Digestion Issues?

[luvnraw]

I have been doing raw for a couple of weeks, well this is almost the end of week 4 and I also had another week of juice (mostly veggie) broth added to make 5 of being raw.....te first 2 weeks I was supposed to take Digest (digestive enzyme) as this was part of a program I was doing....then I had the juice fast and didn't take anything......then back to raw. The past few days I have had indigestion, heartburn, bloating and gas.....have been having some ginger tea to try to calm it but its not helping....haven't eaten anything really different then before either (mostly veggies, salad and small amount of fruit & seeds)......any ideas on what I can do to help ease these issues now and prevent them in the future? Thanks!!

[RawTruth]

It's hard to say without knowing exactly what you've been eating. Do you keep a journal? Or can you recreate the meals?

[rawpriestess]

HUMMMMM,

If I knew exactly what you were eating, especially together, then I might be able to help.

I used to have indigestion, now that I'm raw, none.

But I do know that if you eat fruits with, or right after eating nuts (as an example) then you could have a lot of gas.

If you eat a lot of oily nuts, (as in macademias) with zucchini or tomatoes, then you can have some nausea. (I don't know why this is, I just know it does).

If you eat melon, it should be eaten alone (don't even mix melons with other melons), and it should be eaten 30 minutes before anything else, or you can have quite a bit of indigestion.

So, there are a few food combining things that can cause challenges.

Rhio in her book, "Hooked on Raw", states that food combining is only necessary if you are eating cooked or processed food.

However, alot of other raw food teachers, state that food combining is all important.

So, this may be the challenge.

[ksabe98]

I wonder if you introduced solid foods back into your diet coming off the fast way too quickly. That can cause you alot of problems. I would suggest that you go back on the fast for a few days until you are feeling better then introduce juices slowly then soft juicy fruits then more solid foods. You can consult books on fasting and reintroduction of solid foods for a more precise formula. Hope this helps.
Lisa

[Sweet lips]

**Chimming in with Lisa - going back to the fast for a couple of days may help you. And with the other Raw ladies, knowing exactly what you have eaten and how you have combined would be of a great help in offering assistance.

Take Care

[luvnraw]

Thanks so much for your answers! I did come off of the fast very slowly according to plan started with smoothie, then fruits, by day 3 added in some veggies and no raw grains until day 4......yes I do keep a journal and I am wondering if it was yellow squash as I see I had the same issue once before the fast with that....so I doubt I will be trying that raw again! Thanks for telling me about the combining issues, I was told in the detox class that when raw there was no need to worry about that and maybe it was the cookies I threw together that had banana, pineapple and sunflower seeds, mixing seeds and fruit? I will look into the food combining and raw more! I am feeling better so far today with it, of course I haven't had the chance to eat as we are on the road in the RV on our way to Niagra (currently stopped at a TA with wifi but leaving soon!).....I will eat soon though! Thanks again!

[Rawkinlocs]

It could have very well been the yellow squash, then. I read somewhere that squashes are hard to digest in a raw state and that is why they are most commonly cooked to aid in digestion (although the nutrient value is lost when cooked).

Upon reading your post, I recalled how I felt after having eaten the zucchini pasta and sauce...I had bad indigestion.

So, if you experienced the same feeling after having eaten the yellow squash prior to your fast, and then again afterwards, it's probably safe to say that's what it is.