Work Harder to Digest?

[Soka]

I posted on another forum about me going vegan and mostly raw and I got a few "good lucks" and the majority of people kept telling me how unhealthy I'd be and how the body needs meat and animal products.

I was also told that the reason vegans and raw vegans lose weight is because the body has to work double time to digest all the plant matter.


Humans don't have the bacteria that ruminants have that break down plant fiber, it's also why ruminants chew cud: to better break down the plant material.

Do our bodies really have to work harder when we have this kind of diet?

[DebB]

I don't know about that, but I do remember reading in "Fit For Life" (by Harvey and Marily Diamond) that cooked meat is one of the hardest foods for our bodies to digest. They said that the stomach can't even fully digest it and when it's had "enough" it will literally push it out into the intestines, for them to deal with.

Whereas fruit is the easiest for our bodies to digest and that's why it's out of our stomach in 20-30 minutes! (except bananas, they take longer). *Ü*

[nadien alexandra]

someone mentioned that to me too. it was a meat eater, so it's hard to say if they were right.

BUT... to my mildly educated mind, it would make sense that your digestive system works harder to break down plant matter because it's not soft and cooked,

but AT the SAME TIME, it might perhaps be easier to assimilate into the blood stream and breakdown because raw food is so rich in enzymes, which are lacking in cooked food, which do not have to be sourced so much from our bodies making it EASIER to process!

fruit is easy to digest (which is hopefully half your diet!)
meat is difficult
dairy is kind of foreign so it's difficult
refined sugars are tough on our bodies
wheat, gluten, are toughto break down



so, it almost feels like raw foods are EASIER to digest!

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

First off, to think that we need animal products to be healthy is just pure ignorance. There are so many examples of very healthy vegans all around the world that it makes such statements simply ridiculous.

I've been thinking a lot about the ease of digestion as well. It would make sense that cooked food is easier to digest since the cell structure is broken down by heat. And that's very true as far as I know. However, the nutrients are often altered so much that it makes it hard for the body to assimilate them.
This is why we blend and marinate so much of the food in the raw food kitchen. That way we can break down the cell structure and therefore make it easier to digest, while at the same time preserve the nutrients much better.

If raw food is that much harder to digest then we would have to lie down for hours after every meal, but this is not the case, in fact that's something that is associated with cooked food.
It wouldn't make sense that most people gain lots of energy on the raw food diet if it was that energy consuming would it?

Also, I don't think that people loose weight on this diet. I think that they reach their ideal weight. A cooked diet full of processed foods will on the other hand make it very easy for you gain weight.

It's pretty hard to argue with someone about these things though since there's so little scientific evidence.
Personally I don't need the evidence to know that it works. I've seen it so many times over and over again. It just works! But we still know so little about nutrition on a scientific level that we can't fully explain why it works. And even if we could it wouldn't be a simple answer.

[nadien alexandra]

sevenkindsofcookie makes a lot of sense and brings up some very valid points.

when i eat a nice salad or have a delicious green smoothie, i have so much energy, and immediately after. this to me, tells me that my body isnt putting all its energy into digesting.

when i would eat cooked food, say lasagna, bread, cheese, shepards pie...
I would so sluggish after. where did my energy go? i just fueled my body. My energy must be going to my tummy.

also, weight loss.... when one's only eating good healthy food packed with nutrients, their metabolism speeds up, and the food finds it's proper home in the body. when one is eating over processed nutrient lacking food, your metabolism slows down, the body doesnt know where to store the foreign food, so its stores it as fat...

weight loss on raw foods makes a lot of sense!

[juliebove]

I have gastroparesis. That's delayed stomach emptying. So I have to watch my diet and not eat anything that's hard to digest. If I do eat such stuff, it could come back up, undigested, or worst case scenario (and that hasn't happened yet), I could get a bezoar. A bezoar is a ball of undigested food much like when a cat gets a hairball. It has to be surgically removed.

So what kinds of foods must I avoid? Many types of meat. I won't get into that here because it is a vegan board. Except to say that most types of meat is hard to digest.

I have to watch my fat intake. Too much fat is bad. I have gotten into trouble pigging out on olives. I'll spare you the details.

And some fruits and vegetables. Broccoli is listed as being one of the hardest things to digest. It was never a favorite of mine, so no great loss for me there. I do love salad though. And the last time I ate a huge...and I do mean huge salad, it came back up over the course of many hours.

I still eat salad. Just eat the greens in smaller amounts. I am careful to chew really well and not eat it too many times in a week. For me it is the greens that seem to cause the worst problems.

But on a daily basis, I eat carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes and peppers with no problems.

Please understand that I am in no way recommending these things for others with gastroparesis. Every case is different and if you have it you might find what you can eat is different than this. But it works for me!

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

I still eat salad. Just eat the greens in smaller amounts. I am careful to chew really well and not eat it too many times in a week. For me it is the greens that seem to cause the worst problems.

I can see how greens would be problematic for someone with your condition. I'm curious how much difference it makes to blend up the greens into for example green smoothies? Is it much easier for your system, and are you even able to digest kale that way?

[juliebove]

I can see how greens would be problematic for someone with your condition. I'm curious how much difference it makes to blend up the greens into for example green smoothies? Is it much easier for your system, and are you even able to digest kale that way?

I wouldn't know. The texture of a smoothie just gags me! I am big into the texture of things. Don't much care for creamy things. Has to be crunchy.

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

I wouldn't know. The texture of a smoothie just gags me! I am big into the texture of things. Don't much care for creamy things. Has to be crunchy.

Ah that's too bad and somewhat ironic.

[Mary Kay]

SevenKindsof Cookie - I was going to ask JulieBove the same thing!

JulieBove - what causes a person to have gastroparesis? Is it hereditary?

I'd also be curious to know which kinds of meat if you wouldn't mind sending me a private message.

I met someone online whose six y.o. son has gastroparesis. I knew very little about it and was surprised that someone so young would have it. I thought it was the result of a bad lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing.

Mary Kay

[skier2]

I was also told that the reason vegans and raw vegans lose weight is because the body has to work double time to digest all the plant matter.



Do our bodies really have to work harder when we have this kind of diet?

Actually, it's that their bodies have to work harder to digest all that fermenting meat that keeps them fat.

[Gab]

If meat is so good, why does fruit pass through us so quickly, leaving the meat behind for our bodies to deal with, taking up to days to get broken down?

Been macrobiotic for years (pre raw). Both have the same theory. Go easy on your body and how hard it has to work to digest. Macrobiotic: cook and break down so your body doesn't have to do it for you. Raw: eat raw and let all the live enzymes do the work.

SAD: eat anything, eat it raw or cooked but make sure there's lots of chemicals, preservatives, fats, sodium... suffer for days with constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, bloat, gas, extreme fatigue ....

Hmm... make the choice. :D :D

[T-Bird]

Like most things - it's easy to believe either way depending on what you want to believe.

for every ONE pasta/rice/potato/candy vegan who is unhealthy and overweight, 100 meat eaters are confirmed in their beliefs each year!

The other side of the coin is that people who are unhealthy and not feeling well and want to change that are seeking alternatives - so likely many people with health problems may be drawn to raw foods or veganism and that that also confirms others in their beliefs.

[margoss]

the body loses wt bc it's not storing all that garbage. look at how much of it ends up in the dumpsters vs fresh produce. When MD's put people on wt loss programs, they have to give us starches-breads-fats...things that are not found in rawfood lifestyle. If you look at others with health issues as they get older, what do they have to eliminate that cause these things....fats-red meats then other meats-fried foods-refined sugar-salts-heavy dairy,butter, cream cheese- premade desserts. so, they need to go to more natural lifestyle. THis can be hard bc companies have made things convenient. I was thinking of this as I took apart & cleaned the juicer, cleaned the counter...It would be easier to drink V8 but when comparing the ingredients to my juice vs bottle, mines so much better and better tasting. The same with veggies..it's easier to open a can but then there's all the salt added to make the taste more 'appealing'. When Universities, John Hopkins show research supporting this then they'll jump on it. There's always the $$ chain that comes with it.
I rarely have trouble going to the bathroom unless I eat too much chocolate, even raw treats. I know how to keep myself 'clean'. I'm not 100% all of the time but when I am for a while and I have something SAD, I can tell immediately in many ways. It's getting me to know what my body prefers vs my memory-sight.
You just have to be a testimony to others. You may encounter 'potholes' on the way but try to stay with it. It's easy to give into the 'norm' considered by others but let them come to your 'norm'.

[Shelly11]

We're not supposed to link so here is the article. Taken from Dimond's (a member of rft) website.

More than 80 million people (approximately 1 in 4) are believed to suffer from such discomfort at least once a week and two of the most successful prescriptions in history are for digestive discomfort. Though many suffer, few have to. Nearly every digestive complaint is caused from an inability to properly digest the food(s) consumed.

The simple solution in such cases is enzymes. Enzymes are responsible for breaking down the foods we eat, delivering the nutrients found in those foods to every cell of the body and re- moving any toxins or ingredients that may be in the food that the body will not derive any benefit from.

Symptoms Of Poor Digestion
• Gas
• Bloating
• Indigestion
• Heartburn
• Fatigue
• Poor Sleep
• Allergies
• Candida

Life’s Energy
Enzymes do so much more than relieve the symptoms often associated with digestive distress or disorders. They are the foundation to good heath. Enzymes are energized protein molecules. They have been called the “spark of life”, the “vitality of life” and the “energy of life”. The word enzyme literally means life. When we wake up tired, catch a cold, can’t recall the name of our firstborn child or find ourselves sleeping during an important seminar, we don’t say, “I wish I had more enzymes,” we say, “I wish I had more energy.” To fully comprehend the benefits we must first understand what digestion is, and the vital role enzymes (energy) play in this process.

Digestion: The Basics
Digestion begins in the mouth where the act of chewing breaks down and grinds the food into smaller pieces to be swallowed. Think of the mouth as a food processor where mixing and grinding take place. Here is where three different types of an enzyme called amylase are secreted to digest the carbohydrates we eat.

We then swallow the food and it travels to the stomach. There are two sections of the stomach. The Cardiac section (upper) is what Dr. Howell called the food enzyme stomach. This is where the majority of the carbohydrate digestion occurs due to the activity of the amylase found in the saliva. Only the raw foods we eat that have not been cooked or processed are digested in this section of the stomach. This is because these foods contain the enzymes that nature provides to break down the proteins, fats and carbohydrates that are part of that particular food. The food stays here about 30 to 45 minutes then enters the lower section or Pyloric section of the stomach.

The Pyloric section of the stomach is where the enzyme pepsin and HCL (Hydrochloric acid) are secreted for protein digestion. The amount of protein consumed and the efficiency of the individual’s digestive system will dictate the length of time the food remains in this portion of the stomach. It is usually about two hours. The combined activity of Hydrochloric acid, pepsin and muscular movement result in a thoroughly mixed watery solution called chyme.

Chyme leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine. When the chyme enters the small intestine (duodenum) it is mixed with the enzyme lipase from the pancreas and bile secreted by the gallbladder for fat digestion. The acid is neutralized by bicarbonate ions, which the pancreas also manufactures and secretes. It is at this point that the body takes a type of inventory of what we have eaten and what has been digested. It then determines the additional amount of enzymes (or energy) that will be needed to finish the process. The pancreas will continue to manufacture and secrete them as needed. This is called the law of adaptive secretion. The body will only make the amount of enzymes required to digest, assimilate and transport the fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals found in the foods we consume.

As the food continues to travel through the intestinal tract it finally enters the large intestine. The large intestine is basically responsible for absorbing water and ionic compounds (electrolytes). Much of this is actually re-absorbing what the body has provided in the way of gastric juices. The large intestine is also home to a number of different kinds of bacteria. These beneficial bacteria live off of some of the foods that make it this far without being digested. Finally the waste is eliminated. This entire process normally takes 3-10 days.

80% of your energy
When we eat a meal, we often take for granted the process that is initiated that we casually call digestion. The fact is that 80% of all the energy we will use in our entire lifetime will be spent on this amazing process. This leaves a mere 20% to handle all other processes of the body. Imagine if you could get back even a small percentage of that energy to assist in immune function, endocrine function or cardiovascular function. The possibility exists that it could change both the length of your life and the way in which you live it.

Digestive Problems
The symptoms that often occur which cause digestive discomfort are the result of an inability to efficiently break down and absorb the essential nutrients found in those foods. For example, the common gas and bloating is often a problem breaking down carbohydrates in the form of raw vegetables or beans. The acid indigestion is often caused by a problem breaking down protein. Though many people may tend to dismiss such “minor” symptoms as an inconvenience, it is important to provide the body with the support it needs during these times so as not to develop anything more serious over time.

Increase Your Energy
As you have no doubt figured out by now, the more we eat, the more energy our body will spend digesting what we have consumed. For many who chose most of their foods from a fast food menu or eat large portions of cooked and processed foods they are spending needless amounts of energy on the difficult job they have forced upon their digestive system. One of the best choices we can make is to eat living foods. Raw foods have the ability to digest 5%-75% of them-selves in the Cardiac section of the stomach. This one act alone will free up enormous amounts of energy and reduce the common symptoms of digestive distress (gas, bloating, indigestion and heartburn) while supporting other body functions and helping maintain optimal health. Of course, as mentioned earlier, another simple solution to this energy crisis is to provide the body with supplemental digestive enzymes with every meal. These enzyme supplements have the ability to assist the body in breaking down or digesting the foods we consume, regardless of our food choices.

Look for an enzyme supplement that contains high active units of numerous enzymes. The four main categories of enzymes responsible for the digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber are called proteases, lipases amylases and cellulases. Though most companies label enzymes in “active units” to indicate potency, it is best to look for a product that uses multiple enzymes per category (for example: four proteases instead of just one. May say thera-blend next to each of these essential enzymes.). This will greatly increase the effectiveness of the product.