I have an embarrassing question but here it goes...

[elikat37]

Have any of you dealt with some of the more unpleasant gastrointestinal issues when first going raw? Does it go away? I went from a typical SAD and overnight to raw vegan and while in every other way I feel great except for the bloating and ...

I want it to go away before my boyfriend does!!!

[oai]

agh yes. me too. :D maybe you can try food combining or just wait it out to see if your body adjust?

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

It really depends on what you eat. I find that when I eat too many nuts and seeds I do have those problems. If you post an example of what you usually eat, I can be of more help.

[elikat37]

That could be it..at first I wasn't soaking the nuts (mainly almonds) though most of the recipes I was grinding them up pretty good. But I have been eating a lot of them.

Thanks for your offer to help...

I typically eat a breakfast of buckwheat cereal (soaked groats then dehydrated) with bananas, raisins, gogi berries with some nut milk poured over top.

Lunch is usually a salad with some lemon/olive oil dressing. Or, for example, today I had zucchini pasta with a tomato marinara. Or, I've also had some greens with couple spoonfuls of mock chicken salad.

Dinner is something similar to lunch. Last night I had zucchini pasta with a alfredo sauce made of pine nuts, lemon juice, coconut water...

Sometimes through the day, in between meals, I'll grab a handful of fruit (raisins or grapes or an apple) or nuts for a snack. In the evenings, I satisfy my sweettooth with a smoothie or shake of some sort, often made with nuts.

Sheesh, no wonder I don't feel like I'm losing much weight (on day 17)...I eat so much!

:) Thanks for your help.


It really depends on what you eat. I find that when I eat too many nuts and seeds I do have those problems. If you post an example of what you usually eat, I can be of more help.

[Maui Girl]

Hi, You know what might be worth trying is eating smaller meals. I eat about six to seven times a day. I also incorporate green shakes. Also make sure you drink lots of water. Your body should adjust. Oh and dont forget to eat your fruit first. It could be partly that your body is going through detox.

[avolove]

Hi!
I find that if I eat nuts with anything but dried fruit I get a problem. Nuts take a while to digest and mixing them up with other quicker to digest foods can cause some some issues. Try eating your nuts alone about 2 hours before or after anything else. Also, there is an adjustment phase of going raw. It takes a bit of time for your body to get into the swing of things. :) Give it some time and it will probably resolve itself, if not try the nut idea. :)

[Hygeia]

I agree, on days that I eat too many nuts I have the same problem. Oddly enough I have real tummy problems if I eat too many carrots also.

It sounds like your issue may be due to nuts as well.

[EmJo]

This is common for someone who goes right into a high fruit and vegetable diet from a low one, raw or not. All that fiber is doing a major cleanup that your body has been wanting to do for years! The problem ought to resolve itself anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks as your body gets used to the new "input."

[earth_sista]

i agree about the food combining-that's what helped me a lot when i first went raw

[Kalimelle]

My guess----your body just doesn't know what to do with all that fiber!!!!

This is a really common issue for people switching to all kinds of high-fiber diets, and raw is about as fiber-rich as it gets! I also suspect that the buckwheaties might be too hard for your system to digest at this point....They're really dense.

You might try some vegan digestive enzymes with meals. Yes, raw food has tons of enzymes, but in transition I find they really help out.


Namaste,
Kali

[elikat37]

Thanks everyone...this is so helpful and encouraging. Day 18 and it is starting to calm down...

[elikat37]

By the way, I had a slice of Spirulina pie last night...YUM. I think that actually helped, is that possible?

[oai]

well, i don't know. hopefully, others will. :D keep us updated along the way!

[elikat37]

Thanks, HAHA. I'm sure everyone is interested in my gastrointestinal issues....;)


well, i don't know. hopefully, others will. :D keep us updated along the way!

[eachpeachpearplum]

Oh Honey!

Ha ha ha; let me tell you; I am a regular locomotive when it comes to "toots" as we call gas in our family!

In the beginning they can be fairly unpleasant however the long you are raw (in my case) you still toot often but they are the harmless sort; vs the sort you need to blame on your dog or kid for!

I just tend to roll with it. I guess it's easy for me to say as I'm an ol married gal. But I explained to everyine that for me this is a side effect of eating so healthy and the benifits far outweigh the more unpolite aspects!:rolleyes:

I do find that taking probiotics regularly is helpful.

[oai]

Thanks, HAHA. I'm sure everyone is interested in my gastrointestinal issues....;)

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/outsideanimage/coverlaugh.gif

[RawSinger]

I did have stomach problems when I first went raw. Like many people, I was eating a lot of nuts and seeds because these are the most filling. That's probably your problem and/or the food combining issue is important. And please, don't be embarrassed to ask these questions because somebody needs to. I'm sure many people are thinking about it, waiting for someone else to ask, so really, you're doing us a service :) If you were giving us a detailed description of one of your bowl movements, then that would probably be too much information. But other than that, talk about it.