IBS & Raw

[belle]

Hi all!!

I have a couple questions. I suffer from very sensitive IBS-C, many foods cause me great gastrointestinal distress- paticularly many vegetables (i do eat them anyway, alot actually) but now going completly RAW, how can I deal with the gas, bloat and abdominal cramps? Are digestive enzymes like Beano ok?

:confused: Thanks yall

[Veganforlife]

Hey belle - Welcome!
Let me suggest my famous two words:
Green Smoothies.

Start out making a fruit smoothie and add a LITTLE bit of greens, like spinach or a romaine lettuce leaf, gradually working your way up to more. These are miraculous drinks-trust me on this one. Do a search and you'll find a whole bunch of GS recipes.

Beano? That is processed garbage. It masks the problem. Once you become 100% raw your IBS will subside - I betcha. What causes IBS IS the foods, cooked, dead, foods void of any nutrition. Once you start eating healthy, you'll feel better then you have in years.

I would concentrate more on the green smoothies, fruits, nuts, sprouts and steer a bit away from the veggies for now.

You will probably detox, which is fine - this will pass.

Drink a good amount of water - half your weight in ounces.

Good luck and ask away - that's how we've all learned.

Eating raw is how we are SUPPOSED to eat. It's not a foreign, weird, fad diet. It's Earth's diet. The diet for humans (and animals) - any LIVING thing.

[alicemagooey]

Hi There.. me too... IBS-C..

and NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHO DOES NOT HAVE THIS AFFLICTION..

NO ONE..

So many suggestions as to how to 'solve the c. problem'..
have you experienced that ?? One person says:"try beets"; another says:
"try watermelon" and on and on and on and on..

The fact is , with IBS-C...Nothing helps ..

BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS..
Raw is GOOD.. VERY GOOD.. AND HELPS.. YES, HELPS.

GREEN SMOOTHIES, INFACT BLENDED FOODS OF ALL TYPES of RAW FRUITS AND VEGGIES, especially low fat ones ,eaten in as relaxed an environment as possible 'chewing"( the best you can) your mouthfulls, to get some digestive juices going REALLY REALLY HELP.!

and, also, some kind of 'beneficial bacteria' helps.. (probiotic supplement)

study a bit about how to stay most alkaline.. and i GUARENTEE that the above few tid bits will REALLY HELP.

just go by some of your experience in some of the more difficult to digest foods like nuts ( i pretty much avoid them, because, well, they slow down the digestive process for me personally )

as far as oils and oily foods like avocado. I have some days with none.. and have some days with some.. Avocados have been good for me.

but blended seems to be the key.. It makes veggies nice and smooth and non irritating.
also, mix greens with most every thing you blend.. It makes things alkaline and counteracts some of the things which used to cause me lots of gas.
fruits and greens blend and digest well.
you will find that you can also blend tomatos, and veggies also.. for some meals.. The smoothness, and eating in a more relaxed manner really helps.
you will find that things which used to give you GAS GALORE will either not give you gas any more, or very little.. and this will be helped when you have another smoothie..don't hesitate to tank up..give yourself some time to digest one meal, and then tank up again.

you will, i do believe, be pleasantly surprised. and the C will be helped.
i am overjoyed and
also happy for you as you embark cautiously on this new diet plan.
lots of my former food hang ups have gone "bye bye".
IBS C is no way to live.!!!

alice

[Ginger]

This book would really help-
http://www.colitis-crohns.com/

[alicemagooey]

Good book..and good information posted by rawvegan mom.. !

I have found, since i have had IBS-C for 50 years or so, that each person who suffers from this affliction is a bit different from every other..

That book and the website which was recommended by rawveganmom was written by a man who cured himself of Chrons and Colitis using RAW food diet and food combining principles ( natural hygiene ) and other things.. He learned along the way, and now he helps others also..

Even with all that, he was an what i would call,broadly speaking, an "IBS D"..which is still slightly different from an IBS C..

That is why you really have to experiment on your own system.
Why also, i recommend, not only what is written in the book, should you decide to read it..but also the principles of green smoothies..
Or blended drinks using greens and fruits..at mealtimes..

This will help you get good amounts of fiber, in an easily assimilable and digestable form..for our condition..

If you are like me, after going through a lifetime of all this personal junque, i may say that there is light at the end of the tunnel..

Also, if you are like me, you just want to Keep it simple..!!
so go slow, experiment..i think you will be pleasantly surprised..

That is the way to go..!!
take care and best wishes in your (continuing ) journey..

alice

[april092776]

I just have to 2nd the comments already posted. This is my 10th day RAW (almost 100%--have had some non-raw things mostly by mistake!). I have suffered terribly from IBS-C and I was worried that going RAW would aggravate my symptoms, but I also thought 'can it get worse anyway?'. So I went for it and haven't looked back.

I had some IBS issues for the first few days getting started, but now that I am on my green smoothies and other delicious nutritious RAW foods, I am feeling so much better, and am REGULAR. No bloat, no gas. I am still taking my soluble fiber supplement and I think that is helping my body transition. I think it is important to be realistic and let the body slowly heal itself, rather than just quitting meds/supplements that I have been taking forever it seems. I know that I will be off the soluble fiber eventually.

Alice already gave you lots of good suggestions and info, so I won't repeat what she said. I drink 2 qts of green smoothies each day and I really think that is making the difference for me! Don't give up--it will get better. Good luck!

[alicemagooey]

Yes, Hooray.. this forum is so fine for giving us encouragement..
I am so grateful to the folks here, and for the information posted here.
so very helpful..
especially if we have certain specific difficulties..

SOMETHING i found also, is an online diet place.. there are actually two.
one is called
http://www.fitday.com

another is a free online downloadable program called CRON O METER.

you can fill out a little form every day with what you have consumed, and out pops nutrition and dietary information for the whole day
AND A FIBER COUNT...

one thing we are NOT lacking on going raw, especially when drinking GREEN SMOOTHIES.. is fiber..
..
if that word makes you wince ( the fiber word).. because of bad experiences of fiber NOT doing what it was supposed to do..( promoting peristalsis and elimination )..
don't worry...with going RAW and Green smoothies.. i have about 30 grams of fiber a day..

This is optimum..this is GREAT.. this is enough, and most of all... this does what fiber is supposed to do..

keeps the 'works' regular and the 'system' moving along very nicely, indeed.!!

Another lady who has written lots about green smoothies and their benefits is named Victoria Boutenko ( Green for Life is the name of her EXCELLENT book )( i recommend it) ...she says people can and perhaps should consume 70 grams of fiber...:eek:

That is about twice or three times the fiber counts i have ever read about.
But nothing to be afraid of ( for once!) going green and smooth..
he he..

hope i am being genteel ( or whatever the word is) enough...

be encouraged.
and yes,April, i think you are correct..we need to be prudent in the way we approach all these new things.. You are doing GREAT.. keep up the good work !!

alice

[Judy]

Paul Nison, a well-known raw foodist, had inflammatory bowel disease and it healed by eating raw foods. He has written a book about it, 'Healing Inflammatory Bowel Disease':

http://www.paulnison.com/

[HollyBean]

Hey guys,I think I might have IBS too and I find it really helps me to take a digestive enzyme...esp for things like beans/chickpeas i take one that is specially formulated for beans/fibre its by Natures Enzyme therapy or something it works really well I can't digest things like beans without it.
I just started the raw diet so i'm hoping that once i start feeling better and my digestion improves that i wont have to take enzymes anymore but if you're just starting like me or have trouble with certain foods (beans and legumes and nuts/seeds are known to be hard to digest, esp raw) then try an enzyme supplement for a while.

[belle]

Yall are angels! thanks so much for the info and motivation!! :) Im on my second full day 100% raw and havent the need for any beano and gas, bloating are rare! SO weird for me but great, im used to any vege I ate causing terrible distress.

Note: ive also been following Alissa's suggestions on food combining. Its defintly helped!