. :rolleyes: Sorry.

But I really can't relax reading about everyone posting about supplements and this is good for this and bad for that. High sugar, low fat, low sugar high greens, eliminate this, and that, etc. etc. I started the raw food diet because I wanted to just 'be' and let my body heal, and in the meantime, stop stressing, stop worrying, and just know that my symptoms will go away because my body is SO SMART. So what do you guys think? I keep getting such conflicting answers............I'm sure I have intolerances and allergies that I don't know about, but I'm sick of trying to figure it out! I know my body is not right, but aren't I just supposed to leave it up to my body? I mean, raw is supposed to be the BEST right? So why does it not really seem to be good enough?

I don't mean to sound depressing, I'm not depressed! hahah Really! :D :D :D But I'm just confused and I want to just relax......maybe I should stop coming here for a while?

But I'm also addicted to this place!!!!!! hahahah

Danielle

[eatyourbroccoli]

in an ideal world, yes..our bodies should heal completely on raw. and for some people, this is the case. for others, though, because of the amount of environmental toxins out there, and the lowered nutrition in produce because of depleted minerals in our soil nowadays, going 100% raw isnt good enough quickly enough for them. so they turn to supplements, or certain restrictions, in order to make an attempt at acquiring the health they desire more quickly.

thats my excuse, anyway.

[Morn]

Not everyone is taking supplements. I don't. Not because I think there is anything wrong with it - primarily cause I am lazy, and forgetful and don't like taking pills. I say listen to your body and eat raw. It will tell you what it needs.

[RawNnyc]

Not everyone is taking supplements. I don't. Not because I think there is anything wrong with it - primarily cause I am lazy, and forgetful and don't like taking pills. I say listen to your body and eat raw. It will tell you what it needs.


That's what I WANT to hear, but does it REALLY WORK?

I've been having this fear, obsession, whatever you want to call it about food since I found out I had Celiac Disease, then casein allergy...anyway, I went raw because I thought, YEAH!, I can finally eat and be free again!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I'm finding myself in the same 'rut' inside of my head.....:(

I know you guys will tell me 'JUST EAT RAW' but, honestly, is that good enough???? Where are the people out there with complete success stories? I guess not on the forums anymore..........

I'm making myself crazy~

[vgloveforlife]

I would really recommend taking a b12 supplement on a vegan diet. A strict long term vegan diet isn't natural for humans and if you choose to eat one for a long period of time then you should supplement with b12.
A vegan diet can provide most everything else (although some planning can be required) but because of our depleted soil among other things some people choose to supplement for that extra assurance.

[Sharon in Colorado]

A lot of folks are still in the mindset that they need supplementation for nutrients. It takes a while of undoing that thought process. Some will believe that instead of conventional medical pills and procedures alternative pills and procedures are superior, when they are usually not.

I normally don't supplement, however I was going through all my old herbs and supplements and came across some expensive high quality B-12 and thought I may as well use it up. Otherwise I wouldn't bother. There is a big scare about B-12 which shouldn't concern people who are doing fine, after all B-12 deficiency was originally found in meat eaters.

In the book The China Study, the author did a ton of research, one of the studies found that supplements did not help or cure diseases, and that the nutrients in foods were what was important, and helped prevent diseases more so.

He also noted that since supplementation is at an all-time high, so are many of the diseases, which he believes strongly correlates to them being extremely ineffective and unnecessary.

The only nutrients the author suggested that might be necessary are B12 and D, but one shouldn't go taking these without knowing there is a deficiency.

If you have a clean gut from eating purely and are getting plenty of sunshine, have no symptoms of deficiency and are feeling great, there is no need to take any kind of supplement, powder or oil.

Whole fresh foods are our primary source of nutrients.

[RawNnyc]

So I can be free? And if I am constipated or something one day, then my body will eventually work itself out if I stay 100% raw? Because I just feel like I've wasted sooooooooooooooooooo SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much money on supps. oils, etc. and today I was going to buy some, but I just wasn't totally sure. I was like, wait! I'm right back to where I started from, except no meat, fish or rice! This can't be right.........where's the freedom that I know that I'm supposed to have as a human?!?!?! I just want to stop driving myself crazy because I know that does NOT help.......I want some PEACE!

[vgloveforlife]

The only nutrients the author suggested that might be necessary are B12 and D, but one shouldn't go taking these without knowing there is a deficiency.

This is risky advice. B12 deficiency can result in serious irreversible damage. There is actually someone on here who had a loved one suffer from this because she had this same attitude.
I would really recommend supplementing with this important vitamin if you are a strict vegan.

[Rawkinlocs]

There are a lot of answers to your questions!

I don't know if you saw my post to you, in another thread or not, but I was saying that the confusion you feel is one of the reasons Alissa feels as strongly as she does about not promoting ALL forms of the raw diet here because it can and surely DOES get confusing when you hear all of the varying opinions and "methods" of going about this. Do you have her book? If not, I suggest getting it and reading it because she address a LOT in there. Sometimes a person DOES just need to "be" and relax and allow their bodies to guide them and overtime, things can be tweaked such as cutting back on fats or adding more greens or...

But as for supplements, there are many reasons people are taking them:

1. Disbelief or mistrust in natural foods and their own bodies abilities
2. FEAR
3. Confusion from reading all the various sources of "experts"
4. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and different degrees of "abuse" to their bodies and some people may feel they need an extra "hand" at healing their bodies
5. Impatience
6. Mistaking cleansing symptoms for deficiency
7. Because their doctor (medical, naturopath, etc.) said they need to
8. Because many of us are still of the belief that we need to "take something"

And it can go on and on.

Even me...I'm considering taking some Vitamineral Green powder because while I DO believe in the raw diet and green smoothies, etc...I have become impatient with my iron levels being low. Now mind you, I've been involved with raw for 3 years but not ALL raw for that duration of time! So that could very well be a factor too! But if you were to look at the palms of my hands, they are not nice and pink indicating a nice flow of blood. Same with the insides of my eyelids and my nailbeds. Do I "blame" the raw diet for this? NOPE! because I was like this before going raw even when I ate meat and dairy, etc. I have always been classified as anemic and I am not sure if it IS soil depletion or if it's my body not absorbing properly or what but I'm going to try the Vitamineral Green before I resort to b-12 supplementation.

Some raw fooders, however, ARE thriving with NO supplementation. As it was mentioned, not all take supplements. Just like not all raw fooders eat the same way, not all raw fooders are vegan, not all raw fooders are 100% raw, etc.

I know that some say, "It's good to know ALL sides" and to an extent, I agree. But once it begins to cause a lot of unnecessary stressing and confusion and makes one want to give up on it, then it's time to just reflect to the reasons YOU decided to go raw and focus on that and begin just DOING and listening to your own intuition and your own body. I was in the same boat as you once upon a time. I was reading EVERYTHING I could get my hands or eyes on regarding the raw diet whether it was about the paleo diet, the anti-raw arguments, Natural Hygienic approaches to raw and more.

I got SO confused and even at some points SCARED about raw that I was ready to give it all up and just say, "Screw it!"... but then thankfully I met people like Alissa and Revvell and many others who reassured me that I could just EAT RAW and the rest would fall into place and I began to stop listening to all the voices and reading all the material that was causing me so many doubts and so much confusion and I'm all the more happier because of it! I take most of what I read/hear with a grain of salt!

[vgloveforlife]

Because I just feel like I've wasted sooooooooooooooooooo SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much money on supps. oils, etc. and today I was going to buy some, but I just wasn't totally sure. I was like, wait! I'm right back to where I started from, except no meat, fish or rice

Just have your one bottle of b12 and that's it.
Get outside on sunny days for your vitamin D and eat a good variety (so important) of plant foods and you should be fine!

[Revvell]

I don't take supplements. Haven't in many, many years. As far as being a "strict" vegan, I'm not strict about anything. I am vegan, that's it. People who eat the carcasses of dead animals and drink their fluids have many more deficiencies (including b-12) than those of us eating a varied raw vegan food program.

Revvell

[Revvell]

Wanna try something? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Then, try this... Get some unsulfated prunes, Black Mission figs and raisins. Soak them overnight, eat the fruit and drink the juice in the a.m. Do that for a couple of weeks, then see what your level is. :)

Revvell


Even me...I'm considering taking some Vitamineral Green powder because while I DO believe in the raw diet and green smoothies, etc...I have become impatient with my iron levels being low.

[Ariannah]

Not everyone is taking supplements. I don't. Not because I think there is anything wrong with it - primarily cause I am lazy, and forgetful and don't like taking pills. I say listen to your body and eat raw. It will tell you what it needs.
I don't take supplements either. I think it's a contradiction in terms to say we're on the ideal diet for humans and then "supplement" it with fractionated, processed, pills with isolated "nutrients".

[Rawkinlocs]

Wanna try something? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Then, try this... Get some unsulfated prunes, Black Mission figs and raisins. Soak them overnight, eat the fruit and drink the juice in the a.m. Do that for a couple of weeks, then see what your level is. :)

Revvell

LOL! I've seen you reference that before Rev and I thought about it, but then I was like, "But I don't LIKE prunes and figs!" :(

I may try it though...maybe I'll like 'em :eek:

But RawNnyc, all else with me is GREAT...digestion improved on raw, headaches and migraines stopped on raw, oral thrush and vaginal yeast infections stopped on raw, acne cleared up on raw, joint pain gone, energy levels increased, menstural cycles much easier and lighter! So, the body DOES heal when we eat raw

[Revvell]

Prunes and figs good! Nod,nod,nod. :D



LOL! I've seen you reference that before Rev and I thought about it, but then I was like, "But I don't LIKE prunes and figs!" :(

I may try it though...maybe I'll like 'em :eek:

[Sharon in Colorado]

This is risky advice. B12 deficiency can result in serious irreversible damage. There is actually someone on here who had a loved one suffer from this because she had this same attitude.
I would really recommend supplementing with this important vitamin if you are a strict vegan.

I agree with you - however it is also nuts to supplement for everything "just in case" - a good way to find out is a blood test to determine a deficiency (and even then sometimes low levels can be normal for that person).

Plus we don't know what was going on with the poster's loved one you are referring to. I remember that post too. We did not know their diet or lifestyle program, they could have had this deficiency as a meat eater already and it just got worse, we really had no background info to go on with this individual.

I know someone who is dependent on taking cod liver oil supplements because if she skips a day she feels strange. I think sometimes we can create a dependency in our bodies by taking certain supplements on a daily basis.

RawNnyc just be free for a while. If you are starting out, I wouldn't worry about any kind of supplementation, therapies, etc. Just eat raw for a while - sometimes the supplementation can cause more problems since they are not whole foods, and are concentrated and processed. In my opinion, giving your body whole raw foods is the gentlest, most effective way.

[Sharon in Colorado]

LOL! I've seen you reference that before Rev and I thought about it, but then I was like, "But I don't LIKE prunes and figs!" :(

I may try it though...maybe I'll like 'em :eek:



Throw them in your smoothie! ;)

I think they would taste better than the vitamineral green.

There's also blackstrap molasses, but it's not raw.

[SmilingRawDancer]

I'd just like to add:
I'm sick of people telling me that vitamins make expensive urine, when if you go to the doctor and your iron levels are low, THEY even recommend taking iron, so obviously they work.


I do take supplements, but only because I haven't had the time to read up enough on calcium to feel confident eating hardly any.
My family has a high occurance of hip-fractures, HOWEVER, and this is a big however: I have absolute confidence that it's not due to lack of calcium.
I'm pretty sure that it's solely due to Celiac Sprue (look it up if you don't know about it, and tell everyone you know...it's ruined alot of peoples lives.), and high consumption of meat and dairy.
I looked at studies where the countries with the highest occurance of hip-fractures/osteoporosis are the ones with the highest intake of meat/dairy.

I guess it's hard for me to break away with the notion of getting 1300 mg of calcium a day. :-\

(I take:
Multi-vitamin
Calcium
Kelp
Turmeric
L-glutamine)

[Revvell]

I'd just like to add:
I'm sick of people telling me that vitamins make expensive urine, when if you go to the doctor and your iron levels are low, THEY even recommend taking iron, so obviously they work.


Well, I wouldn't go to a doctor for a malnutrition problem since that's all they do is give supplements instead of prescribing food.

I'm not sure what you mean iron supplements work as they may raise iron levels temporarily yet cause major constipation for which they then prescribe something for THAT!!!

Baaaaad cycle.

Revvell

[mershwista]

I don't take supplements. Before supplements existed, no one took them, and people were no more or less healthy. And...I just had my levels checked for a bunch of different stuff--and I am totally fine. Listen to your body, and it will tell you what it wants.

[SmilingRawDancer]

Well, I wouldn't go to a doctor for a malnutrition problem since that's all they do is give supplements instead of prescribing food.

I'm not sure what you mean iron supplements work as they may raise iron levels temporarily yet cause major constipation for which they then prescribe something for THAT!!!

Baaaaad cycle.

Revvell



OOoohh I had no idea about that. But what I was trying to say, regardless of side-effects of iron, is that vitamins/supplements do in fact affect our bodies :)

I'll tell ya, I was anemic earlier last year, and all I started doing was eating spinach every day and shabaammm no problems at all :)

[Rawzula]

I don't take supplements either. Pills make me very nauseous. When I was pregnant with my son, I stopped taking my prenatal vitamins because they made me ill...within 10 minutes of consuming one:eek:

[RawNnyc]

I don't have time to completely post right now, but I do want to say is that from what I'm reading, supplements are just like drugs, or only more natural. YES they affect our bodies, but whose to say how much we need/don't need, as individuals, and then it just causes other problems in which case we buy another supp! WE spend so much money, why? So the 'natural' pharmacutical companies can reap the benefits of our unhealthy bodies? Okay, I"ll write more later! I gotta go!!!!!

Thanks for all the replies. KEep it up please!!!

[RawFoodieMom]

I really understand your frustration and confusion.

Please read this post from Alissa that she wrote a while back, I think it will put you more at ease. :)

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4133

Debra

[darkchild]

I don't take supplements. I grow lots of my own food and eat a variety. I have been very fortunate to be healthy most of my life, even on a SAD. Now that I eat healthy foods every day, I am even more certian that I don't need a pill to round out my diet.

[Sharon in Colorado]

The air we breath today is not as well oxygenated as it was over 100 years ago.

How is that? How could oxygen contain less oxygen? Can you give a reference to this theory?

[misslinda]

I think it depends on circumstance and what a person can and is willing to handle in terms of their symptoms/healing passage~and of course what they consider to be supplements.

If the question is "Are supplements helpful?" Sure they can be some are controverisal like vitamins.......imo, food sources are the highest.

I know that my first year I went raw, I was dealing with some intricate symptoms that to the point, I could barely breathe,eat let alone have a bowel movement/function with injuries. I tried to do just all raw and way out the pain but my threshold at that time was weak.........

I opted for herbal supplements in bulk to aid in my healing so that I was able to eat and digest. I slowly began to heal and actually be able to eat more than just soaked goji berries and grapes.

It also depends on your definition of supplementing.......I consider my Kombucha raw drink a supplement........I consider my herbs supplements.



:)

[chilove]

Hello there,

I haven't taken any supplements since I went raw and I've healed from all sorts of chronic conditions. I consider myself a definite success story. :-) Check out the "my story" section on my website to read my success story.

I believe that our body does the healing. Our body acts in response to the conditions we provide it. I think that supplements are harsh and unnatural and only add to the toxic load the body has to deal with.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[klomasius]

I take B12 supplements when I remember. As a long term vegan, I do think this is very important (stores are thoroughly depleted after about 5 years).

I find that if I'm 100% for long lengths, I am healthy in every way except for small signs of B12 depletion. I would normally eat nutritional yeast fortified with B12 when not 100% raw.

B12 is really something you don't want to mess with, as someone has already mentioned, damage can be done before larger signs of depletion are seen. And the damage is to the nervous system, nothing minor in that.

As for other vitamins and minerals, I don't think it's necessary to supplement. But I don't think it's harmful either, and may mean that any nutrients lacking are made up for by supplements.

But the best way to achieve optimum health is to eat as much of a variety as is possible. Lots of greens, sprouts, fruits, veg, with nuts, seeds, etc.

Greens and sprouts are a great store of essential nutrients, but don't just stick to one, as each contains varying amounts of different nutrients.

VARIETY is the key, and learning to monitor you own body for signs of deficiency. Not as hard as it sounds. I just eat lots of different types of of foods and enjoy them, they do the 'nutrifying'!

Also, get checked once a year for a variety of blood/urine etc. levels of nutrients and other metabolic indicators. This will help ease your mind, or allow you to spot and deal with any depletions (and we aren't perfect, people do have deficiencies from time to time, even if they may not notice.)

Just relax!

[Davylp25]

I take supplement's and LUV UM!!!!!!!

I usually get them from David Wolfe's site etc. Good stuff, helps me build my muscles etc along with my tons of fresh greens fruits nuts seeds oils. Love it!!!!

No dogma for me, just fun good times! Lovin it!

Take care!~

[Springtime]

I have these Vegan vitamins, I think there's a lot of iron, kalcium and B12 in there. Whenever I stop taking them (for an extended peroid of time, not just a couple of days) I see clear sings of B12 deficiency.


I think one very important thing, that someone above mentioned, is that evveryin here is different. We have different bodies, different experiences, we like different kinds of food and have different views on pills.

I see no reason to be dogmatic. If you feel as if your body is not getting enough b12 (or whatever) and you want to take a supplement, you should. As far as I know raw isn't a dogmatic cult where there are rules to follow. I think the important message is to listen to your body.

Love
/reb

[NFrawRUNNER]

I agree with Morn and Rawkinlocs.....and I "feel your pain" I too went "raw" to free myself from the constraints and tediousness of a gfcf diet for (probable) celiac, etc...I do take supplements (due to early menapause and their related issues -such as adrenal fatigue and osteoporosis to avoid HRT and bone density Rx) but they vary as I see fit and my health issues were far more "serious" when I started....again, supplementation is personal....not a "one size fits all" like the pharma. "industry" promotes...

One thing you may want to do for awhile is track your nutrition on a site like fitday.com where you can register free of charge and check whether or not you are meeting your nutritional needs. It takes a bit of time at first but once you have made that initial investment of time it's quick and easy. I do it for my own peace of mind that I AM getting what I need and alter my diet as indicated. I also do it for my naysayers (MOM and doctors) so at a moments notice I can SHOW them that my "needs" are getting met. Supplementation is a personal choice as rawk.. said and Alissa does promote "just eat raw" Goo luck with it and just relax.....Believe in yourself and listen to your body!;)

[SeaRose]

I take about 6 different supps a day. Mainly vitamins and minerals. I do this because I have severe digestion issues, and do not process my food efficiently at this point. I notice a huge difference when I take my extra vitamins, as opposed to when I do not. So I keep taking them. I make this choice for myself. I KNOW eating raw will cure me of my health issues, but I truely believe that taking my supplements is helping me get better faster. Call me impatient, but who wants to be sick longer than necessary?

To me it is pretty simple, if taking an extra vitamin makes you feel better, then keep taking it, if it has no effect or makes you feel worse, then stop. If you really need vitamin B12, and you take a good quality supplement for it, within one hour you will feel a difference. If you were not deficient in B12, you will not notice a difference.

There are no rules, no "dogma", just listen to your own BODY! I don't mean to sound harsh, RawNnyc, but I think you are overcomplicating things. RELAX!!!!! Listen to your body, it will let you know what it needs.

[RawNnyc]

Well I'm so happy this was such a popular topic. I guess what I get from all of your responses is that I should just listen to my body.....so that's what I'm going to do. And at the moment, I'm not going to take any supplements because I want to see what my body can do without them. I'll see how this goes for the next few months......

But for those of you that don't take supps, especially Audry because I've read your website over and over for inspiration, do you think that they might actually slow down the process of healing while masking the symptoms that our body is giving us, for example detox? I'm wondering......just because things that we buy in bottles aren't completely natural, are they? I mean, they've all been processed some way right? You can't just go in nature and find them............

But I'm a little scared of the B12, so I mmmmmmmmaaaaaaayyyy get that eventually.....not now. Now, I'm leaving it up to many body. And I'm going to try and just stop thinknig so much about it all.

Thanks for all of your wonderful thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D