Raw PAIN Continues

[RighteousYogini]

HI All
So, Day 2 of mostly raw, I had horrific stomach pains. Thinking it might be all of the nuts I ate, I cut those out [almost entirely] yesterday. Last night I had almond butter and raw crackers and seed pate. I woke up at 12am thinking I was going to die of stomach pain. I wanted to throw up or have my bowel explode, but nothing was happening. I was just in the most excruciating stomach pain of my life. I havent' been sick in 3 years...not even a cold.... so this was a huge shock to my system. One might suggest a nut allergy, but that's not it. I had soaked any nuts I used and the seeds as well. PLUS I ate tonnes of nuts and seeds when NOT raw and they're fine. Something else is going on.
Is it possible that not everyone is made for the raw food diet? I got from Alissa's recipes as well (specifically the cashew fettucini). Are these "detox" symptoms, or is that just a catch phrase. Id like to hear from anyone who has had the same or a similar experience, and whether they continued....... I really want this to work for me but my body just seems to be revolting.

Thank you,
Namaste

[walnutty]

When you "up" your fiber quickly (which is what happens when you switch to raw foods) the stomach and bowels have a really hard time. I am sure that is what is happening.

Maybe drink your fruit and greens by blending them into a green smoothie (then the fiber will be broken up) or juice your fruits and veggies for a few days (fiber is then removed).

Eat mild fruit like bananas that help with stomach upset. Drink cooled herbal tea that helps with stomach upset (the mint teas are particularly good for this).

I empathize with you cuz it happens to the best of us when we start taking in such a high fiber diet like this.

It will get better as your body adjusts, but you can help it along by doing the things above.

All the best to you!

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks Walnutty! Yah...the crackers and pate I made were of FLAX SEED. Like...ALL flax seed. I think that's fibre. Ow......

[freespirit]

maybe you need to consider doing things a little more simply. If I had crackers and almond butter and seed pate my stomach would be upset too!

Maybe in simplifying want you eat for awhile you will allow your body to adjust.

smoothies, salads and whole fruits- lay off the prepared foods and eat everything in more basic form. Heavy on the green smoothies as they have been proven to help balance the acidity of the stomach.

Thats what I would do. I think doing a lot of prepared foods on raw can be a great way to add variety but they are horrible as far as food combining is concerned. which is something else you should definitely pay attention to. food combining can make a remarkable difference in the way your body digests food.

Hope this helps!!

[walnutty]

I just read your first post about the pain and I COULDN'T BELIEVE all the nonsense you were told. Being that you have only been doing this for a few days it is definitely the higher intake of fiber. Also, your body isn't used to digesting the higher intake of fruits and veggies so they sit longer than they should...which creates excruciating gas! As you body adjusts they WILL digest faster. Proper food combining will also help but as you are just starting out there are only so many rules you can follow...lol.. Alissa Cohen says to eat raw! I believe that is the best way as you begin. As you continue to eat all raw your body will adjust, you will become more in tune with what your body needs and there will be many changes. It is a wonderful process, but you do not need to be in so much pain!

Warm/hot baths and stomach massages will also help!

Good luck!

[walnutty]

Thanks Walnutty! Yah...the crackers and pate I made were of FLAX SEED. Like...ALL flax seed. I think that's fibre. Ow......

Oh, yeah...flax seed! You need to drink tons of water with concentrated fiber (especially if it is a dehydrated source). I get so sick unless I drink tons of water with things like flax crackers and even then I still get sick and I have been doing this for a long time. Ü

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks Guys! Okay.... well I guess this requires a little more instruction than one thinks! From Alissa's book you get the impression that anything raw goes. I was excited to try some new stuff. Today will actually be Day 4. In yoga terms, I could have been healthier prior to raw. In real-world terms, as a near vegan and vegetarian who already drank alot of green smoothies, I was pretty healthy.
So, I ate a Raw Bar (certified organic and 100% raw), 2 green smothies with bananna, flax crackers with "raw" almond butter (whether this is raw or not, its not causing the pain... as I said, I can eat this stuff not raw and never experience what I've been going through), lots of grapes, a large salad with sprouts and hemp oil.....that's about it. Oh, and I had rice. Again, I know its not raw. It also is not making me violently ill since I ate rice alot. Im transitioning and not going 100% (thank god as I could be dead if I were!!). Im following a program by a renowned raw foodist in OTtawa Canada that starts with one week vegan, 80% raw.

Im heading to the health food store. should I get enzymes for the digestion or enzymes for the cooked food (what NAtasha suggests in her book) or BOTH? Or are they one in the same?
Thank you!

[RighteousYogini]

Oh, yeah...flax seed! You need to drink tons of water with concentrated fiber (especially if it is a dehydrated source). I get so sick unless I drink tons of water with things like flax crackers and even then I still get sick and I have been doing this for a long time. Ü

Thanks walnutty! Okay... I wont give up yet....... I definitely wont be eating a half cup of flax again though. I thought that would HELP me go to the washroom!! SO Ill take your advice..... I do drink tonnes of water..... but maybe not enough for a up of flax, lol.
Banannas, and smoothies. I dont have a juicer just a blender. Anything else you could recommend?

[walnutty]

A lot of gas is caused by things sitting in your gut! :D

Everything digests at a different rate. With all that mixture of fiber and cooked you are bound to have painful, gut wrenching gas!

I would go 100% raw! I am in my mid-40's, have been very sick and I can testify to you that I have never felt better in my entire life then I do all raw!

[walnutty]

I dont have a juicer just a blender. Anything else you could recommend?

YOU CAN JUICE, GIRL!!!

I juice with my blender! Throw your greens in your blender with water, pulverize and then strain! I use a nut milk bag and squeeze it just like a cows udder to get all the green goodness!

Pineapple, spinach and water juice and dandelion, apple and water juice are my favorites.

Get juicing in your blender sweetie!

[RighteousYogini]

Oh, yeah...flax seed! You need to drink tons of water with concentrated fiber (especially if it is a dehydrated source). I get so sick unless I drink tons of water with things like flax crackers and even then I still get sick and I have been doing this for a long time. Ü

Okay....but what exactly? Theres so many things I can't eat yet that ARE RAW! My grocery list is getting tinier by the minute (which is fine, since Im heading to lulu lemon after the health food store :)
What will help me go to the washroom BESIDES a colonic (not ready for that yet). And is there anything besides banannas and green smoothies I can have while Im adjusting???

[RighteousYogini]

YOU CAN JUICE, GIRL!!!

I juice with my blender! Throw your greens in your blender with water, pulverize and then strain! I use a nut milk bag and squeeze it just like a cows udder to get all the green goodness!

Pineapple, spinach and water juice and dandelion, apple and water juice are my favorites.

Get juicing in your blender sweetie!

Okay....so after you strain, what's left over...thats what I drink?? (I know I sound like a moron. Im SO glad for this forum and you people!)

[RighteousYogini]

A lot of gas is caused by things sitting in your gut! :D

Everything digests at a different rate. With all that mixture of fiber and cooked you are bound to have painful, gut wrenching gas!

I would go 100% raw! I am in my mid-40's, have been very sick and I can testify to you that I have never felt better in my entire life then I do all raw!

I was SO Excited about this RAW VEGAN CHEESECAKE I was going to pick up! But..... something tells me.... that AINT a good idea right now. Not to mention the thought of it last night in the throwes of gas consumption, lol, made me gag.

[walnutty]

Example:

3 cups spinach
1 cup pineapple
2 cups water

Put it all into the blender and completely liquify. Pour into nut milk bag and all that liquid will come out. You will need to squeeze the bag to get the last of it out, but you should have almost 6 cups of liquid to drink. You will have a few T. of fiber left in the bag, all the rest is juice!

[snoops]

I cannot eat flaxseed without getting horribly bloated and gassy. Especially the dark brown and not ground. I have been using golden, ground in somethings and it seems OK. I think dark not ground is pretty potent and that may be your problem. Good luck.

[walnutty]

I love to grind up a T. of the golden flax seeds and down it on an *empty stomach, drink a few cups of water and GO like crazy...lol...! It will seriously clean out your system.

*empty stomach a must though!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Okay....so after you strain, what's left over...thats what I drink?? (I know I sound like a moron. Im SO glad for this forum and you people!)

you drink the liquid and toss the rest into the compost (or make dehydrated crackers out of it when you are further along your path of being raw)

remember... alissa has an eating plan in her book... perhaps try following it.

[rena]

don't know if this will help but every day I drink a green smoothie made of spinich, kale, collards, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, banana, water (as much as you want depending on how liquidly you want it to be). I have no trouble going to the bathroom, two or three times a day. Maybe this will help.

[Shona]

I would mono diet for a day - eat something easily digestible like melon and drink lots of water. This will give your digestive system a rest. I also agree with the poster who suggested easing into raw with simple foods - fruit, green smoothies, salads.

Hope you feel better soon! :)

[smiley]

You might want to eliminate something from your diet temporarily to see if that food may be the culprit.

I believe that eating as close to 100% raw as you can is good for everyone but not every raw food ingredient is good for everyone. :)

For example, I get HORRIBLE stomach pains when I eat garlic and onions.

[Myca]

I eat alot of green smoothies, very little nuts. I rarely juice. I have terrible stomach pain with too many nuts. Now that I think about it, stomach pain, gas, and terrible reflux is what drove me into a vegan lifestyle. A distant memory unless I cheat excessively.

[RighteousYogini]

Just in case anyone else has been in my place...insane stomach pain for the first days transitioning to raw.... Walnutty was RIGHT! It was the excess fiber! I took it all out of my diet, and ta da! Slept like a baby. Stomach pain gone.
Raw oat groats and bananna for breakfast today. yummmm, and my very first successful 100% raw day yesterday! (helps to buy meals, including raw cheesecake, from a raw vegan store. Doesn't help the wallet though ahha).

Thanks again!

[RawKnitster]

Good for you!!!!!! :D Would the raw vegan store be Raw Vegan Source in Redmond?

[lovenlife]

yay..good for you!

[walnutty]

RighteousYogini,

How have the past few days been going for you?

~walnutty

[walnutty]

Oops...lol...I just asked how you were doing on the other post.

So glad to hear that you are doing better!

Now stay 100% and watch the miracles come!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Please don't start more than one post on one subject. I've merged the two posts together. Thanks.

in light,
Moderator

[RighteousYogini]

heheh, thanks! I posted a thanks just to you!!! Much better.... and onto making raw vegan cheesecakes. I had one and now a full blown addict.

[RighteousYogini]

Good for you!!!!!! :D Would the raw vegan store be Raw Vegan Source in Redmond?

Hi!
No, Im in Ottawa, Ontario. Its located in Westboro . . . .

[RighteousYogini]

I eat alot of green smoothies, very little nuts. I rarely juice. I have terrible stomach pain with too many nuts. Now that I think about it, stomach pain, gas, and terrible reflux is what drove me into a vegan lifestyle. A distant memory unless I cheat excessively.

Thanks Myca. Yah, the green smoothies suit me well. I find the digestive enzymes have made a HUGE difference for me . . . fantastic!

[RighteousYogini]

don't know if this will help but every day I drink a green smoothie made of spinich, kale, collards, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, banana, water (as much as you want depending on how liquidly you want it to be). I have no trouble going to the bathroom, two or three times a day. Maybe this will help.

Thanks rena!!! Yep, I've discovered a definite correlation between nuts and horrific gastric pain. I made some almond milk today though and that seemed alright . . . but no more nuts than that. I have a reallly low tolerance for them I guess.

[walnutty]

please don't start more than one post on one subject. I've merged the two posts together. Thanks.

In light,
moderator


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

[RighteousYogini]

Walnuts in trouble, walnuts in trouble..... heheh

or wait!! is it me!! I'm in trouble!!!

lol

[walnutty]

No, probably me...lol...I'm always in trouble...ha ha ha....

I just think some people could be a lot kinder on this forum...

[walnutty]

p.s. I am really glad you are feeling better...:)

[RighteousYogini]

To be honest, that's exactly what I thought when I first signed on. I wondered if everyone raw was kinda cranky.... its suppposed to be a friendly environment for beginners etc... some responses are scarcastic and condescending. But, I just ignore those!!!

Email me if you wanna talk raw off the forum
barrhavenyoga@gmail.com

[Stella Green]

Juice is great, also apples! Apples are wonderful, especially for help sending everything on its way.

Here's a great, simple recipe that sounds just right for you:
one pear, peeled and chopped
one apple, peeled and chopped
lots of cinnamon
mix it all together--I like the apple and pear chopped into pieces thin as matchsticks, but do it as you'd like.

This is a simple meal, but I bet it will make your belly very happy, especially because cinnamon aids in digestion. It's also perfect for the time of year ;)

[RighteousYogini]

Thank you STella!!!!
Sadly, I fell of my raw wagon last night with cheese because I was at a party and my stomach was starting to feel like it was rotting with hunger. I often get that..and if I dont eat right away, it turns into this fullblown gut wrenching pain. So I had cheese!!! ahhhhh :(
And now I've been craving SAD foods all day. and giving in. double :(:(

[Raw Angel Mom]

Hang in there, the craving will fade away. I know it isn't comfortable but the more exception you make, the harder it will get to stay on track. You may want to learn how to make raw vegan cheese. Also, have emergency raw snack always ready in case of a craving. Before you got out somewhere, eat before.

Don't worry about making exception, shake it off and keep going. Be gratefull that you made a lot of room for the good stuff, that count so much.

[modernmonkey]

I too have had a lot of gastric trouble in the first 4 days. I'm on day six now and it's really alleviated. I just can't believe the body reacts so violently to the introduction of something it should have always had. Just goes to show how a bad diet can suppress all the damage that it's doing. Evil!

Some of the best advice I have had for this transition is to just completely forget all processed foods, that's anything that comes in a packet. Even organic raw stuff. And also to stop thinking of a meal as I use to know it. To not try and mimic 'regular food' with raw ingredients. To get back to basics, to eat mostly fruit with some greens, vegetables and a small amount of protein. I think as long as I would try and mimic a sandwich or a pizza or a cake; I would always battle with, 'it's not like the real thing'. Just putting all that behind me is the best way for me to move forward with this...for now.