What could I be missing?

[donnyandcathy]

I am having several symptoms, but I will just start with this one, and see what you think I may be missing in my diet.

I have always had nice, long, and strong fingernails. Since going raw on April 20th of this year, my nails are very weak, thin, brittle, and I have to keep them short or they will split. I've never had this problem before.

Just wondering if anyone may know what I could add to strengthen my nails?

I get a ton of greens in, and a variety of them everyday. I juice, do green smoothies, and eat a BIG salad almost everyday as well.

Not sure what is going on, and like I said I'm having other symptoms as well. More on that later.

Thank you!!
Cathy

[katchmoleen]

hmmmmm, I am having the opposite thing happen, I am happy to say. Because of my blood sugar issues I have been eating low glycemic raw, less fruit and more protein and fat and veggies. I have always had problems with brittle splitting nails, but they are lots stronger and smoother now. So maybe......more protein and fat? I dunno.

[iluvmangos]

MSM gives me nice, strong nails. I'm reading the book, "The Fertility Diet" by Sarah Dobbyn and she says that MSM comes from rainwater. We would normally get it from residue left on fruits and vegetables that have been rained on, but she writes that even organic food is irrigated and grown in greenhouses and often washed which takes away the MSM. But, it's easily obtained in health food stores or online.

I use Jarrow Formulas MSM powder. I started out taking 1/4 teaspoon twice daily, but now I take 1/2 teaspoon twice daily. MSM is detoxifying, so don't be surprised if you get some acne at first.

[klomasius]

Can you give us a day to day of what you eat?

I too am having the opposite problem, since I upped my greens I'm actually having to cut my nails they are growing so fast. And they are stronger and thicker too.

I also hear msm is good for hair skin and nails, but have never has it myself.

Hope the symptoms sort out for you!

[donnyandcathy]

I don't have anything written down of what I eat, but I can tell you most of the things I include daily.

Every morning I wake up and juice one organic lemon and drink it with water.

Then I eat fresh fruit like (watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, mangoes, cherries, bananas,apples, oranges, papaya, grapes)

I always have a really big green smoothie everyday, and I mean this thing is big, I have to keep refilling my glass because all of it won't fit in my cup at one time. In my smoothies I have fresh pineapple, mango, a few cherries,
a lot of cilantro ( I would say over a cup), 1 heaping TBS of my Chia Fiber, about 3-4 cups of greens (either Kale, Chard, or Spinach) sometimes I mix the greens, and if I have any beet greens I throw them in too.

I also try and juice every other day, I use 8 carrots, 1-2 Beets, 4 stalks of celery plus their greens, 1 cucumber. I also use the pulp to make pulp patties.

I eat really big salads, I use a whole head of Romaine, Green Leaf, or Bibb. And I eat a salad almost like this everyday.
I eat an avocado daily.

I eat more fruit during the day if hungry, or I make another green smoothie.

I make the no nut pesto which has a whole head of dark greens in there, and I seem to eat this pesto a lot.
I eat celery, carrots, homemade hummus, soaked almonds, chia pudding, flax crackers (a lot of these lately), zucchini, and a few other things I can't think of right now.

I will go ahead and tell you some of my other symptoms that I am having, and see if that will help.
I can't wake up in the mornings. I really can't get out of bed before 9 without feeling real shaky, and slap wore out. Even if I try to get up early, say 8, my eyes and body will not let me wake up, it's that uncontrollable I can't wake up, I have to sleep feeling.

My other symptom that I'm just starting to notice is that my muscles feel so weak, and I don't have a lot of strength like I used to, even a few months ago. My legs feel really heavy, and I just don't feel like I used to.
I do get exercise, and I feel good when I exercise, but it's that muscle fatigue all the time.

My mood has been horrible, like really bad PMS, road rage, shaky type of behavior. This is not like me. My hands seem to be shaky, and things set me off for no reason :( I do not like feeling this way, and I'm sure my family doesn't like it either.

I know raw is the way I want to go, and I'm willing to stick through this, but it seems like I feel bad more than I feel good. I do not want to go back to the old way of eating, but I want my health to be good too. That is the main reason I went raw.

I'm at a lost???
Thanks for listening.
Cathy

[donnyandcathy]

I meant to say that almost all my fruits and veggies are organic, or they come from our garden which is also organic, so I don't think it is a reaction to pesticides or herbicides.

[katchmoleen]

Perhaps have your iron levels checked. This is how I felt all the time when I was severely anemic.

[RawKnitster]

How long have you been suffering with these symptoms? Are they constant or do they come and go?

I see you use chia seeds and flax seeds. Are the flax seeds in your crackers ground or whole? I read somewhere whole flax seeds are not digestible. If that is true you may not be getting any essential fats or proteins from them.

I'm curious about why no nuts (oops, except the soaked almonds you mentioned) or other seeds, like pumpkin or sunflower.....?

I like to use a green food powder every day. Like Alissa's. One heaping tablespoon has 4.4 grams of protein and 150% RDA of iron, and a lot of other nutrients.

[EZ rider]

You are what you digest. Keep it simple.

[donnyandcathy]

I have been feeling like this for awhile, but it is getting worse, and each day seems harder.

I just called my doctor to have some labs ran next week to check my thyroid and iron, and whatever else he thinks he needs to check.

My lymph nodes are also larger than they should be, under my chin where my chin and neck connect, I can feel lymph nodes that shouldn't be that size. The ones in my groin also seem bigger.

As for my nuts, seeds, flax, and chia. I always grind my flax when I make my flax crackers, and I grind the Chia seeds when I use them in my smoothies.
I soak the chia seeds and make a pudding with my homemade almond milk.
I always soak the nuts like almonds, and I even soaked the pine nuts over night for a pesto I made yesterday. So I am very careful with soaking and blending.

I also have been trying to be real careful with the food combining, especially with the fruit.

My husband called me about an hour ago, and he could tell just by listening to my voice that I didn't feel good. He said he is very concerned for me, but is very supportive of the raw food diet, and really encourages me to eat like this (even though he eats what he wants) =)

Any other ideas??
Cathy

[Irish_Vegan_Girl]

I would love to be able to help you, Cathy, but I don't feel there is anything you could improve on from reading your posts. I wonder what it is that you're lacking, as someone else said may be it is some anemia, but isn't that caused by low iron absporption/levels and how could that be the case when you are ingesting so many great greens... Maybe it has something to do with iron absorption? Your diet sounds great, anyway. I hope you find out a solution soon, keep us posted, good luck.

[a1icia]

Looking at your diet, it doesn't seem like you're missing anything. However, I can relate to what you're experiencing.

It's possible you may be reacting to something you're eating or taking. I'm very sensitive and there are certain things, seemingly healthy things, that I've finally learned my body just cannot handle.

For example if I took a multi vitamin, I would experience the moodiness, feeling tired (completely wiped out), irritated and just "not like myself." So, you may be overdoing some of the good stuff. Like EZ rider said, sometimes simple is better. Maybe consider a process of elimination.

Also, Flax affects your hormones. You may be eating too much of that. My hormones have been on such an even keel for so long (I'm calm under the most chaotic conditions) but I had a large flax seed bar and some flax cookies last week and as my cycle approached I became emotional over the most ridiculous things.

It sounds like you may be taxing your body in some way and it's trying to tell you.

I agree you should see your dr. and have some blood work done to rule out anything serious but in the meantime, try eliminating some of the things you're eating and see if that helps.

Often times, your intuitive mind knows what's affecting you but your rational mind gets in the way saying "but this is so good for me, I need it."

I hope you feel better very soon.

[katchmoleen]

Cathy, your diet looks about perfect, but the symptoms you describe, especially the enlarged lymph nodes, describe an illness, specifically something your immune system is attacking. You may have a virus like mononucleosis or some other virus that can be difficult to shake. The lab results should shed some light, especially a CBC and differential. It's awful to feel awful.....I have felt that way for so long. Especially when you have small children. I got really ill when my youngest was barely two years old with colitis that left me house-bound and almost bed bound, so I can sympathize. I am happy to be on the road to feeling much better, and I hope you find your answers soon. I will send prayers and good thoughts your way.

[RawKnitster]

Your diet looks great! Your symptoms are too much to be ignored. Could be detox, but better to be sure. Keep us posted on what you find out from any testing you have done. Sure hope you feel better soon!

[Heatherette]

I have been trying to improve my hair, skin, and nails via the raw food diet as well. The 3 supplements I swear by are liquid silica, powder MSM, and flax seed oil daily. The omega fatty acid complex in the flax seed oil will also help with mood issues. Just stick with it and you will definitely notice the difference. I have been suffering from mood disorders my entire adult life and I must say that raw food has been the best thing that I have ever done for myself. I read Alissa's book and that's where it started. Keep your head up and hang in there...:)

[sprouts2go]

Did they do a calcium and Vitamin D level? Did you get scratched by a cat?
Tick bites? Anything the doctor should know about that happened and seems not worth mentioning? As mentioned Mono could be the issue. Check for fevers and call the doctor if you are not feeling better soon.

[donnyandcathy]

I can't thank all of you enough for the kind and encouraging words and advice.
Reading all the post brought tears to my eyes, because I feel I have "friends" that I can talk to, and they understand. I have no one around me except my husband, kids, and mom that I can talk to, and they do a good job listening, they just don't have any advice, or knowledge on the raw food diet or health.

I did talk to my mom yesterday, and she said she noticed that I was looking run down, and wiped out. My eyes just look weak, and I don't have that nice glow in my face.

Funny you mention "Lyme" because my mom called me this afternoon and told me to get checked for it when I go Tues. We live in the country on a dirt road, and lots of woods around us. "Georgia Ticks" are plenty around here :(

The doctor I am going to go to is a regular GYN doctor, but he left his practice at a major hospital to practice on his own, and treat more naturally, and with nutrition and supplements instead of the traditional medicine. So I know I can talk to him and he will be open to whatever I say.

I have also seen a Naturopath that did muscle testing on me months ago, and confirmed what I already knew, that I had a really weak liver, spleen, gall bladder, and digestive issues. I think my gall bladder and liver area is getting worse because it is really "sore" to the touch, and I keep pain in that area.
Could those issues make me not be able to wake up in the mornings, and have the other symptoms I was talking about?

What about using a lot of Cilantro in my green smoothies everyday, could that be causing a reaction? I know it's a really good detox herb.

I'm thinking positive and staying active. Me and the kids went on a 2 mile walk tonight, and played outside for awhile. We also picked some veggies out of our garden. I just want to feel better, and to feel like most of you feel, and be a good testimony to the raw food way of life. I know I will see the benefits, and I'm going to stick with it and have a good attitude :D

Again, I can't thank all of you enough for all your post, encouragement, and kind words. I will let you know how it goes on Tues.

Love,
Cathy

[katchmoleen]

So...it's Wednesday....have you found anything out?

[donnyandcathy]

Thanks so much for checking on me :)

They did a CBC which will also check my iron, and they did a thyroid test as well.
She said they should get the results back by Friday.
We leave Sat for the beach, so if you don't hear from me next week you will know that I'm on the beach and not in the hospital ;)

I will let you know if I find out before I leave.

Thank you!!
Cathy