getting rid of bloat

[samariah]

since going raw i've been having varying degrees of bloating from almost daily mild to very severe a few days here and there. i know im eating a lot more volume/fiber since going raw but im wondering if they're is anything else i can do to ease it.

[katacykls]

Hello Samariah and welcome to your new raw food lifestyle. I believe some of the bloatedness you are experiencing is due the increase of your fiber consumption. Fiber expands in the stomache. That is why it helps us feel full, because it acts as a roughage and it cleanses the body. Drinking lemon water throughout the day can help and also adding some garlic to your foods.

[Judy]

Proper food combining may also help, if you're not already doing so, as do some herbal teas, like fennel and anis. You're stomach will get used to digesting all that raw food eventually, and the bloating will disappear.

[Veganforlife]

Getting up and moving too!

[belle]

Proper food combining may also help, if you're not already doing so, as do some herbal teas, like fennel and anis. You're stomach will get used to digesting all that raw food eventually, and the bloating will disappear.

is tea ok??? boiled water then let the steaped tea bags?


I really hope your bloat goes down, are you doing green smoothies? chewing your body enough?

[Judy]

is tea ok??? boiled water then let the steaped tea bags?

People have different opinions about whether or not you 'should' drink (hot) tea or not on a raw diet (try the banana search button and see what comes up). It isn't 'raw'. Some people like to drink a cup of (herbal) tea every now and then, for others it's a big no-no. Some people use cold water to steep their herbs in, others make sun tea (meaning, letting the water and herbs heat up by the sun). I find it something very trivial, I'm one of those people who likes a hot cup of tea every once in a while just fine.

[exurb]

Judy, some people see water as something that doesn't change when you heat it up, so if you look at the tea that goes in it as a tiny bit of non-raw condiment or flavoring there ya go.

[StarFire]

water... water... water!!! Really helps moove the bloating right out! also things like cucumbers and watermelon... flushes you out too!! ;) :D

[samariah]

yeah, ive also been more constipated lately too, like all the fiber is getting boggled up in my system or something. the only thing that has helped me in that department lately is kombucha but its expensive :/. i might try and buy some tonight though.

[StarFire]

ooo constipated too?? I was so confused about that when I first went raw- it made no sense how more fiber could equal constipation...

well - I already drank a lot of water (always have) but on those occassions where I need some help - prunes works wonders -- only it seems i really have to eat a lot of them.

the other thing I use is cascara sagrada herb. It stimulates the peristaltic action of the colon - encouraging your body to do it's thing and have a bowel movement! it is non habit forming, and very gentle.

I get really ill and end up with migraines if I don't have bm... so I have to get the stuff out of me. I will swell up like a balloon and become very VERY ill...

so... I do hope you are feeling better soon!! ;)

[Danika]

It was so great to read this thread because the SAME thing is happening to me. Bloating and then constipation which seems so counter-intuitive since you are having so much fibre.

For me, personally, I find that eating nuts or raw nut butters increases the problem. If I stay away from them it's much much better. I drink nettle leaf tea...again there could be some controversy over it since it's not really raw but it seems to soothe my stomach. I also drink another herbal tea that I buy from the health food store...brand name is "Traditional Medicinals" and it's called Eater's Digest. It has peppermint and some other herbs which I can't remember at the moment but it seems to help a bit with the bloating....

I'm like Starfire, if things don't move through me, I feel awful and totally swell up...and while I don't get migraines I feel 100% sluggish and devoid of energy. I am going to try Starfire's suggestion and see about cascara...

[bodaflower]

Judy, some people see water as something that doesn't change when you heat it up, so if you look at the tea that goes in it as a tiny bit of non-raw condiment or flavoring there ya go.


Oh water definitely changes when it's heated! When it's hot it's so disorganized the body can hardly recognize it. Having said that, I do really enjoy a hot cup of herbal tea, although I never get the water close to boiling...before the bubbles even start forming i'll take it off the stove and of course always use pure, matured water (read my water thread, please :D )
For me the benefits of tea (mentally and physically) outweigh the disadvantages of consuming hot water. But it does change it :)

[samariah]

i think i stumbled across the fix to my bloating/constipation. i was constipated for the past like 3 or so days and i read in Natural Health magazine that drinking room temp/warmish water can stimulate peristalis (spell that right?). so when i woke up i drank a water bottle of room temp water. however, i can't be totally sure that thats what made me go bc then i started some oil pulling (something i haven't done in weeks) and about 4 or 5 mins into pulling i had to get to the bathroom and it was such a huge relief, it seemed like a few days of ickiness was coming out of me (kinda gross i know) and now i feel so relieved. so was it the water, the oil pulling or both?

[cbowden]

ooo constipated too?? I was so confused about that when I first went raw- it made no sense how more fiber could equal constipation...

well - I already drank a lot of water (always have) but on those occassions where I need some help - prunes works wonders -- only it seems i really have to eat a lot of them.

the other thing I use is cascara sagrada herb. It stimulates the peristaltic action of the colon - encouraging your body to do it's thing and have a bowel movement! it is non habit forming, and very gentle.

I get really ill and end up with migraines if I don't have bm... so I have to get the stuff out of me. I will swell up like a balloon and become very VERY ill...

so... I do hope you are feeling better soon!! ;)

Starfire, I know you have been OPing with coconut oil. Are you also adding it to your food? I've heard it helps. I've started adding a tbsp to my green smoothies in the morning and I do believe it helps.

Much better than the flax seed oil which led to the 'flax attacks'. ha ha!

[HollyBean]

Hey everyone, I've had digestion issues for most of my life and they have started to get better after only a few days on the diet! :)
Something that my naturopath suggested that I use quite frequently for digestion/bloating/constipation is a homeopathic remedy..I don't have it on me so I don't know the exact ingredients but if you can find a store that sells the brand "Unda" homeopathic remedies and you ask for the Kalium Carbonicum complex thats the one I use. One of the active ingredients I know is nux vomica which is well known for aiding digestion.
Also if I really have issues with constipation I take castor oil capsules, they're a gentle way to relieve constipation and they work every time, but my naturopath says not to use them (or any laxative) too often or your body will become dependant on them. The point of the raw food diet is to heal so that your body can do the elimination process effectively on its own.
Hope these ideas help! :)

[River Mom]

What is oil pulling?

[freelive]

Enemas can help with constipation and bloating.

[Madeleine.Blythe]

I've had severe bloating, to the point that I looked pregnant, stomach rumbled, it hurt to stand up.
Sometimes certain foods cannot be digested as easily as others, and each person is different.
These things have helped me:

-Making sure to NOT overeat. I know it's tempting, but honestly, your stomach cannot hold that much food without it distending and creating discomfort...
-Not drinking too much water before/after meals,
-Taking beano before meals (helps to digest some complex carbohydrates that come along with eating raw vegetables),
-Proper food combining,
-Adding cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, fennel, ainse, ginger, dandelion to whatever you're eating.. or drinking a tea with some of these... especially ginger.
-Chewing your food properly.. this is sooo important.. helping your system digest the food by chewing properly has made a huge difference for me.

However.. out of all of these..being tuned into how much mystomach can handle and what constitutes as overeating... and ensuring that I chewed my food enough has helped the most.

Anyway, that's just my experience.
I was really bloated for the first little while, but after a month, it went away.. you'll learn to know your body after a while, just pay attention to how it reacts and responds.

[GHOST27M]

Mine is from improper combining of food. at lunch I had my aloe vera smoothy with lots spinach and mixed berries YUM.......


then


as I was walking through the living room..... there they were



walnuts all cosy in there shells I KNEW not to do it I knew I would be bloated since I just had my smoothy ! I ate 6 of them

im bloated


this blows.