Is this detox?

[Bellybean]

Hi everyone...I'm new to the forum...well new to everything. I'm not completely raw...but I have begun having a green smoothie once everyday...sometimes twice. Usually its banana, apple, carrot, blueberry, kale or spinach and flax seed.

I have been doing the smoothies since the middle of November. Now in the last two weeks I am having major gastro upset. I'm a little scared it's something bad, but then I thought maybe it was the smoothies. I have "moving" abdominal pain. Sometimes it is in the middle up high under my breast bone. then sometimes it's under my ribs, on the left and right. Then sometimes down lower by my bellybutton and then sometimes lower in the pelvic area. I know it must be intestinal, but why now after being on the smoothies for so long. I also have heartburn...but no nausea. it's actual pain. Its with me most of the day. I hope I can talk about this and it's not TMI...but I 'eliminate" regularly...but that has changed too. They are soft but not D....they almost look like a formed smoothie themselves. And it's a lot...like I'm cleaning out everyday. But I also take a magnesium supplement so that might have to do with it. But if I miss a day of smoothie or magnesium, i become constipated.

Any suggestions...could this pain be from the smoothie? I'm starting to worry about other awful things being wrong. I guess since my body took to the smoothies so easily in the beginning I'm just surprised that I'm hurting now.

Thank you so much...from a rambling beginner!

[Aleesha Sattva]

i always find it interesting that people come and ask if it's the healthy food they are eating that is causing them the problems...

i would look at the SAD food you are eating as the possible culprit!

[Bellybean]

Well thanks for the warm welcome. I guess that was a fair assumption to make, but it's not really the case.

I don't really eat the SAD. I don't eat processed or fast foods. I'm 6 months post partum and had gestational diabetes so I have been off of high carb wheat and processed foods and sugar for quite sometime. I don't eat red meat, but I will eat free range chicken and I eat fish once per week. I also occassionally eat eggs and some dairy...but mostly organic yogurt. I've just recently begun the addition of "raw" green smoothies since November. Greens were something lacking in my diet and if I did eat them they were steamed.

[rawintexas]

What's going in to your green smoothies? Are you varying the ingredients or is it the same mix? And welcome!

[RawKnitster]

I couldn't say it that is or isn't detox. There are many ways we may need to detox, it can be very personal. What I can tell you is my experience for the first month the first time I went raw is my digestive system did not know how to handle all the greens. (That's all I'm saying about that :o) It took a full month for my body to learn how to digest greens.

I suggest going all raw to see it that helps. 30 days is the magic number. :)

[pbuttercwup]

could it be a hormonal transition that is affecting your digestion? I know pregnancy can influence and slow down your digestion causing constipation, could it be the reverse now that you are 6 months postpartum? It seems like you have been having the smoothies for a while so they shouldnt cause that kind of disruption to your system. I would wonder about what is happening hormonally because I know I went through huge digestion issues through all 3 pregnancies and postpartum as well. good luck.