Horrible symptom two months after going raw...

[AbbyGal]

Hi there

I stopped eating meat January 1, and discovered raw foods around the second week in January. Ever since then, I've been eating as much raw food as I can. I am about 90% raw, with my cooked foods being cream of wheat and italian bread every morning with my fruit. For the rest of the day, I cut up about 5 different fruits, usually an apple, a pear, a lemon, lime, kiwi or banana, and snack on them throughout the day. I also eat a big salad that consists of mixed greens, celery, broccoli, sometimes red pepper, and sprouts.

About two weeks into the raw, I got this crazy cold that was like no other cold I've ever experienced. I did some research and figured it had to be detox. It finally went away, and I've been great ever since.

Two weeks ago, I started to get horrible stomach pains and cramps every time I ate. The pains would last for about three hours or until I started to digest the food. I was never overeating. Starting a week ago, I suddenly got two days of diarrhea and headaches. It was the first I've experienced since raw, and lasted two days. I did some research and found out that my water to fiber intake was unbalanced, and since then I've been drinking tons of water. Never in my life have I had headaches. They are terribly painful, and have been with me all week. They travel around my head, but now seems to be localized in the back, left side of my head. I thought the diarrhea was gone, but today it came back, along with these violent cramps and the headache.

It's making me insane. Is this detox? This seems so crazy for detox, it's like my body just hates me right now. I have no insurance or I'd go to a doctor, it's that bad. I've never felt this sick. I do NOT always eat nuts and seeds daily, so I don't know if this is because I"m lacking proteins or healthy fats or whatever. It's just so frustrating. Any ideas?

[michigan roman]

:meditating: your eating raw plants like human beings are meant to , youve developed zero deficiencys caused by eating raw plants in this short a time span . i guarantee it . just stay focused on getting a combination of dark greens + fruit + nuts / seeds + water and make fine detailed adjustments as you go along . switching from a cooked omni diet to raw vegans a huge adjustment on body and mind , you wont be comfortable about it for many many months . and 95% bail on it . the outlook that made me stick to my guns was that of the late raw foodist norman walker , his book raw fruit and vegi juices made me believe in the raw diet . i'll post link from amazon where you can read a bunch of it without buying . but bottom line dont panic , your new diet is not hurting you . your just going through withdrawls like people do from any long term unhealthy habit like smoking / drugs / alchohol abuse :meditating:

[michigan roman]

http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetable-Fruit-Juices-Walker/dp/089019033X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330832057&sr=1-1

[blessteve]

reading that book now. thanks for link.



http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetable-Fruit-Juices-Walker/dp/089019033X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330832057&sr=1-1

[AbbyGal]

Thanks so much for the response Michigan Roman!! I feel so much better. I will trudge through this period of uncomfortableness and all will be well. I"m also checking out that book you recommended. Thanks again =)

[Indie]

Hi AbbyGal,

I just thought I'd mention that a diet high in fruit, although not optimal in the long run, is very cleansing in the short run - so as michigan roman said, try to eat some more greens, nuts and seeds and drink lots of water (add a little sea salt or rock salt to it to provide electrolytes) to help flush the toxins. It's a bumpy ride, but it's totally worth it so hang in there! :D

[rawconvenience]

When I introduced raw to my diet I had bad days but many more good days5 I attributed the bad days to my body getting rid of all the built up toxins. Does that sound right?

[Stina]

I suspect that your body is now more pure and cannot tolerate the gluten at all!

[Dent de Lion]

I think it's likely to be detox, or perhaps you are not doing well with the gluten you are eating and it's more apparent now that you're eating cleaner otherwise. Try ditching the bread and cream of wheat (you can add cooked, gluten-free alternative if you like) for a few weeks.

Slightly off-topic: You're not eating enough. You may be eating enough volume-wise, but not enough calorie-wise. You'll probably be okay in the short term (especially as you adjust to raw) but long-term you definitely need more calories. Also, I disagree with other commenters who caution you against eating as much fruit as you do. I eat far more fruit than you and have been doing so for years and I do wonderfully with it. You just need to make sure you get enough greens etc. for other nutrients.