diarrhea with leafy greens?

[Tenuviel]

Okay, so I always eat tons of greens.... between half and a pound a day of either spring mix, baby spinach, chard, collards, etc. I've been doing this for about 2 years now, and blend the greens only with water, drink on an empty stomach before I have fruit. I space the greens out into 3 smoothies during the day. The last 5 times I've eating spring mix, and baby spinach, I've gotten terrible cramping and diarrhea. The cramping starts about 20 minutes later, and I get a salty taste in my mouth. I can't pass anything for about an hour or two, then I'm in the bathroom for 2 hours. at first I thought the leaves were contaminated, but this is the 4th box of greens, and from different companies, plus, it only happens around 8 or 9 pm. I have UC, but have only recently had one flare and nothing for 6 years prior. My doctor is mystified as to why I only get ill at 8 or 9 pm. I eat the same stuff for breakfast as I do for dinner... fruit! anyone have a similar experience, and ideas on how to fix it? I can't give up greens, I have major mineral deficiencies. I also can't be losing more from diarrhea though

[streetsurfer]

Try dropping out the chard and/or spinach and see if it still happens. A friend thought it was all her greens spinach in particular doing a similar thing to her, but by elimination found it was just the chard. Kale became her new substitute. She suspected oxalic acid, and said she'd read chard was high in it. I don't know if she has UC but has had intestinal problems for years. Her words were it (chard) was "tearing up her gut". It came on suddenly for her after having eaten it regularly over the years. I'm sorry I can't offer any firsthand experience, but maybe that will help you figure it out one way or another.

[Psychalone]

Okay, so I always eat tons of greens.... between half and a pound a day of either spring mix, baby spinach, chard, collards, etc. I've been doing this for about 2 years now, and blend the greens only with water, drink on an empty stomach before I have fruit. I space the greens out into 3 smoothies during the day. The last 5 times I've eating spring mix, and baby spinach, I've gotten terrible cramping and diarrhea. The cramping starts about 20 minutes later, and I get a salty taste in my mouth. I can't pass anything for about an hour or two, then I'm in the bathroom for 2 hours. at first I thought the leaves were contaminated, but this is the 4th box of greens, and from different companies, plus, it only happens around 8 or 9 pm. I have UC, but have only recently had one flare and nothing for 6 years prior. My doctor is mystified as to why I only get ill at 8 or 9 pm. I eat the same stuff for breakfast as I do for dinner... fruit! anyone have a similar experience, and ideas on how to fix it? I can't give up greens, I have major mineral deficiencies. I also can't be losing more from diarrhea though

I've caused myself alot of intesinal distress eating too much spinach and other things high in raw plant fiber. In fact I just posted about this in another thread.
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?p=657275#post657275
An active enzyme supplement (check my other posts for tests to check if it's active) with cellulase with likely help (assuming it's due to the plant fiber).

If you're worried about minerals might I suggest sprouts?
Check out the nutritional profile of a typical inorganic kidney bean :
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4296/2

Now if one were to sprout it with sea salt it would absorb more minerals and have an even higher mineral content. Already unsprouted it boasts over 100% RDA for nearly half the vitamins minerals in a mere 2 cups, and a 50-80% for most of the rest. Even grains like wheat boast a pretty decent mineral content (again without being sprouted or with the addition of sea salt) :
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5739/2

Greens are good for their cholorphyll content but imo sprouts are superior in mineral content.

Hope everything works out for ya

[Tenuviel]

I am not allowed to eat sprouted beans as I have UC... they make it a lot worse, and have celiac, so grains are out. The chard doesn't bother me, it's more of the baby loose leaf lettuce mix, which is weird, because I thought it was much lower in oxalates than the chard and spinach. I do sprout and grow micro greens, but i really don't care for them all that much. I can eat lots of broccoli, cauliflower, and plenty of other raw plant fiber and that doesn't seem to bother me either. very weird! oh, and I do use a really good enzyme on occasion, but it doesn't make a difference either way in regards to the problem at hand.

[streetsurfer]

Greens are high in testosterone. Is it possible that is a trigger for the UC?

[Tenuviel]

Greens are high in testosterone. Is it possible that is a trigger for the UC?

Interesting,....I've actually never heard of this. I do tend to have high levels of testosterone/free testosterone in my blood work, although my doctor recommended more raw leafy greens and vegetables to lower it, and in my last two tests, my testosterone levels were down to the higher end of normal. could it be there is simply too much volume at once? maybe I will try just eating the same amount instead of blending and see what happens. it almost feels like when the food first hits my stomach, it's hitting a block before it can get in, even though I don't really feel full.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Your body could be adjusting too. Do you have this problem with all greens or some in perticular.

About juicing them with vegetable instead.

Hope you find what works for you!