Doing a raw food trial, please help!

[asgeirtj]

Hi, I'm doing a raw food trial for the 1st time and currently I am on day 14. I've had many ups and downs but right now I'm experiencing a very big down. For the past 5 days or so I have had a strange feeling in my throat area. For the past 2 days I have had a gruesome swelling in the leftward root of my tongue which is leading to my throat and left ear. This hurts a lot and eating and speaking is very painful! Also, I have never felt weaker overall in my life!

Am i doing something wrong? I try to get enough calories daily though some days it doesn't happen. I'm following the 80/10/10 diet so I'm consuming only fruit, vegetables and occasionally nuts. I'm eating mostly bananas, strawberries, spinach, cucumbers, apples, avocados, clementines, salty pistachios and orange juice.

Is there something I'm doing wrong? I can't believe that this a part of the detox.

Thanks for your replies in advance!

[Revvell]

Is there something I'm doing wrong? I can't believe that this a part of the detox.


Well, first of all, you're on Alissa's board asking about Doug Graham's program. Best thing to do is go to his site and ask there.

Having said that, I'd drop the "salty pistachios" and change up the greens and all the fruit. Not enough variety.

And yes, it's all detox.

Revvell (http://www.Revvellations.com/shopping)

[asgeirtj]

Thank you for the reply :)

Are you sure that the big swelling is a detox symptom? I have never before heard that one could get a swelling while in detox. And since I'm into day 14 I thought that the worst of the detox would be over. I'm only 20 years old and have lived a particularly healthy lifestyle all my life so I don't think there is a whole lot to clean out.

Why drop the salty pistachios? Because they're salty? If so, can't I just wash the salt off them? I really like those nuts.

And about variety, I didn't mention everything I'm eating, i can add to that list grapes, kiwi, lettuce, red pepper and mango. The fruits and vegetables I'm eating right are really the only ones I like and I don't really know which ones I could add. But I can't drop the bananas for sure or else it would be just to hard to get the caloric needs.

thanks!

[freshlight]

everything that makes you feel bad is a detox :) well, not a bad movie, of course ;) Eat more green leafy veg and get rid of the salty nuts,-first of all we don't need any salt (just mho) and second of all we do hardly NEED any nuts at all. Try to indulge yourself with lots of juicy fruit and greens.

If the detox gets too unpleasant I would do a water fast with lots of resting, sleeping and going for nice walks, in order to give your body the possibility to clean up the household and to have a good rest. But you should read some books about it first,-Dr.Sheltons and Paul Braggs are quite good.

Take care and get well soon, Eva

[Revvell]

Thank you for the reply :)

You're welcome.




Are you sure that the big swelling is a detox symptom?

It's all detox.

And since I'm into day 14 I thought that the worst of the detox would be over.

People 14 years into it are not over it. You're still breathing toxic air, most likely have toxic emotions, have to deal with toxic people and the list goes on.



Why drop the salty pistachios? Because they're salty? If so, can't I just wash the salt off them? I really like those nuts.

Why not purchase unsalty raw? The reason I mention them is, I have a feeling that if you drop them, things may change. Just a feeling. If you do it for way 3 days, and something changes, you'll know, yes? If not, you'll know, yes?


But I can't drop the bananas for sure or else it would be just to hard to get the caloric needs.


Didn't say to drop the bananas but, you ARE eating them ripe, right?

[curlygirl82]

Just read last night in David Wolfe that one month of raw eating detoxes one year of SAD eating... don't know if that's accurate in the slightest, but I really don't think one can expect to be done detoxing in just a couple weeks! Even if you've lived a mostly healthy lifestyle, there are so many environmental toxins we deal with... I think detox is probably something that'll go on and off for quite some time. And I certainly think a swelling could be detox. Absolutely, positively.

Drink lots of water. Rest. Take walks. And I'd like to second/third the suggestion for greens. They really are amazing. Whenever I start feeling bad, I know that if I have a really simple salad - just greens, greens, and more greens, with a little vinaigrette - that makes me feel better.

Also, maybe juicing? My favorite juice is:
1/2 pineapple
1 apple
1 head celery
big bag spinach
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
Juice all, then put in blender with bee pollen, MSM, Vitamineral Green, basically whatever superfoods you like.

Green, green, green! Good luck with it!

[cara4art]

I agree with everyone else here, and I might add, that what you think is a trial is just the beginning of the raw food lifestyle, even with going back and forth the way so many do before settling into it! You have much ahead of you to look forward to and are wise to get into the most amazingly clean eating ever.
This detox you're going through is just the first round, and it is good that it showed up after only a couple of weeks. The good news is that after each round of detox, whenever your body decides it's time to do some more housecleaning, you will feel better, and it goes on from there. Two weeks is NOTHING on the raw food way. Since you are young, you will probably detox the worst of the residual stuff that is in you a lot sooner than those of us who have had many more years under our belts. Even so, as others say here, just by virtue of living in our modern society anywhere near civilization we have ongoing toxic assaults to deal with not to mention life stresses that add to it. Keep on rolling - look at your current feeling lousy as the good news that raw is already going to work at "house-cleaning" for you. Hope this helps. I'd say ditch the salted nuts and just eat a few raw ones if you want, with the rest of your food being fruits, veggies, and a bunch of greens. Green smoothies, as vegan4life attests to here, will move your healing along in so many ways too. Personally, I couldn't do WITHOUT my green smoothies!

[michigan roman]

for throat swelling www.oilpulling.com , it sounds improbable but has been effective for many .

it'll help draw out any pollution from the tongue / throat / esophogas area and beyond .

and i can tell you from fasting , during which one is expelling mega pollution / toxins , my tongue gets coated with white poison that could make me just die :p . but here at 3 years raw / say 16 fasts the tongue coating is way way less on fast . but im way older at 50 so itll take you less time . but point is i could see how your tongue could swell up from detoxing / flushing pollution out .

[Revvell]

for throat swelling www.oilpulling.com (http://www.oilpulling.com) , it sounds improbable but has been effective for many .


Yep! yep! yep!

[MelissaO]

but im way older at 50 so itll take you less time .

Holy smokes Michigan Roman- you do not look a day older than 30 :p;)



I agree with the oil pulling - it will work wonders. Also I make sure I am drinking enough good clean water to flush things away, get rest, soak in the tub.

[michigan roman]

Holy smokes Michigan Roman- you do not look a day older than 30 :p;)



I agree with the oil pulling - it will work wonders. Also I make sure I am drinking enough good clean water to flush things away, get rest, soak in the tub.


thanx ! but its all the magic of todays modern day digital cameras and memory cards = i just took about 1000 pictures til one turned out good :cool:

[asgeirtj]

You're welcome.

Why not purchase unsalty raw? The reason I mention them is, I have a feeling that if you drop them, things may change. Just a feeling. If you do it for way 3 days, and something changes, you'll know, yes? If not, you'll know, yes?


Because they only come salty in the store.



Didn't say to drop the bananas but, you ARE eating them ripe, right?
I'm eating them yellow not green. Sometimes they aren't very well ripe though because they can be hard to open, but that's rare.

Thank you for inspiring replies, I am reassured to go on with the trial :) I will try eating more greens and drink more water. And sorry for asking about the 80/10/10 here, this forum just seemed to be the most active forum on the raw lifestyle and the 80/10/10 site doesn't have a forum.

I have some more questions:

It is said that you will require less sleep while on a such easily digestible diet because when you rest the body can focus on giving you a good sleep instead of digestion. I haven't experienced this, I always seem to need about a 9-10 hour of sleep on this diet. Before I always needed approx. 8 hours. Is this because of detox? Also, when I've done a hard workout I seem to need to rest more, is there anything I can eat to minimize the rest, or do I need to eat more? Or even more just before i go to sleep?

I've been very pale in the face some days lately, is this a detox symptom or something that raw foodists have to deal with?

I have been getting some acne in the trial, is that normal?

I live in Iceland, and at this a year there is absolutely no sun to have so I don't get any D-vitamin naturally. So I take in D-vitamin in oil form produced from fish. One teaspoon is enough for daily need of the vitamin. BUT it is said that oil slows digestion a whole lot. So should I maybe just take it in on an empty stomach or take it in just before sleep or what? And if I take it on an empty stomach, how long will it take to digest (or how long do I have to wait till the next meal)

Thank you

[Revvell]

Because they only come salty in the store.

Probably not raw either, correct?


And sorry for asking about the 80/10/10 here, this forum just seemed to be the most active forum on the raw lifestyle and the 80/10/10 site doesn't have a forum.

Wow! You're right! Dr. Graham had a VERY active forum. Guess he's making changes. I'll have another interview up with him on Rawkin' Radio (http://RawkinRadio.com) on the 28th yet, still inappropriate to ask about 8/1/1 here. It's Alissa's house and she created this forum to support her view of the raw food lifestyle as expressed in her book.




It is said that you will require less sleep while on a such easily digestible diet because when you rest the body can focus on giving you a good sleep instead of digestion. I haven't experienced this, I always seem to need about a 9-10 hour of sleep on this diet. Before I always needed approx. 8 hours. Is this because of detox? Also, when I've done a hard workout I seem to need to rest more, is there anything I can eat to minimize the rest, or do I need to eat more? Or even more just before i go to sleep?

Hard to tell. There's more to all this than just the food. Some of us sleep a LOT; others, a lot less. I'm one of the a lot less people. Many who are younger seem to find they need more sleep. What I've done (and continue to do) is play with my food. Switch up and see what works better for me ~ more fruit? Less fruit? different fruit? More nuts? Fewer nuts? different nuts? More greens? More variety? What else is going on at home? When I was younger, if things were not-so-good, I'd sleep things off. Now, I stay awake and find answers.




I've been very pale in the face some days lately, is this a detox symptom or something that raw foodists have to deal with?

You been getting out in the sun? Eating raw food one doesn't have to be thin, pale and sickly looking. Check the pictures of the people here. Many are athletes. Many are overweight. Many are slim.




I have been getting some acne in the trial, is that normal?

For some. Give up the salty pistachios.




I live in Iceland, and at this a year there is absolutely no sun to have so I don't get any D-vitamin naturally.

There's the answer to "paleness".




So I take in D-vitamin in oil form produced from fish. One teaspoon is enough for daily need of the vitamin. BUT it is said that oil slows digestion a whole lot. So should I maybe just take it in on an empty stomach or take it in just before sleep or what? And if I take it on an empty stomach, how long will it take to digest (or how long do I have to wait till the next meal)

Thank you

This forum is based on a living and raw vegan (or began some would say) food program. We can't tell you about fish oil BUT, now that more is being revealed that you are not 100% raw vegan, there are other things to take into consideration about your food program. I know in Denmark many use tanning beds to assimilate D vitamins. Don't know what else to tell you.

[asgeirtj]

I'm told these pistachios are raw and they're still in they're shells if that changes anything.

If I were to tanning beds to get the D-vitamin, how frequently would you recommend me to go?

[michigan roman]

I'm told these pistachios are raw and they're still in they're shells if that changes anything.

If I were to tanning beds to get the D-vitamin, how frequently would you recommend me to go?


just an uneducated opinion on the matter for the fun of it :cool: = ide rather risk a vitamin D shortage then put myself in one of those barbaques :p :cool:

[LNdolls]

What you are describing in your throat sounds a lot like a swollen lymph gland. You can help flush those stuck toxins on out with dry skin brushing and hot towel scrubs. (google them if you are no familiar)
Swollen glands are a common detox symptom when one improves the diet. They can come and go as your health improves the longer you eat well.

You are not eating 80/10/10 as I understand it from Doug's book. You may want read his book. Revvell has at least one very cool interview with him on Rawkinradio.com.
He does have an active forum - here is the link - http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/

I think you are doing really well, stay with it. I suggest you focus on the positives, the benefits you feel already - even make a list and keep eating those greens!

[Revvell]

I'm told these pistachios are raw and they're still in they're shells if that changes anything.

You REALLY don't want to give those up, do you? Not even for a few days? They may not be the problem but wouldn't you want to find out?




If I were to tanning beds to get the D-vitamin, how frequently would you recommend me to go?

I have no idea. Just saying what acquaintances in Denmark are using. I've never used one.

Ahhhh, LNDolls has found Dr. Graham's site. I knew he had one. As she said, you're not following his food program as he's written it yet, IF that's the way you want to go, might ask questions there on the topic.

Revvell (http://RawkinRadio.com)

[asgeirtj]

I'll drop the pistachios, no problem :)

I did one session of oil pulling and hot towel scrubbing today and I'm going to keep on doing that, hope it helps.

I haven't read Doug's book but I'm doing the 80/10/10 ratio at least. The food I pick to eat are just what I think tastes good, it's not really an educated choice. But I know that I'm getting all the vitamins (except for B12) and minerals I need because I do a food log on the internet.

Thanks for all the help

[Revvell]

Thanks for all the help

You're very welcome. Please, keep us updated every few days (at least) and let us know how you're doing.

Revvell (http://www.Revvellations.com/shopping)

[asgeirtj]

Aren't there any veggies, nuts or fruits with vitamin D?
And how am I not doing the 80/10/10? I didn't know i was supposed to do anything else then the ratio, I heard about the diet reading Steve Pavlina's blog.
And if I take one teaspoone of the fish oil a day, is that going to have a dramatic effect on the results of going raw?


Anyhow, the swelling has recovered a lot and I feel a lot better. Maybe I got the swelling because I stopped exercising for about 5 days because exercise stimulates the flow of the lymph juice.

[Veganforlife]

thanx ! but its all the magic of todays modern day digital cameras and memory cards = i just took about 1000 pictures til one turned out good :cool:

Pfffffffffft! I don't believe that!

[asgeirtj]

I'm feeling a little better now on day 23. I have two questions.

I read that B12 manufacturing in the body can be destroyed by eating a lot of frozen foods. I eat a lot of frozen strawberries because they are much cheaper to get in big quantities frozen. I blend them with bananas. Typically i have myself about 200g of frozen strawberries every day, sometimes more. Should I stop that? Is it okay to put them in the fridge instead?

Last night I woke up 3 times in the night and had to pee. Am I drinking too much water, or is this a normal detox symptom?

[asgeirtj]

on day 35 right now and doing pretty good (I decided to continue the trial). I haven't been taking the fish oil for quite some time right now and this morning I woke up with a kind of oil swelling in my left eye. This happens to me when I'm D-vitamin deficit. So I took a spoon of fish oil this morning and followed it with 4 bananas and oh boy did my stomach hurt. Probably because I was combining fruit and fat. Would it be advisable to take in the fish oil before sleep instead?

Also I've not been eating any salt orpistacchios or olives for at least two weeks. But this weekend i binged on olives and salty pistacchios which I can't be sure are raw or not. I've been feeling a little tired and unmotivated yesterday and today, probably because of that binge.

But I'm getting a lot of little red acne on my face are right now! Is that an example of the detox sympton of the "skin breaking out" ? Not nice.

[KPainter]

I'm no expert, but it sounds like you're ingesting a lot of salt with the olives and pistacchios. Why not switch to a nut you know for sure you're buying raw, like almonds?

[HolyGuacamole]

I read that B12 manufacturing in the body can be destroyed by eating a lot of frozen foods. I eat a lot of frozen strawberries because they are much cheaper to get in big quantities frozen. I blend them with bananas. Typically i have myself about 200g of frozen strawberries every day, sometimes more. Should I stop that? Is it okay to put them in the fridge instead?

Hey, where did you read that?
I haven't ever heard anything like that and I would like to know more.

[freshlight]

your diet doesn't sound very healthy to me. Fish oil is not vegan. You do also eat salt and nuts which either should not be a part of your diet (imo) or should be taken in moderations.
Indulge yourself with lots of juicy fruit and greens.
4 bananas? :eek: ouch!

[Soka]

I just did a quick search on Vitamin D and while its not found in good amounts in fruits or veggies, it is found in mushrooms. You could give those a try.

[asgeirtj]

Yes i know fish oil is not vegan, but I live in Iceland and there is no sun to have at this time of year so I'm D-vitamin deficit on this diet. I ate salt and olives for the first time in many weeks this weekend.

4 bananas sound like a lot? Usually I eat almost 20 of them daily. For caloric intake. I'm following the 80/10/10 by Dr. Doug Graham. Sorry that I'm posting about it here though, I thought this was an all around raw forum.

HolyGuacamole: I read that at http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/.

KPainter: I will at least do that or just omit nuts alltogether.

[rawhealth66]

I would like to caution anyone saying that a certain symptom is only detox. I am a nurse it sounds like this could possibly be a clogged salivary gland under the tongue I have heard of some type of stone or what have you can rarely clog and cause swelling pain....Now I am not saying it is or not or perhaps it IS detox but someone could become sick and put it down to detox and not see their physician all because they took a group of people's word for the gospel. Just thought I would mention this.

[freshlight]

sickness=body is trying to heal itself=detox. If we are full of toxins it can be very dangerous. Therefore each illness is a detox.

[freshlight]

4 bananas sound like a lot? Usually I eat almost 20 of them daily. For caloric intake. I'm following the 80/10/10 by Dr. Doug Graham.

WOW! If I would do that I would be sick after the first 5. Perhaps someone else can help you out? I don't eat any bananas at all because the juicier the food the better I feel. But that's just mho.

[asgeirtj]

update:

I had my body fat measured in late November 2008, it was 9,3%. In December 6th I started eating only uncooked fresh ripe raw fruits and vegetables, along with some nuts. As of January 4th I had lost 5 kg's. Going from 68kg to 63 kg. January 12th I had my body fat measured again, the result was 8,1%. My question is, is it possible that those 5 kg's were just fat? There must have been some muscle I was losing too. What do you think?

http://album.123.is/?aid=131961

You can see the before and after in this pic.

Also: In the end of a streneous workout this week some blood appeared in one of my nose. Just one drop or something, but I'm concerned.

Nevermind the attached pic, both of them are on the webpage

[freshlight]

you look very good on both pictures! Which one is which-before&after?

I do get nosebleed when I'm stressed out. Do you get enough sleep?

Take care,
Eva

[RawSun]

About 4 months after my husband and I went 100% raw we noticed a giant (larger than a golf ball) size lump in his neck. It appeared suddenly, caused exhaustion, and threw off his balance (he even fell down the stairs).

We went to the doctor, specialists, ultrasound, and then to a surgeon to remove. Turns out he had a Bronchogenic cyst (a rare congenital benign lesion). Anyways, they were shocked to see this come out in a man his age (mid 20s) as this usually only causes problems and makes itself known in the very young (babies, young children) and very old (seniors). Obviously it's better to deal with this and have surgery and recover when you are a young man than a senior, so it's good it came out early. I've always thought it was related to the swift change to an all raw diet.

[devil's angel]

you know what ? Most likely if they're salted ,they're not raw . I have had raw pistashos before , they are not salty at all ,actually kinda bland.

[rawstrength]

It doesn't look to me like you have lost any muscle, just fat.

I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Maybe it is detox? I don't know. You look great, though.

PS the salted pistachios are not raw, sorry.

[asgeirtj]

The pistachios I had last weekend were non salty though, and out of their cone.

The second picture is the after. Don't you see? :). The rib case is more noticable on the second one and a very very subtle six pack is coming in there I think :).

About the sleep, Yeah I'm always getting at least 8 hours a day which is what I need. But I'm participating in a "boot camp" program which are very strenous exercises three times a week, and I have observed that I need to sleep 9-10 hours after the night after exercises like those. Isn't there something that I could eat to make the recovery faster and that much of a sleep not necessary?

[jurence]

on a side note, packaged almonds have no flavor in comparison to fresh ones, unprocessed.

[freshlight]

yeah, sorry,-stupid question. I do see the difference of course :)
Good sleep is VERY important and can not get replaced with food, imho.

Keep up the good work :)
Eva

[Raw Angel Mom]

I doubt also that the pistachios are raw. Typically the one with salt are roasted.

Just a thought, is there any food you are eating that haven't eat before or since a very long time. If so, you could have some food allergy.

Yes, it could be detox, but i would get myself check anyway. Oprah has a health webcast i believe on Monday. You can check and see if some answers could be given to you.

Don't give up, you will find what work for you.