Help Please: Very lethargic and distended

[Lauri]

I have been very lethargic and wondering if anyone had advice. In addition, my stomach has been distended. During the first couple months of eating raw, I felt great. I didn't even have PMS. I did have some issues with my stomach being distended, though. Now I feel exhausted with the distended belly, which has been exacerbated by switching to flax seeds from fish oils. I stopped taking flax seed two days ago for a break because it was making me sick. Also, at the beginning I was worried that I was losing too much weight. Now I've actually gained a couple pounds, but I'm not worried about that.

My typical day is a smoothy in the morning of watermelon, mango, mint, coconut oil and a lime, a salad for lunch with Alissa's dressing, and avocado with sprouts in a nori roll with Braggs for dinner. I also eat a couple bananas, Think Organic bars and apples during the day. Some days I subsitute the papaya/banana pudding for the smoothy. What is missing and why am I so tired. I just ordered another bag of Goji berries and Superfood: "Nature's First Food" liquid from RawFood.com.

What can I be doing better?

[Sharon in Colorado]

My typical day is a smoothy in the morning of watermelon, mango, mint, coconut oil and a lime, a salad for lunch with Alissa's dressing, and avocado with sprouts in a nori roll with Braggs for dinner. I also eat a couple bananas, Think Organic bars and apples during the day. Some days I subsitute the papaya/banana pudding for the smoothy. What is missing and why am I so tired. I just ordered another bag of Goji berries and Superfood: "Nature's First Food" liquid from RawFood.com.

What can I be doing better?

I can tell you right now you are looking at improper food combining. Melon is best eaten alone and before anything else, and coconut oil or any kind of fat shouldn't be mixed with fruit.

Now, some people are able to mix up their raw food without any problems but from the sound of your post, I have a feeling you have a lot of fermentation issues going on.

The bars are probably nuts/fruit which is also not a very good combo. Try eating your fruit alone, and your nuts/greens/veggies later in the day. If you want extra nutrition in your smoothies, many of us throw in a handful of greens: spinach, parley, kale, etc. Lettuces and greens can pretty much be eaten with everything.

Your body truly doesn't *need* superfoods on a raw diet, but it's fun to play around with, especially if you are in transition phase.

Hope that helps!

[JMD]

HI, I feel your pain..I too get very distended and bloated. I have to be very strict about food combining. I have also figured out that if I eat fruit later in the day..it bloats me. However, in the morning it is fine? I do not know why??? Maybe try your fruit in the morning and nuts/veggies in the afternoon.

[rawpriestess]

Fruit moves through our digestive system at a very fast pace, it has fiber in it, so it cleans our little system out nicely. When it goes through alone.

Imagine a fast little commuter train going through a long long tunnel, all nice and fast, and it runs into a slow moving freight train, well, the fast commuter train is gonna' run smack dab in the back of the freight train, and get all balled up, but as the big ole' freight train chugs along, they both move out of the tunnel, the challenge is the commuter train still has it's engine running, so it is trying it's best to move,

well, let's just say the tunnel is not made of stone but of an elastic material, so the train as it pushes it's way up against the freight train, just expandes and keeps trying to go through and around the freight train, and makes this big huge mass.

That is what fruit does when you eat it after consuming other things.

The reason it doesn't bother you in the morning, is because you little tunnel is all clear, or nearly clear.

Hope this helps

[theresaann]

food combining and sounds like possibly low stomach acid, things not digesting. also, where's the greens? try LOTS of green smoothies and not eating at night. see if that helps.

[sweetgoddess]

Sorry you are feeling so icky. Sharon and RP hit the nail on the head for you.
I can tell you, I have tried those Think Organic bars, and as good as they taste, the are soooo heavy and hard to digest, so you may think of replacing that snack with something you can digest better!

Also, have you thought of taking digestive enzymes for a little whie? Alissa's are superb and it sounds like they would really help you right now. Enemas to help clean out and relieve your intestinal trouble would make you feel so much better, and quickly. Of course, you know lots of water is beneficial too.

Other than that, as mentioned by the other ladies, your food combining is definitely what you should look at, and Sharon explained that just perfectly.

Hope you feel better soon Lauri. Please keep us posted.

Warmly~
Carmel

[Sillybloss]

Hi, here's just a thought. I was using Bragg's a lot until just recently, when I discovered it is potentially very harmful. I've also been fighting lethargy for a VERY long time. I'm hoping quitting the Bragg's is going to help that, since I understand it makes candida problems worse.

[Sunshine9]

The only thing lacking is GREEEENS!!! Add in a big green salad, marinate some kale, put greens in your nori wraps, make romaine burritos, green smoothies- the options are endless!!

If you have low HCl drink 12 ounces of celery juice a day, and before meals take a shot of lemon juice or acv. (personal experience--do the lemon! the vinegar.. wow)
Also including digestive enzymes.

Make sure you're not eating at night, food combining, drinking enough water, exercising.. you know the drill ;)

good luck! could just be detox too.. give it a few days

[dhammala]

*giggles about my freight train moving along right now*

[exurb]

giggles about my freight train moving along right now

LOL TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!!

In french, when one is constipated if you translate it literally you have a problem with transit/transportation.

All sillyness aside, make sure you have enough good fats in your diet too, say 1/4 cup of soaked nuts a day, avocado, etc...

I'm a big proponent of the fruit in the morning thing, then keeping fruit away from other foods. I had a very similar problem at first, but totally fixed by adding a little more fats and the fruit thing.

also about the bars, just remember when you eat something dehydrated or with dehydrated fruit to make up for that by drinking water with it.

[Lauri]

I have been eating the greens with my salad. The bloating is terrible. I just read another thread about bloating and too much fibre. This raw lifestyle seems so complicated.

[twinee1]

I have been eating the greens with my salad. The bloating is terrible. I just read another thread about bloating and too much fibre. This raw lifestyle seems so complicated.

This statement confused me...eating greens with your salad cause bloating..salads are greens...I would look to something else you are doing, eating with the salad, on salad...

Eating RAw is easy...I have a limited about of the store I need to spend time in can skip about 15 isles, less time in kitchen and food prep is so simple, the days of overcooking the chicken is over !!

[sweetgoddess]

Hi Lauri. It might not be the greens causing your problem. You would have to experiment to find out.
The raw lifestyle is not complicated. In fact, it is as simple as can be.

You need to have good information, and then learn to listen to your body. Thats it, simple as can be!
Now, it is different from what you are used to, hence the illusion of difficulty. But time and experience fix that very quickly.
Again, information is key, and then the willingness to create and learn from your own individual experiences.

Also, keep in mind that as you change your diet, your body will be adjusting to a whole new level of fuel. There will be an adjustment period, but VERY soon, your body will bless you for it in delightful ways!

My best~
Carmel

[JMD]

Hi Laurie,

I want to share that it seems complicated in the beginning at ANY new routine/adjustment be it a job, marriage, or food plan. Give it a month and you WILL establish a flow. That said, I WILL agree with your issue with the greens. I cannot digest lettuce or raw baby spinach even alone. I have severe IBS and need to blend or juice so they are already broken down. YOU know your body best..follow your gut instinct, take the time to hear it and you will perservere. Maybe try blending baby spinach with some ripe pears and raw apple juice...then all you have to clean up is maybe a knife and the blender???

:)

[Sharon in Colorado]

I have been eating the greens with my salad. The bloating is terrible. I just read another thread about bloating and too much fibre. This raw lifestyle seems so complicated.

It only seems complicated if you are used to eating SAD. They've simplified SAD by providing quick fixes - fast food, microwaved meals. It is all mixed together.

Once upon a time, we all ate fruit from trees. Then when we were hungry again, we ate from another tree, or we ate greens from the field.

We didn't mix up our food. We didn't run to a tree, pick the fruit, run to the field, pick the green, run to the river, catch the fish and make a sandwich out of it. Now we do and our tummys are saying "hey, wait!" and having to deal with what we are putting in our systems.

We never used to have coconut oil, Lara Bars, cacao nibs and gogi berries. Now all of a sudden we are mixing up all kinds of things in blenders and calling it a meal.

So try simplifying your meals a bit to see if that helps.

[Sillybloss]

Well, not to overwhelm you, but I have some more thoughts. I'm new at this, so many people on here know more than me. But I might mention something of worth.

I have suffered from bloating a lot of my life. I found out that my problem was from two things, not enough good bacteria in my gut (take probiotics to fix that) and lack of digestive enzymes (eating raw eventually fixes this). I would try taking digestive enzymes with every meal (it CAN NOT hurt you! - you can't take too much, either....I like the DIGEST by ENZYMETICA) and also take acidophilus bacillus (spelling?).

These should help. Raw is NOT hard, but detoxing can be a bummer. However, it is essential to clean out, or you'll suffer some disease down the road from what you don't clean out now. It's not just going raw that's doing it. If you were doing just a fasting cleanse, you'd probably be having the same thing.

Hope something I've said helps. Good luck!

[Lauri]

Thank you, all. I appreciate your insight and advice. I've been eating raw for 4 months. I had a pretty healthy lifestyle prior to going raw. I appreciate the digestive enzymes and have started to take one with each meal. I am also simplifying each meal. I eat fats (an avocado each day). A week ago I cut out flax seed and am gradually adding that back. I've also cut way down on the bars. I'm concerned that I'm not getting enough nutrients. Could that be possible? I also have to admit that I still feel lethargic and bloated.