IBS-D / colitis and eating raw

[Lita]

Hi everyone!

I'm posting again after a couple of years - I didn't manage to go raw last time, but now I'd like to seriously give it a go.

However there are two issues; one is that I'm already pretty slim as it is and would not want to lose weight, and I am a bit concerned about that; the other, more serious issue, is that I have IBS-D and colitis and I've heard that going raw can wreak havoc on one's intestines as one's ability to digest is impaired already even when eating cooked food. Surely all the fruit and fiber will send me to the toilet more that I'm already going? Not to mention that I need lots of protein as I like to exercise, so nuts and seeds would be my only option for getting all the protein I need (but again, these would irritate my gut)...?

Is there anyone here who has managed to stay (and thrive) on a raw food diet despite suffering with IBS-D and colitis?

Thank you :heart

[DebB]

You may be interested in Paul Nison: http://www.rawlifehealthshow.com/who-is-paul-nison/ who healed himself of ulcerative colitis (I hope I'm remembering that correctly). He also has a YT channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/thedurianking

I think John Kohler also healed himself from IBS or Chron's... He's got a site (discountjuicers.com) and a couple YT channels as well (growingyourgreens and okraw - I think, those are from memory).

[Egle]

Hi Lita,

There were two reasons why I started raw diet. The primary reason was IBS. I suffer from this disease a lot. Another reason was autoimmune thyroiditis which did make too much discomfort for me when I was on thyroid meds. However, the second one is a more serious disease than the IBS. I am now 6 months on raw and my thyroids are doing impressively well. However, my bowel is not good yet. Every time I try to introduce seeds and nuts I suffer a lot and put these food on hold again. However, I would say that in general my energy level is much higher than it was before even though I do not eat proteins. I have no problems digesting raw smoothies. I feel a lot more down when I eat even the lightest cooked food. So I would say that it is a myth that if you have bowel problems you are better on cooked foods.
What was it like when I started this diet? The first 3 days I was going to a toilet up to 12 times a day. After this, there was a big relief and a big change in how I felt. I usually was very tired since the morning. During the day I could hardly keep myself awake. There were days that my bowel would stop working. It never happened after I was on raw diet. However, bloating remains still a big problem. I started thinking that I might be having parasites but no tests indicate that...
All in all I would encourage you to try this diet. And I would not recommend to mix cooked and raw food per eating. At least mixing does not work for me.
DebB, than you for the link.
Also, please take a look at David Klein book. At this moment you can download it http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/6153312/Self_Healing_Colitis_and_Crohn_s_-_David_Klein.pdf
If this download does not work you can buy a book "self healing colitis and chrons"

[Egle]

I forgot to say about the weight. I have lost 8 kg in 4 months. This is more or less exactly how much overweight I was. So I guess our bodies know how much wight to loose. At the moment despite I am eating the same food I am not loosing weight any more. If you are slim you still may loose some wight in the beginning, but I have heard that later people gain as much as their bodies "think" they need to gain.

[robh]

I really have no business posting in this thread, but no one has mentioned that drinking vegetable juice as opposed to eating the entire vegetable is much easier on your digestive system. The fiber stays in the juicer. anyway, FYI

[Traceyraw]

I heard a nice juice fast will let your digestive system heal. I do not have this problem. I wish you the best. I hope you heal your body. You came to a great place for support.

[Egle]

I have read in many places about the benefits of vegetable juice. However, every time my gut gets vegetable juice it announces a war on me. And I cannot figure out why. One reason might be that juice eliminates toxins from the body. As the elimination intensifies the intestine reacts to it because it need to intensify cleaning. But it might also be that it gets my symptoms worse due to an unknown reason. Since I feel terrible after taking vegetable juice I avoid them and would rather eat raw vegetables. I believe that sooner to later it should clean itself and start healing.
But I encourage the others to try juice. It might work.

[LizIis]

Hi, I'm starting (5 days ago) to eat raw, due to having undiagnosed ulcerative colitis for the past year and 1/2. I've tried many things to try to heal- eating gluten-free, homeopathy, acupuncture, the SCD diet and more, but eating raw just feels like the right thing to me. And after only 5 days, I've had better success in the bowel department than I've ever had before! I think this is the right thing for me, but I also think I ate too many flax seeds today, since I'm feeling more sick tonight. I had a HORRIBLE detox for two days. It was AWFUL. But now I have a feeling of relief and relaxation in my abdomen. Yahoo!! I hope it continues...

[Mindylane]

I've been diagnosed with IBS as well. I do hope that this diet alleviates some of the discomfort!

[LizIis]

I hope so too! Just so you know, in my case, I've been doing what I've seen recommended, having smoothies at first, so everything is easier to digest. And I've had to avoid nuts and seeds for now.
And it was very hard for the first 2 or 3 days with detoxifying, even though I was on the SCD diet before.
I really hope it works, for me and for you! :eat