Hi, New and ill.

[felin]

Hello,

I am not a Raw foodie and not entirely sure I want to be one, however, I have serious health issues and am only in my early 40's and am sick of being sick.

I have low thyroid issues and we are having a hard time getting it to regulate with meds. Still working on it though. My thyroid issues, alone, are creating complete havoc in my life (if you want to even call it a life). I don't really even feel as though I am truly "living" at this point because I am so sick everyday.
Some of my daily or consistent symptoms are:


Extremely low energy / lethargy / exhaustion
Exhaustion, instead of energy upon exercising
Depression
Very foggy brained / memory problems
Severe migraines (tho now that my progesterone has dropped to below-normal levels they are less frequent). - likely too much estrogen as I only get them right before and during period now.
Stomach issues
Gut issues


I won't go on.

I do not have the energy or ability to go raw right now. That would just overwhelm me entirely, so please do not judge me for not being where you are, however, I would sincerely love some help/advice on perhaps the first 2 or 3 things I should do/start in my life to begin healing.

We have been hit extremely hard by this economy. My husband works for the state and has lost a significant amount of income. I lost my job in March. Anyhow, I am truly truly desperate for guidance and help.

Should I maybe try to learn how to juice wheatgrass? No idea how I'd afford a juicer but I would just pray for God's provision.

Thanks for hearing me.

Felin

[Aleesha Sattva]

Welcome!!!

Read my story here (http://www.timelessspirit.com/JAN08/walk.shtml). As you can read... I was in a similar condition.

Raw foods has literally saved my life! I've released 168 pounds so far and am living proof that raw food works!

My advice to you:

eat as much raw live food as you can. salads, fruit salads, cut up veggies... what ever you can afford.

add green smoothies (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54452) to your daily routine. they are sooo healing.

read and research as much as you can. there is so much info here... read and read and then read some more.

that's what i did!

(((hugs)))
Aleesha

[felin]

Aleesha,

Thank you so much for replying. Means a great deal!!

If my body is already weak and I don't really want to go into a strong detox mode, what juices would be the most gentle to start with out of the 70 you linked me to?

Unfortunately, I used to have a Green Star Juicer several years ago and because we were not using it faithfully, sold it on eBay.

Now we just have a cheapy, Juiceman Jr. which I know isn't great, but it is what we have. We do also have a Vita Mix but I thought I'd heard that it doesn't masticate well enough. I could certainly be wrong about that.

What would you suggest?

Thank you so much again,

Felin

[EscapeArtist]

Hi! I would strongly recommend that you remove the top foods that cause food intolerances/sensitivities. These include,
Gluten
Lactose
Eggs
Soy

I think it is important to remove all of these together if you are to test this, because oftentimes if you are intolerant to one, your chances for intolerance to another are high.

Thyroid problems are extremely common in gluten intolerance, especially. Google "thyroid problems gluten"

After researching intolerances along with my symptoms, I went off of gluten and lactose. I became a completely different person! I was the kid who had digestive issues almost every day of their childhood, who was so tired that they couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes and wanted to kill themselves because of chronic fatigue at the age of 9. I was depressed and anxious from childhood. I had very damaged short and long term memory, and unfortunately do not remember much of my childhood because of the brain fog. As soon as I went off of gluten and lactose, most of these symptoms disappeared forever! Including many symptoms that I hadn't even recognized until they left. Unfortunately, missed memories because of my memory loss can not be gained, but my short term memory is improving. Because 1/3 people have gluten intolerance, I would say that one is at the top of the list, next to lactose.

The chances are even higher that you have a food sensitivity if there is any of your family suffering with similar issues, such as gut problems, joint pain, depression, fatigue, or any auto-immune disease. Food intolerances/sensitivities are genetic.

So my suggestion would be to first try a diet having eliminated these foods, and be careful because trace amounts count. Then, if you're still not feeling better, perhaps try the raw? Goodluck to you! I hope it works out as it did for me. :)

[kaybee]

there are herbs that can help regulate your thyroid too.

licorice helps slow down/prevent cortisol from changing to cortisone (i think) and thus keeps more cortisol in your system so your adrenals dont have to put out more

eleuthero (siberian ginseng) helps prevent the thyroid from being either over or under active. it has to be taken regularly though, to help

nettle seed is something alot of people have had luck with. you can check on susun weeds site for more info on this. ryan drum, an herbalist, also talks about the possibility of their being natural thyroid hormone in particular types of seaweed (bladderwrack, i think).

these last 2--nettle seed and seaweed--are probably going to be the cheapest options...may even be able to collect the seed yourself depending on where you live and the season. same with bladderwrack.
the other things though will help too.

i find very strong nettle leaf infusions (strong tea, 1/4 cup of herb to quart of hot water, then left to steep overnight then strained and drank) to help alot as well (more info on this on weed's site).

also, regular early bed times helped me a ton.

i second cutting out the allergens, as well as meat. if you can give your body less toxins to deal with, thats likely to help some too.

also second the green smoothies

your money might be better spent on quality foods and greens rather than a new juicer, and just make green smoothies instead. personally, i thought wheatgrass was going to solve all my problems--bought the juicer, all the growing equipment, and couldnt stomach the stuff (2 theories on this one that its major detox, the other is that most wheatgrass has mold in it and its the body reacting to the toxin). sunflower greens are easy to grow and can get put into a salad or tossed into a green smoothie.
goood luck !

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh... a vita mix is the top of the line (that and a blendtec)... so trust me... you have that one wrong!!!

i like to start out with a smoothie like this:

baby organic spinach (they come in bins at the grocery store here in canada)
water
hemp or flax oil
2 or 3 frozen bananas (or fresh)
1 cup of frozen blueberries (or fresh)

if only fresh is used... add in ice

blend. enjoy!!!

these aren't juices... just so you know. they are smoothies.

as for juices. i wouldn't worry about what you consume (except beet and grapefruit). just remember... you health is worth the effort!

[PunkRotten]

I am still pretty new to raw. When the whole idea came to me about trying it out I felt overwhelmed. I decided to start very small. Just adding little things here and there. One thing that has been easy and very helpful, is green smoothies. If anything, having just a green smoothie a day is very beneficial, in my opinion.

In my opinion you might notice changes just by having this smoothie. This is all I am going to add now, I will let others guide you better. Here is a green smoothie recipe I drink:


1 1/2- 2 cups water
2 cups of greens; Kale, chard, collard greens, spinach
1 or 2 bananas
2 cups of berries; Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries
Other fruits; 1 apple, 1 mango, 1 pear (1 or the other, optional)
1 tablespoon flax oil (optional)
Sweetener; dates, stevia (optional)

[felin]

Wow! I have loved reading all of your replies.

It's so nice to have a lifeline, indeed!

Very interesting to read about your take on the food sensitivities. That is something I've wondered about, but have so NOT wanted to deal with. Are there actual tests that Dr.'s can do to determine whether or not any of these allergies exist??

Regarding the herbs, are all of these able to be taken daily,....forever? I know that I've heard advice against taking some herbs for longer than a prescribed period which is why I am asking.

The smoothies sound yummy. I've just been concerned about getting "addicted" to the sugar that is in fruits and some veggies. I think maybe I heard that from some other raw foodies many years ago when I'd first heard of raw eating. They said if toxic, it was best to do strictly green juicing as opposed to any with natural sugar from the produce. What is your take?

Another honest thing that I will say about the smoothies is that I am super concerned about the cost of all of this produce. We are barely making it financially right now and are tighter than we've ever been, so.... just curious/concerned.

So, my last question: Do you all juice everyday (separate from the smoothies)? I just remember hearing what life-giving results you can get.

Thanks to all of you so much. I really feels good to reach out and have people care enough to respond. When you're down in the health dumps, it is a true blessing.

Felin

[krisiw]

Don't worry about getting addicted to sugar in fruit. We are supposed to run off of carbohydrates and fruit sugar as it comes in whole fruit is good for you. Just keep your fat intake super low.

[babeak]

Further, if you stick to green smoothies, you will get all of the fiber. That should help with reducing sugar spikes associated with fruit juice. Besides, if your finances are bad, you don't really want to be throwing away valuable food by juicing. You are golden with your VitaMix! Lucky you, you have all the tools you really need to get started.

I agree with others to cut out the top allergens. Do that and some green smoothies and see how you feel. That will be more important than what any Dr. can tell you.
My daughter has some allergies, and I have been able to tell by simple redness/ hives on her face. I feel like the allergist scoffed at my observations and said the most common cause of hives is viral. Whatever, I can tell you what my daughter is allergic to as confirmed in the tests that they did. So, I feel like that is a stronger indicator than anything else. Besides, they might not be able to detect an intolerance and rather just an allergic response. Food elimination diets is probably what they are going to recommend as well eventually. Save yourself some more money and time and do the testing yourself and see if you see any difference. Then if you don't see any results, then perhaps consult with a doctor. I think that some people say give any changes at least 2 weeks.

I always push the envelope on the smoothies...right to the borderline by making sure I add as much green as I possibly can to fruit ratio. You can also make savory green smoothies.

Best wishes and hope that you are feeling better in a jiffy.

[PunkRotten]

The green smoothie is my breakfast every morning. It's not all that expensive. Buy frozen fruit if its cheaper than fresh. I even freeze the fresh right after I clean it. But I only buy frozen berries now because at my whole foods I find organic ones in 16 oz bags for like $2.49 . I buy a few of those. Then I buy 2 greens, usually kale and collard greens or chard. Sometimes I get 2 bunches of kale. Bananas are pretty cheap too. I usually grab a few bunches of them. I use them in smoothies and also snacking through the day. With this it usually gives me 4-5 days of smoothies.

[Cottonball McFluffy]

Frozen fruit and vegetable are usually a cheaper alternative (and certainly better than completely processed food) but it's good to know remember that they're often heat treated before freezing. So.. better than processed, but not entirely raw.

As for food allergies and intolerances: yes, there are tests a doctor can do. Food allergies, just as other hypersensitivities, are generally tested with a pin prick test. They'll prick your arms with several different known allergens and see which cause swelling. They wont test every single individual food, but food groups. Citrus fruit, cruciferous vegetables and so on and so forth. I'm not a hundred percent positive if the procedure is exactly the same over there as it is over here (I'm in Finland) but if you show signs of food sensitivities, they'll probably give you a list of things to avoid (it should also list how strong the reaction was, though they might not pay attention to that) that includes other things besides food stuffs in case the foods you're allergic to are the kind that cause cross-sensitivity. If memory serves, being allergic to tomatoes would mean increased risk of allergic rhinitis (hay fever). You get the idea.
Personal opinion on food allergies though is that you shouldn't cut out food groups unless they cause severe reactions. Eating peanuts is so not worth going into a anaphylactic shock and dying. But a lot of people can eat things they're mildly allergic to and thrive. So if you get tested, don't get upset or despair even if you get a long list of things you're supposedly allergic to. :)

Now intolerances like lactose and gluten intolerance are a different thing. Milk allegy is a different thing from lactose intolerance as wheat allergy is a different thing from gluten intolerance/Coeliac disease. Intolerance would mean your body simply can't process the food and eating it may even cause damage to your body. Intolerances are usually tested with a small 12-24 hour fast followed by a blood test. In Coealiac disease's case there might be a biopsy taken too. I hear there's a quicker blood test for it these days that supposedly pretty accurate since the biopsy that was supposed to be the test that shows beyond a shadow of a doubt if you're intolerant to gluten in fact, isn't. What I would say though is that though your blood levels might be within "normal" range for the doctor to rule out intolerances, a far better indicator is doing some testing yourself and cutting out dairy and/or wheat for a week or two. For whatever reason doctors are very reluctant to advice anyone to leave out grains and milk from their diet even though doing just that has improved many peoples' lives even if they're by all accounts healthy and not suffering from anything. It's also more common for doctors to prescribe medication than to consider a lactose/corn/rice/gluten intolerance. So I'd highly recommend testing this out on your own diet by yourself. You have nothing to lose by trying it on for a few weeks and you everything to gain. :)

[Eva]

Hi felin = New and ON THE WAY TO BEING FULL OF HEALTH... ;)

You came to the right place. Good on you! Give it (a bit of) time and jump in. We're here! And you are soooo on your way!

Welcome!

[felin]

Thanks for all of the great comments and help!!

I had 2 smoothies today. 1 in morning and 1 about 1/2 hour before dinner. Was starving and couldn't wait for dinner so made a smoothie.

Unfortunately my darn local grocery store does not carry Organic spinach, so I went ahead and grabbed Organic baby greens instead.

Used 2 frozen bananas
1 C. frozen blueberries (and strawberries on 2nd one)
2 C. water
1 big handful greens
1 T. Flax Oil

It was not as sweet as I am used to smoothies being, but I was actually glad about that as I didn't want to overdo the sugar, even if natural and slowed by fiber.
All in all, I really liked the smoothies alot!
I don't like leaving appliances on the kitchen counter, but decided I would leave my Vita Mix on counter in order to remind and motivate me to make the smoothies.
Not so sure I'll be able to afford to keep buying this stuff as fast as it seems I'll go thru it as we are extremely tight financially. I mean extremely! However, I will pray and ask God to provide.

Thank you to all of you who have given me feedback.
At such a low point in my life, it is comforting.

I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but on top of all of my health issues, I just found out Monday that I have 2 bulging discs in L4 and L5 and will likely have to have back surgery. Scared and unsure about the whole thing.
My husband and I are expecting our first grandbaby mid-late January and I want to be able to go and stay with and help my daughter when baby comes, not to mention I just want to be able to hold and love on that baby. Praying that I will not be kept from that because of this spine stuff.

Waiting for call from my primary to give me appt with Neuro Surgeon, so have no idea when that will even be yet.

These smoothies can only help!!

Felin

[kaybee]

hey yeah RE the herbs, and how long its ok to take them.... i tend to think things like nettle and seaweed because they are both also foods, are probably ok longer term. the eleuthero ive been on and off for a few years, but my naturopath didnt seem concerned about me taking it longer-term. i dont take it any more cos i dont feel like i really need it anymore, and there were periods i went through not taking it cos i was too tired or lazy (total contradiction, the stuff would have helped me, lol) so ive never been on it CONSTANTLY for long term, but for periods of a few months at a time. the licorice they tell you to be careful with if you have high blood pressure and not to take it for more than a week or 2 (i forget, you can google) at a time. the licorice made me feel edgy sometimes, which is what indicated to me i didnt need it anymore. theres some great info on "self-testing" for what you need on susun weeds forums. self testing is really cool imho.

good luck

[Raw Angel Mom]

I had chronic fatigue, eating raw food is what helped me. I became raw again while nursing couple month when i went back to work. I would pump my milk at both brakes, my lunche, get up in the middle of the night to do this and early in the morning, as soon as i would get back from work, i would pump again and before going to bed. I was able to do this with raw food, working full time and take care of my child after work and weekend. When i started to make exception again like even eating steam rice or vegetable, my energy went right down.

I did raw food before i became pregnant and not knowing better i went back to cook (healthy) food during my pregnancy. I had a great pregnancy except for being tire all the time. I thought it was due to that but my energy never came back even after giving birth. It was only when i did the raw food again.

I recommend that you at least incorporate as much fresh fruit/vegetables in your diet and green smoothie. The rest will fall into place.

Get Alissa Cohen dvd and her books, they are worth every penny. Alissa is an outstanding motivator and make the world or raw food appear so easy.

If it scares you so much to do raw food and let go some of your favorite cook food, you could always make a list of cook food that you will allow yourself to have during this journey (list of healthy cook food). Know that for many, they need to go 100% raw food. If you are heal as you said, i would comment to a minimum of 30-40 days to give a chance to your body to reset and heal craving.

Hope you feel well soon!

[felin]

Thanks Raw Angel Mom!

I have done these smoothies for 2 days only but actually already experienced a bit more energy today than I have had in quite some time. Cleaned more of my house than I have in several months.

Only have 5 bananas, 1 bag of frozen berries and about 1 Cup of greens left. Bummed as we don't get paid again til Dec. 1 and only have very little to last til end of month. Not enough to buy any more smoothie supplies. Urggg. So incredibly frustrating when you want to get well but can't afford it.
Will just choose to trust that it'll all work out.

Felin.

[kaybee]

hey do you live in the countryside by any chance? there might be things you can forage, and there are a few greens that will grow well over the winter if you have time to put in a small garden

CORN SALAD/i.e MACHE LIKES low light and low temperature and will even grow through snow. spinach, coriander and chervil will also do ok in cold weather, maybe with some cover. kale will also be ok through snow but usually the plants need to be already pretty big to survive. i dont think it grows during the cold but it will sustain itself and keep whatever leaves it already has. sunflower greens are easy to grow and would be great..not sure how well or fast they would grow during the winter..you'd DEFinitely have to grow them inside. Perpetual spinach--i.e. leafbeet i think will grow through part of winter as well, and my dad had cabbages that would freeze at night on the plant, and thaw in the morning and be fine, at least for a while.

other sprouts might be a good cheap option too. alfalfa would be a cheap great way to get some more fresh food in (grow them yourself...seeds are cheap from the bulk bins/herbs section of a health food shop or whole foods)

lentils are super cheap and make a huge quantity when sprouted. chick peas and mung beans can be sprouted as well (dont let grow into plants, just soak overnight and let sprout a few days, rinsing every day). sprouted lentil salad with veg and ground sunflower seeds is cheap and relatively filling.

i dont know if any of this helps. as far as wild plants, if you HAPPEN to live near the coast, sea beet grows into the winter. chickweed, if you can find it, survives cold temperatures (and is really yummy). you could also look for plantain herb (very common in many areas, not related to the fruit), fat hen, probably the wrong time of year for nettle...sorrel lives into cold temps i think, and there might be a few others.

good luck!

[felin]

I live in Central Valley Calif. Dont' know if there is any foraging to do, but unfortunately I am not well enough to go out and do all of that, nor can I build a garden like I'd so love to.

Update on me is:

Have not been well. Migraines 3 days in a row. Extremely low energy like usual, however, now that I am back to smoothies again, no more constipation which has been a really huge huge deal in my life at times. However, don't know if just smoothies alone can detox you, but I am feeling nauseated and feel as though I am catching a cold. Is it possible that only 1-2 smoothies a day ( I mentioned in an early post on this thread what I'm making) can cause too fast 0' detox if you're really an ill person??

Not giving up yet, but when sick day in and out for days and months (in reality it's actually years) on end, life can get discouraging!

Thanks,

Felin

[felin]

Hi once again,

Yep, sure enough, after smoothie this morning, am feeling very nauseated.

Anybody?

Thanks

[blessing]

with prayers,100% raw my bleeding has stopped.

Im happy!:D

[blessing]

Today is my 3rd day, im feeling graet but my tommy hurts. maybe the fibroids:rolleyes:

[whenley68]

Sounds a lot like me too, like a mirror image of where I am. But I don't have any other options than to give this my best shot and see what happens. The dr.s just want to write prescriptions, I don't need pills, I need health and restoration. I wish you the best on your journey as well.