Something's not working

[Lauri]

I have been following the raw food lifestyle for the past month. The first three weeks, I felt great, but probably lost too much weight. This last week, people close to me tell me I don't look good. My face has broken out and I've never had an acne problem. I look drawn and tired. My energy level is lower than before. My stomach is distended. What is happening? Last night I felt terrible and broke down and had a salade nicoise with almost raw salmon (and felt better afterwards). I would love to continue with this life style, but it doesn't seem to be working for me. Advice please.

[Gosia]

although tiredness, pimples could be the sign of detox, I tend to not blame detox for too many things, and try to look at the diet first.

I inevitably get pimples if I eat lots of nuts. It is normal for newly-born raw foodists to eat lots of nuts, as they are used to condensed, heavier foods. It is good to keep trying reduce those amounts as you go. If you indeed have been eating lots of nuts, perhaps try giving it a rest for a while, and have some yummy, big, green salads, with your favourite ingredients, with a little bit of avocado (healthier than nuts) in it. Tahini as dressing (up to 2T per person) is good too. I found salads to be really helpful in reducing the amount of nuts I ate.

Poor food combining may contribute to a bloated tummy and tiredness. For example, it is best not to combine fruit with fats, as this inhibits proper digestion of sugars, and can make you feel tired as well. To cure your bloated tummy, try going gentle on it, and eat less complicated foods. A good way to start a day is to have a juice or juicy fruit (one type at a time for best results), as we usually are dehydrated at the start of the day. Then, try eating (ripe only!) fruit (one type at a time) till later in the day. When you will feel really hungry, and want something different than fruit, try a salad, with not too many ingredients (e.g - greens, cucumber, tomato, olives, avocado, orange-and-tahini dressing) so that you can digest it easily. Also, fruit smoothies (e.g - bananas, dates, water) are very filling, and I recommend that you try them. Starchy foods (sweet potatoes) are hard to digest, so try avoiding them.

Finally, chewing your food properly and not drinking water as you eat, is also important for proper digestion.

All the best,
Gosia.

PS And, leave eating heavier foods till late in the day.

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Lauri,

I agree with both posts - it could be either detox or your raw diet (what you're eating/not eating).

But I mainly wanted to say that, when I first started out, I went through a similar thing. I wasn't around too many people for them to tell me how "badly" I looked, but to ME, I didn't look my best. Acne, tiredness/tired-looking, face thinned out some...

But now, I feel I look great and others tell me constantly that I look great. People here in WA whom I haven't seen in years tell me and my dh that we look great, that we seem not to have aged at all.

Please give us a sampling of your current diet like maybe a week's worth of eating (or simply document in a journal in the Journal/Photo area) so we can see what you're eating and if you need less nuts and more greens or something to that effect.

Remember, most times (if not all) the body has to break down before it can rebuild!

[RawTruth]

Last night I felt terrible and broke down and had a salade nicoise with almost raw salmon (and felt better afterwards). Lauri - I can understand you wanting to do something to feel better. The problem with eating cooked food, though, is that your body, which has been cleaning itself out from the cooked food toxic buildup, now has to deal with more coming into it. Fending off the detox (if that's what it is) by eating the old way doesn't work.

I also am wondering whether it is detox or your food combining. When I started raw in January, I had to be careful to not eat nuts and fruit together, and I got really bloated when I ate nut-rich dishes.

You've chosen a wonderful, extremely satisfying path to the way your body was intended to be -- fresh, natural, and nourished by the Earth's bounty. Now, be kind to yourself (and this lifestyle) by giving it the time it needs to work.

By the way, do YOU feel like you've lost too much weight? Or is it other people's comments that you're listening to? We've discussed the weight loss thing on this forum numerous times, and I am one of those who is very thin -- for now. If you wish to discuss this or ask questions, we're here to support you.