Nuts make me feel a little crappy....

[Pony500]

So, is it me or do nuts make anyone else feel a little crappy? I was doing pretty good last week, eating mostly GS and things like guacamole for dinner and snacking on some cashews/sunflower seeds/cacao/carob, but this weekend, my food processor arrived and I went out and bought tons of nuts and stuff to start making some of these recipes. Well, I don't know if it's just poor combining or what, but holy crap, the bloating and gas!! And I just don't feel light, like I was last week, I feel heavier and more bloated, but the worst part is the gas--like room-clearing gas!!!:eek:

Now that I have like $50.00 in nuts, I don't know what to do. I don't know if it's some of the combinations of things, like lemon juice and cashews (I made Rawvolution's mock egg salad) or all the raw garlic or what. It stinks because the nuts are satisfying and do make me feel full. Maybe I just need to slow down on the nuts......

[Rawkinlocs]

How much did you eat? Did you overdo it? There are times I can eat a lot of nuts or nut-based dishes and other times when my body just doesn't want that at the moment. I've also had dishes that because they TASTED so darned good, I went overboard and yes, I felt bloated and not-so-light afterwards. But that doesn't mean you have to totally give up on them. You have $50 worth of nuts there...okay...seal them up and put them in the fridge or the freezer until the next time you want them and if need be, have them (or the dish you're making) in moderation. Go back to the way you were doing with the GS and guac and a handful here and there - but when you want to make a dish, watch your portions according to how you feel.

But don't look at it as something that's gonna always be this way.

[ShelShel]

I totally agree with Rawkinlocs! There are days like today...:o when I eat nuts endlessly and feel fine...actually really satisfied and great. There are other days when the mere thought of them makes my stomach turn. :rolleyes: Guess it's learning to listen, every meal, every bite to what our bodies want at that moment.

Sorry you aren't feeling so good. It's best to turn away those things that cause us to feel this way and perhaps try them again...if they seem appetizing.

[srsarri]

Pony 500,

Im with you on this one. Nuts make me feel like hell. I have been trying to incorperate them but they actually make me feel like yacking now. I think its funny that you posted this, I made Raw Apple Pie with almonds and now I feel like throwing up. I only had a little piece. Nuts totally defeat the purpose of the light airy feeling when raw for me.

[Marin Mom]

Are you soaking the nuts first? I find if I soak them first (and dehydrate them if the recipe calls for dry nuts) I digest much easier. Also, I have been taking digestive enzymes before meals and it has made a world of difference. Still, I have to have small quantities and mostly but not always try to combine properly or I get the same symptoms.

Try to also have fruit before the meal instead of afterwards. Good luck, I understand digestive troubles!:eek:

[Eva]

Are you soaking the nuts first? I find if I soak them first (and dehydrate them if the recipe calls for dry nuts) I digest much easier. Also, I have been taking digestive enzymes before meals and it has made a world of difference. Still, I have to have small quantities and mostly but not always try to combine properly or I get the same symptoms.

Try to also have fruit before the meal instead of afterwards. Good luck, I understand digestive troubles!:eek:

That was just my question! Soaked nuts and unsoaked nuts are a world apart for me! My digestive system gets stronger every day, but unsoaked nuts are still a no-no for me unless I'm having just --- like --- ONE! And nobody eats just one.

Do you have a dehydrator? Nuts that must be "unsoaked" in recipes can be soaked then dehydrated. But in most recipes that don't specifically require unsoaked nuts, it actually makes them easier to process. :)

[Pony500]

Well, no dehydrator yet--I need to recover from the purchase of the VM and the FP along with all the expense of stocking up on all these ingredients for many of these recipes. I've spent a lot of money lately!!

Anyway, no, for the most part, these nuts aren't soaked. Many of the recipes contain cashews mixed with fruit, like for instance, Rawvolution's mango pineapple pie. It's essentially fruit and nuts as are most of the pies. I guess I just wanted to try so many things and there were all these "cheese" recipes and desert recipes that I wanted to try, and that's what I did. I'm trying to find that "daily staple" item that many people talk about. I was almost in a frenzie to make some of these things! Now I did make a sunflower seed pate thing as well, so I don't know if that will be better, but I am going to try to not eat any nuts today. Thank God I work at home!!! But I have to go into the office tomorrow and I just cannot have the horrible gas that I have had these last few days! I will try some digestive enzymes as well--I have definitely used them and found them to help--I don't know why I didn't think of that.

Well, off to make a banana papaya mango smoothie or something.....

[rawstrength]

Eating a handful of nuts for me (even unsoaked ones) gives me no troubles. Eating a raw nut-based recipe also is fine.
However, when I eat tons of different nut based recipes all at once, like when I go to a raw potluck, it is a one way ticket to digestive upset and lethargy. I think this may be what you are experiencing :) .
Simplest is often best. Think about what we would be eating in nature . . . only a few plants are in season at a time, and the plants that are in season shift and change everyday. Balance, variety, and moderation.

[Andre]

Pony 500,

Im with you on this one. Nuts make me feel like hell. I have been trying to incorperate them but they actually make me feel like yacking now. I think its funny that you posted this, I made Raw Apple Pie with almonds and now I feel like throwing up. I only had a little piece. Nuts totally defeat the purpose of the light airy feeling when raw for me.
i'm the same. i've tried so many times and finally i just gave them up.

[Care4raw]

There's a current thread for nutless pie crusts recipes here.That's always another option.

[Moretta]

I only eat a few nuts per say in one day.

I have not tried any desserts yet or anything to fancy that call for alot of nuts, so I don't know how I would react eating alot of nuts in one sitting.

[Eva]

Well, no dehydrator yet--I need to recover from the purchase of the VM and the FP along with all the expense of stocking up on all these ingredients for many of these recipes. I've spent a lot of money lately!!


I totally understand. I put in all of those investments, then moved over here where the voltage etc. is different. I've had to pick and choose what I invest in here. I got a travel blender since I VM would have been about a thousand dollars!

Anyways, no worries. Very few recipes specifically call for unsoaked nuts, and even some of those still come out well with soaked nuts. So don't worry about that! It's the ideal -- later -- when it works -- and only for those specific recipes.

I'm really serious, though. I was SHOCKED at the difference soaking makes for me. Pre raw, everything gave me either a stomach ache or aggravated my ulcer. Raw changed my world, but then I got nut crazy at times and wasn't soaking so I got a belly ache and gas here and there. Now, as long as I soak my nuts and don't go CRAZY with the food combining, life is good, my stomach is happy, my skin is clear, and I eat Whatever I Want, Whenever I Want.

[Eva]

Thank God I work at home!!! But I have to go into the office tomorrow and I just cannot have the horrible gas that I have had these last few days! I will try some digestive enzymes as well--I have definitely used them and found them to help--I don't know why I didn't think of that.


Ha! I just saw this -- me too. Very lucky indeed. Do you know about food combining? If not, I'll butcher the "rules" a touch and sum it up for you. Don't mix foods too much that are VERY different (i.e. fruits and nuts!). And let your food digest before moving on. Fruit digests quickly, nuts are the slowest. Veggies are fast too but in between. If you're not actually hungry, don't go shopping in the pantry. Just have a glass of water and find something else to do!

[rayofsunshine]

I had made Alissa's pesto pasta and had very bad bloating and gas (this uses 3 kinds of nuts I think). It was so rich and good I had trouble throwing it away. The next day I had it for lunch (my strongest digestion time) with an ezyme capsule and I felt much better afterwards. I too understand digestive issue. I now take enzymes if I am having nuts in my meal or dessert. It has made all the difference for me.

Right now, it would be hard for me to stay raw without the richness of the nut recipes, so I compromise with the enzyme supplements.

[Riiiya]

sorry i haven't read the other replies so i hope i'm not repeating anything

I can relate!!! And here is the thing that IS IMPORTANT--- SOAK THOSE NUTS. Huge difference

[annavon]

I got sick about a year ago on cashews and macademia nuts I used in a recipe. I actually quit eating raw after that! I have now found out that cashews and macs aren't really raw. I still keep some around in the fridge, but I use them sparingly, I think they are just too oily for me and they probably lack the enzymes to digest well. I use almonds (Alissa's) and walnuts regularly with no ill effects.

[srsarri]

I got sick about a year ago on cashews and macademia nuts I used in a recipe. I actually quit eating raw after that! I have now found out that cashews and macs aren't really raw. I still keep some around in the fridge, but I use them sparingly, I think they are just too oily for me and they probably lack the enzymes to digest well. I use almonds (Alissa's) and walnuts regularly with no ill effects.

Speaking of Almonds, is Alissa not selling them anymore? I dont see them in the store!

[annavon]

srsarri: You're right, I don't see them any more either. I got mine a couple of weeks ago before I went out of town. Where to get almonds now??? :eek:

[Pony500]

So, today I decided to just have a GS which did contain quite a bit of fruit (including a whole papaya!) and now I am just finishing it and, well, the gas is starting. So, it's not just the nuts, but the nuts do definitely make it worse. So now I'm wondering if it is the fruit that could be the culprit? I know there are some people that don't do well with fruit either....

I guess I need to take some digestive enzymes for a while. I mean, I know fruit should be eaten alone, but I can't imagine eating a GS without any fruit in it.......

I have always had a fairly slow digestive system--been pretty much constipated for most of my life. That at least seems to go away when I just increase my fruit and veggie consumption, but something in my gut is not happy. I still have some Primal Defense as well, so I guess I will start taking that and the digestive enzymes for a while. And maybe I need to try and not put so much fruit in my smoothies, but as it is, I only put in enough to make it palatable.

Regarding proper food combining, someone said on another forum once that they didn't like to make GS because it went against proper food combining. Then when I think about it, most of these desert recipes are improperly combined. The pie I made the other day had three kinds of fruit and cashews and almonds in the crust, so yeah, I guess that one is a real belly bomb.

Regarding soaking, would all nuts need to be soaked, even walnuts? And all seeds? Not flax seeds though, right?

Now what the heck am I going to take to work tomorrow???!!!

[Marin Mom]

Greens are not considered a vegetable therefore they are okay to combine with fruit. You may want to check out Victoria Boutenko's books (ie:Greens for Life).

Is it possible you had something to eat less than 2 hours before you had that GS? Since fruits digest so quickly they may have caught up to whatever may still be in your tummy therefore causing the "disruption".

I soak all nuts and seeds but the flax seeds. I like to throw those into the smoothie by grinding them up first, then add the fruit and greens.


Hope this helps.

[Pony500]

Greens are not considered a vegetable therefore they are okay to combine with fruit. You may want to check out Victoria Boutenko's books (ie:Greens for Life).

Is it possible you had something to eat less than 2 hours before you had that GS? Since fruits digest so quickly they may have caught up to whatever may still be in your tummy therefore causing the "disruption".

I soak all nuts and seeds but the flax seeds. I like to throw those into the smoothie by grinding them up first, then add the fruit and greens.


Hope this helps.

I do have Greens for Life, but I was just remembering someone saying they didn't like GS because they felt that fruit needed to be eaten totally alone. Anyway, no, I had the GS on an empty stomach, so it must have caught up to something that was already in my bowel system (which is totally possible). I know I'm getting off of my own topic, but I feel like I have to go back to the beginning--and I've really only been experimenting with raw and it turns out that I've been almost 100% for about a week--but I know the days when I was just eating chopped salads and things like that, I didn't seem to have quite as bad of an issue. I am one of those people that always seems to have gas. In fact, if a day goes by when I don't have gas, I am ecstatic. Even on SAD, there would be days when I didn't have gas, although I can't remember now just what I ate or didn't eat to create that phenomenom. Seriously...even as a kid, I had gas all the time and sometimes it was just horrible. One deadly combination for me was a peanut butter milkshake.....and dairy products of any kind were always bad for me.

I almost feel like I need to do an elimination diet of sorts and certainly, I may be one of those people who needs to eat a more simple diet. I feel that no matter what I'm eating, if it is churning around in there and giving me gas and bloating, I can't be getting much nutrition from the food.

Well, I'm so glad I went out and bought all this stuff to make all these recipes!!!

[srsarri]

I am VERY gassy too, I only eat nuts on occasion. EAT VERY SLOWLY, and chew things well. it has really helped me. I always scoff my food down, and when you do that you take in too much air which causes gas!

Keep us posted!