Raw Food Causing Drowsiness

[notwell]

Hi. I've been raw for over a couple of yrs & all of a sudden I seem to be allergic to food. First I started to get extremely tired when eating fats, but now it happens with other foods too. I had a green smoothie earlier with bananas, spinach & romaine and had to take a nap after. My skin broke out into a rash a couple wks ago (I already had extremely dry skin, but now it's worse-eczema-like) & hasn't cleared up. I started taking enzymes with my foods in hopes that would help. It may help a tiny bit, but is probably more a band-aid than a solution. I think this is definitely a digestive problem though I can't imagine why this occured all of a sudden since I was doing so well. I'm was going to start a bowel cleanse & later add in probiotics, but am open to suggestions. I feel like I'm doing everything right with eating, but apparently am not. I feel awful & look awful.

[Veganforlife]

Hey there. Sorry you're not feeling so well. Are you 100% raw?

[notwell]

Hi, thanks. Yes, I am & use organic.

[Veganforlife]

Hmmmm. How about trying green smoothies?

[Rawkinlocs]

Without knowing what your history is (past illnesses, medications you may have taken, past eating habits and lifestyle habits, etc.) and without knowing what your raw diet has been like during the past 2 years - it would be very difficult for anyone to have any answers/solutions for you.

I think the best thing to do would be to get with either a Naturopath or other health practitioner that you trust OR with a raw food coach that you trust to help you through this - someone who can work one-on-one with you to pinpoint things in your diet and/or lifestyle that may have triggered the things you are experiencing and help guide you into feeling better. I don't know, I just kinda doubt that raw food is causing this, but that perhaps it is causing a RE-action in your body to something else and/or it could very well be somethings that you need to adjust in your diet/life or maybe you need to supplement something or find particular foods that may give you something your body may be deficient in...but again, without knowing what you're eating/doing, then it would be almost impossible to even begin knowing how to help you.

What is your daily food intake like? What about environment? Sometimes things around us can be the culprit. How about stress...have you been undergoing any major stress in your life lately? It may be a retracing of something...but without more info, it'd be hard to determine.

[KristensRaw]

Maybe you can get a consultation with Dr. Douglas Graham? He's pretty well versed in these things. He's not the cheapest, but could be well worth it. Just a suggestion. Hope things get better and please report back with any changes.

Cheers!
Chef Kristen Suzanne
www.KristensRaw.com

[notwell]

How about trying green smoothies? As I mentioned up, I just had a reaction to a green smoothie. My digestive system is messed up-gas, bloating, etc. & seems to be getting worse.

Rawkinlocs: Previously I've had problems with candida, but that went away awhile ago. Other than that, really no illnesses. No stress or other changes. I try to eat pretty balanced with fruits, vegs, fats & no real heavy recipes. I haven't had much success in using doctors/healers.

KristensRaw, just saw your suggestion. I will look into Dr. Graham if I can't figure this out.

Thanks everyone.

[Rawkinlocs]

As I mentioned up, I just had a reaction to a green smoothie. My digestive system is messed up-gas, bloating, etc. & seems to be getting worse.

Rawkinlocs: Previously I've had problems with candida, but that went away awhile ago. Other than that, really no illnesses. No stress or other changes. I try to eat pretty balanced with fruits, vegs, fats & no real heavy recipes. I haven't had much success in using doctors/healers.

KristensRaw, just saw your suggestion. I will look into Dr. Graham if I can't figure this out.

Thanks everyone.

Sometimes my husband has bloating with green smoothies IF the combination is too complex. What all was in the green smoothie that you recently had?

What (if anything) do you kinda "feel" is the issue that may be going on within? Since you've been doing this for a couple of years now, it may just be time to go even more simplistic as in mono-eating, even if just for a season and not necessarily permanently. Have you tried that...just eating one type of food at a time? If so, how does your body react with doing that?

Also, what do you think/feel about doing a fast of some sort for a while?

[notwell]

Until today, I thought fats might be the problem. Though I didn't feel it was too excessive. I was going to cut them out or down while doing the bowel cleanse. Then when I did the smoothie today, which just had bananas & greens, I realized it wasn't just fats. I'm not sure why I'm having a digestive issue. It's very hard for me to eat mono as besides some fruits, I don't like the taste of a lot of foods on their own. Fasting-also difficult because I don't feel well whenever I don't get enough food. This is why I need to always be eating like every 2 hrs or so. I've tried to go without food for awhile by drinking lots of water & that just made it even more necessary to eat. Seems like I can only get away with not eating, if I don't drink either, which isn't healthy.

[aililiu]

for me, if i eat a lot of food in one sitting, i get tired, lethargic, and sometimes bloated/gassy - especially if its bad food combining or too complex. how are your portion sizes? i know how you feel about having to eat regularily... i get dizzy if i dont eat quite often. my problem comes when i eat too MUCH too often.

have you done any colonics? maybe if your digestive system needs to be cleaned out, your body is getting exhausted by having to digest anything. might be something to look into?

[notwell]

In the evening I tend to eat too much in one sitting. The rest of the day, I do well. I'm going to start off with this bowel cleanse & try to eat as simply as I can & go from there.

I like this board. :)

[Rawkinlocs]

Glad you like it here! :D

I hope you're feeling well soon so that you can change your username to something like, "FeelingGreat"! ;)

Oh, one other thing, I'd really like to see you getting some green smoothies in...I've heard a few (not many, but a few) who say that bananas don't do well for their digestive systems...perhaps a smoothie with some other type of fruit and no bananas may fair better with you. Maybe something light like pineapple and greens or berries and greens, etc. Maybe try just a little bit and take small sips and see how you feel after each sip.

[Sunshine9]

Notwell.... i feel like i could have written your post! i wish i had some answers, but the same things started happening to me after i'd been 100% raw for about six months.

Perhaps food intolerances? i discovered i'm highly allergic to bananas, and mildly to coconut & avocado & almonds (all part of my previous diet).

The only thing I would suggest is like Rawinlocks said, change your sn to something positive!!! What we focus on expands.

[rawsurfer]

maybe try just mono eating to see if / what you are allergic to. that is what i plaan to do after my fast.

[Rose Red]

Hi,

Have you tried an oxygen-based colon cleansing product, such as Homozon, Oxy-Powder or Colosan? They oxidise and liquify any leftover plaque or gunk in the intestinal tract, making it easier for the body to poo it out. If there is a detox element to your problem, it might help to take one of these things for a while. They clear out the 'highway' that is the digestive tract, making it easier for toxins in deeper layers or organs of the body to make their way out. The oxygen they release is apparently lethal to bad bacteria, parasites, dodgy fungi, etc. because they prefer an anaerobic environment, but it is encouraging to good bacteria in the gut because they like oxygen. I have certainly felt better when taking these products, especially Colosan (so far). I am about to try Homozon, which is the original product.

As far as I understand it, if the digestive tract is not clear enough, toxins being released from other areas of the body can float around in the bloodstream before they are eliminated, wreaking havoc as they go and making you feel unwell. Maybe, if you have been raw for a couple of years, your body is throwing off deeper junk but your organs of elimination can't quite cope for some reason? Only a guess. I think it's really important to talk to a professional about this to determine whether it is detox (and how to cope if it is) or something else.

The web site of the Finchley Clinic in London has more information on oxygen-based therapies. I have found it useful in the past.

Rose Red

[rawzeit]

Do you exercise?

[dreamrawalwz]

Eating such a heavy meal can cause drowsiness. Maybe your body is at a point where it requires much less food since you've been raw for a while.

[EZ rider]

Have you looked into food combining ?
"Food combining refers to the combination of foods which are compatible with each other in terms of digestive chemistry. Food combining is a basic component of optimal nutrition because it allows the body to digest and utilize the nutrients in our foods to their full extent." This is a quote from an article at Healing Daily.com Here's the link:
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/food-combining.htm

[Stina]

I was having similar experiences. I switched from a lot of green smoothies to green lemonade and just some green smoothies. That helped me to get over the hump with whatever detoxing I was doing and defintely helped to improve my energy.

Are you familiar with the green lemonade recipe?

[notwell]

I'm back a year later to report that things are not getting better. I can't even believe that I haven't resolved this. :mad: I've done oxygen cleanses, a series of colonics, simplified my diet more, etc. It seems like nothing I do is making any difference what-so-ever and it's beyond frustrating. After spending a fortune on colonics, I'm really not wanting to seek further help. Especially when I've done many other things with professionals.

I was thinking of becoming a fruitarian, but not really sure if that's the answer any more than anything else. I just had a mono meal of fruit and I believe my face got worse. :( Apparently I'm allergic to everything.

I'm not having the drowsiness issue though.

[Eva]

notwell -- have you tried cutting out sweet fruit?? I have read in Starfire's posts that she can't have any of the really sweet fruit such as bananas and probably also peaches the sweeter apples, etc. I'm really not 100% sure which ones...

but this sounds like it could be a possibility.

Also -- another thought that comes to mind is the fact that there are some people out there who avoid things that have been "hybridized" such as bananas and carrots -- things that are sweeter than they used to be in nature. Perhaps your body is clean enough that it's time to narrow down the field a little more.

I can't say that the above is surely the case, but it's worth a try.

Maybe someone else will have more input. In the meantime, would you mind listing out the foods you had today since you had a reaction?

Ah, another thing -- unfortunately -- is that you could be getting rid of something?? I used to get a rash on my elbows, it was there for several months. I oil pulled and was all raw, but it still wasn't going away 100%. Finally, I tried urine therapy out of desperation. It worked quickly and that was that. The rashes went away. I don't understand all the details, but I do know it worked!

LOL -- that's all that comes to mind for now. I hope something in there is of value to you. :)

[notwell]

Eva,
Thanks for your reply. I actually don't eat a lot of sweet fruit. I don't tend to crave fruit much. I prefer savory foods over sweet. I haven't completely cut them out ever to test. Though I have had just bananas before and was fine. I don't feel like I have more of a reaction to them than other things. I actually thought the problem was fats, then onions. But am finding it doesn't seem to matter what I eat.

So far today had:
Green Smoothie: bananas, barley powder, spinach, goji powder
Salad: cabbage, carrots, tomato, sprouts
Fruit

Will probably either have more fruit or another salad. Normally I would have soup instead but haven't made any yet.

Thing is I would think the colonics would have helped get rid of anything after all this time. The therapist even said that raw is a cleansing diet and one shouldn't need to do anything else. Plus I've really simplified my diet so much in the past few months. I use to eat so much more dehydrated meals/snacks that were high in fat.

[shashibala]

I am sorry to hear that you still don't feel good. Have you tried hemp seeds or chia seeds to add some protein? Sea vegetables for minerals? Wheat grass juice? Diet is very powerful, but it isn't the only factor.
I've heard some people have increased their energy by jumping on a rebounder. It is said to oxygenate the cells and cleanse the lymph system. I hope to try it soon myself. I had terrible asthma before I went raw. My asthma is almost all gone now, but I find that to alleviate that sleepy asthma feeling, that feels like a very low energy state, I need to do daily deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing exercises can help with low energy.

Here is a link that shows the benefits of rebounding. I am not endorsing this product, this is just an example.
http://www.needakrebounders.com/page2481.php

[notwell]

I do have lots of sea veggies. I've used hemp many times over the years & have also used chia seeds. I've only done frozen wheatgrass for a bit & wheatgrass in supplements like Alissa's powder. Right now I don't have a juicer, but it's something I'd like to do at some point.

Energy isn't really an issue anymore, though I do need to exercise more. I've heard things about rebounding.

[WendyLouWho]

Seeing that you have done colonics and cleanses, you probably already thought of this, but it really sounds like parasites to me. Are you still having the bloating/gas issues? Is it worse on the full moon? Do you have other symptoms of parasites like bruxism, itchy ears/nose? Rashes and lethergy are common symptoms.

I hope you find your answers.

[notwell]

Hmmm, I used a parasite supplement for few months & another parasite cleanse, but that doesn't mean they necessarily worked. Guess I could look into that again.

[TaupeRawMan]

Hi Notwell -

I, too, have been 100% raw for many years and don't feel well. There are some theories I have read that this is not uncommon. Matt Monarch and Frederich Patenaude write about this in their books. They have different opinions as to the cause and the solution. Matt thinks that regular colonics are necessary to deal with the constant cleansing the body is doing. Frederic thinks it has do with the amount of fats raw foodists are eating. He advocates only a handful of nuts OR 1 -2 avocadoes a day and not on the same day. Also, he thinkgs they should be eaten before a salad so that the hydrochloric acid doesn't get diluted. I think both believe that steamed veggies would be a better solution than some raw veggies that are difficult to digest.

I am also beginning to wonder if people that came to raw to lose weight take longer to stop feeling good because their body has reserves....did you lose a lot of weight at the beginning? How is your weight now?

What kind of diet did you eat before going raw? Do you feel better now or then?

[notwell]

Hi TaupeRawMan. I was doing all different types of health diets prior to raw. I had trouble at one point with food irritating my stomach & that is when I switched to raw. I didn't lose a lot of weight. I was already thin and became even better with raw. Luckily I'm able to maintain a good weight.

I guess in some ways I feel worse. However when I got sick right before becoming raw-that was worse. Then I really couldn't eat much of anything. I do think I would be worse off if I was SAD.

I keep reading what everyone has to say too. I think I still may need to cut down on the fats, even though I often have less than before. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do as much fruit such as the 80-10-10 just because I don't seem to want much of it. Though I may have to force myself to if that proves to be the answer. Getting desperate here. Oh wait, I think I'm beyond that. I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't experienced all the benefits to being raw. I've never had surges of energy or all kinds of other things. Yet I still believe this is the right way.

[Zella Juice]

I cut out bananas and I feel better. It was kinda by accident because I ran out of them. But I noticed my digestion was much better without them. I started drinking simple juices too. Tomato grape is a fav of mine.

Did you ever get a blood test to see what you might be low on?

Also, I think we end up having too much of the same thing. Because of what is available in our local stores. Maybe you need to try something new. Time to move to Hawaii and drink fresh coconut juice. :D Just my two cents. I could be wrong.

[MiahTay]

Have you considered visiting a Naturopath and/or having allergy testing done? I am by no means an expert but I know that if I was feeling bad for that amount of time I would be seeking answers from someone who knew more than me. It may not be in the quantities of what you are eating it may be just one thing you are eating or ??? Maybe you've already done this ... I'm sorry I didn't go back and read the whole thread just the beginning and the current posts. I hope you get to the bottom of this and feel better soon.

Blessings,
Heather

[Coconutcutie]

I have been having a similar experience. I am now 4 months 100% raw and about a month and a half ago my stomach started acting up. Green smoothies made me bloat and feel sick for the rest of the day. I wasn't even mixing fruits with the greens. I also seemed to be having trouble with fats and fiber. Just about everything was causing stomach pain and felt like it was hanging out in my stomach much longer than normal (8-12 hrs.). Fruits were the only foods that went down (and came out) smoothly. I went on a fruit fast, with some veggie juices thrown in for variety. I also did a few liver flushes, a half-hearted parasite cleanse, an oxygen bowel cleanser, anti-fungals, P&B shakes, enemas, colonics, and probiotics. I did expel worms during my liver flushes and enemas so I know that is an issue for me. This week I have started the "real deal" parasite cleanse Humaworm hoping that will knock the critters out for good and have resumed eating some fats but still have not gone back to green smoothies. I just remember how awful they started to make me feel so I continue to juice my greens every day and they digest much better that way. Green smoothies appeared to be coming out looking the same way they did going in anyway...lots of green fiber (TMI).

I feel like I am one of the rare non-success stories of raw as well. I felt really awesome the first month raw but went downhill from there. I have always been thin but entered raw at a healthy thin weight and now I look unhealthy skinny, in addition to looking like I was run over a truck (worn-out, dark circles, saggy skin, puffy yet gaunt). I also feel tired most of the time. This got worse when the digestive problems led me into fruit and juice fasting, and now that I am adding some nuts and fats back in I hope to gain back some weight and vitality.

I too have fully invested myself in raw and plan to stick it out, although it is disheartening to watch myself deteriorate. I love raw foods and can't imagine eating any other way now...just wish my body would cooperate. I have had allergy tests and avoided all of my "bad" foods and also some that I later found were bad for me like avocados, so I don't think that's the issue for me, although it could be your issue. You would think that by now you would have figured that out though, right?

It sounds like you have tried everything, just wanted to say that I feel the same way. Hope that you find your answer soon.

P.S. I echo your sentiments regarding "outside help" - I have been through everyone - naturopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, etc. and haven't found one that I felt was really seeing the whole picture and could help me. I feel much better taking steps on my own and saving my $$ on doctor visits. Most doctors just tried to throw more herbs or vitamins at me, even chelation therapy without even questioning me about my bowel habits, diet, etc. Expensive allergy tests without pointing out that many food allergies are caused by parasites/candida/leaky gut which can be fixed simply and affordably. In some ways these alternative doctors are just as guilty as conventional doctors of NOT getting to the root cause of issues and milking us out of more money unecessarily, just my opinion...

[Rrose]

I've had similar problems myself, and I've attributed it to detox because it finally went away after continuing the raw foods and not giving into cooked. Heck, I would feel really tired after a smoothie, and would have to go to bed and maybe my body was resting so it could shift into high gear and do some major house cleaning while it had the chance.

Also, I have found if I don't mix fruit and greens in my smoothies, things seem to run smoother.;)

[notwell]

I am very upset. I purposely avoided fats all day and then had a salad with a special dressing I made and my face got worse! :mad: I feel like I'm allergic to everything. This is nuts. What next, stop eating everything. I would fast, but my body can't handle it.

I did an allergy test at the beginning of becoming raw and it was basically useless. I don't even know why I wasted the time and money. I usually stay away from all of it anyhow without even thinking about it because most was stuff I don't eat like dairy.

After all the years and money, I'm really not interested in going to another "professional" to help me. I can't do this endlessly. But I can't stay in this situation endlessly either. :confused:

[Eva]

notwell -- I'm wondering... if you are following your dreams... or putting too much stress on yourself... is this even diet related??

Just more thoughts.

And what was in your dressing?

And why do you have so much worry for nuts? Do you sprout/soak them? Do you crave them? Do you eat "too much" for emotional reasons? (not enough because you are restricting and trying to do the "right" thing... then eat too much at night?)...

I know that I am COMMITTED to raw... but I'm going through some emotional stuff with work. I am following my dreams in so many ways, but I'm keeping a job that sounds great on paper... and isn't my dream. But it is a nice enough paycheck with a job from home and a flexible schedule. So I stick around. And dream about when I can quit so I can do my own thing full time.

And I've been overeating, but all raw food of course. Soooo many nuts, soooo much fruit. Ick. I'm so tired today in particular because I have had the time to dream. (During the week I work and take 3 hrs/day of class = NO dreams or thoughts wandering!)

The good thing is -- when I'm not polluting my body (ie no meat, dairy, processed etc.), EVEN if I'm eating way more than I want -- I am alive enough to see and feel my hopes and dreams. I just can't squelch them! And that is dangerous! Because then if I'm not true to myself, my body acts up with stress etc. BUT when I pop off raw, I just am not awake enough to dream.

LOL, dream, dream, dream. I've been using that word a lot huh? I don't know if any of this is helpful to you... but just know that the mind is so powerful, even if it is the subconscious mind that is pulling the reins on you... This could be as much spiritual as physical.

But I just don't know. I'm simply sharing my own experience and thoughts from afar...

[yogashmoga]

i'm so sorry to hear you are going through this! i realize you have exhausted many theories, and the only one i would add is pH based. the book Sick and Tired by Robert Young helped me through some horrible health problems. while he is not a raw foodist (i believe he is a vegan), his research on the blood is fascinating. he actually analyzed my blood (both dry and wet slides) when he lived here in utah and pinpointed many of my problems. he suggests we test our pH daily to be sure we are maintaining an alkaline terrain. from the looks of your menus, it seems as though you eat pretty alkaline foods (other than the fruit, of course.) may be worth taking a look into. good luck to you!

[lizzyrose]

Ditto on bananas being a problem for me! I cut them out of my smoothies - unfortunately smoothies don't taste as good -- but I'm feeling better.

Notwell - I dread to ask you another "have you tried..." question because after reading this thread it sounds like you've tried just about everything.
I too was having major stomach and fatigue problems for a while. Was convinced it was gluten so I cut that out and then even had an endoscopy to test for celiac..and nothing!
I know the frustration of nothing offering any answers... I can tell you the only thing that sort of has helped me was IgE allergy testing. It came back that I was sensitive to just about everything I was eating! It made eating really hard for a while, but what I ultimately realized, was when I was eating the same thing day after day after day, I became sensitive to those foods and they wreaked havoc on my body. So, I cut those foods that I was sensitive to out for a while and then slowly have put them back in. Every so often I realize I'm still sensitive to some foods on the list, i.e. bananas, and take them out again. But some others have re-entered my diet and while I still have fatigue, my stomach is much much better.

good luck!

[souldanzer]

Notwell,

I'm sorry you're not doing well. Here's my perspective on your situation:
It appears that you have been cleansing your body intensely over the past couple of years, however, you are still not feeling healthy and energetic. You have probably put your body through a lot over the past few years - cleansing is good and healthy, yet I think there always needs to be an adequate recovery and rebuilding period after intense cleanses. It also appears that you have basically tried cutting out every imaginable food (group) to rule out allergies.
Since you seem to have tried everything under the sun by *taking away* and have not seen improvement, it seems to me that maybe something needs to be *added* instead for your body to function optimally?

I don't know too much about your symptoms and there are many things that your body could be crying out for. One thing that is often related to tiredness and skin issues is essential fatty acids. Have you tried supplementing at therapeutic doses with DHA and EPA? These fatty acids (omega 3s) are basically missing in a raw vegan diet and a deficiency could easily cause your symptoms.
I'm guessing you have looked into B12 issues while dealing with health professionals?
Also, I've been learning myself how important sunlight is for my body to function properly. Are you getting plenty of sunlight exposure on your skin?

Just throwing some stuff out there as you seem desperate. I was dealing with severe acne that got worse on raw. It took two years to clear up and I discovered several foods I was allergic to in the process. Another discovery for me was that MY body can't be healthy on a raw vegan diet. I dropped the vegan (but stayed raw) and started to feel better.

I guess what I'm saying is to keep open-minded. If you have tried everything on the raw vegan diet to get healthy then either this diet doesn't supply what you need or your diet isn't even an issue in causing or healing your symptoms (other causes could be environmental, psychological, ...)

And I hear you about healing professionals. They seem to have only taken my money and not healed me as well :rolleyes:

Souldanzer :)

[jenjen]

b12, you could be low low low,
not all supplements are the same, there are different kinds of b12 and there's alot of controversery over which ones are actually absorbed.

go to mercola.com and type in b12 in the search engine.
learn, take the right ones (or all to be safe) and SEE if that changes things.

taking b12 brought me back to life.

[annavon]

I feel for your situation, I have had a lot of fatigue in the past few months (except recently). I went to a naturopath and had a food sensitivity test done. It turned out that I was sensitive to a number of foods. Keep in mind that a food sensitivity is not necessarily a true allergy and can be temporary. I had to eliminate certain foods for 3-6 months and was on a rotation diet which meant that I couldn't eat the same foods with in four days of each other (I had a chart for this). After the three months passed I could start gradually adding back the foods I was moderately sensitve to and after six months the foods I was extremely sensitive to.

The naturopath said that some sensitivities can be caused by eating too much of the same foods. For me, one of the items was any soy products. Since is wasn't raw then, but eating a vegetarian diet, I did overdo soy. I noticed a great improvement after getting rid of soy and also any grains with gluten.

Unfortunately the food sensitivity test is very expensive (around $450). It was worth it to me, because I had so many health issues that I was trying to get to the bottom of. It may be something to consider. It could be something as simple as bananas (which I have never digested well).