Digestion of raw food.

[honeybee joy]

I was in to see a acupuncturist for my back because of a fall I had in august 2005. I was telling her what yype of diet I was eating and she told me that raw foods were very hard for me to digest. I had told her of my acid reflux issues and my past ibs symptoms. She said that my liver and kidneys were slow and that I needed a diet that was easy on those organs. The diet she had for me was no dairy and a little bit of meat. I told her I was a vegetarian since may 2005 because of the animals. She said she used to be too, but I guess she eats meat now. Something about being type O. I have read about that blood diet thing.

Anyways, my question is, I hear some people say that veggies are hard to digest and meat is easy. Others say meat is hard to digest and veggies easy. Some say raw veggies are easy and some say they are hard. The info that I have read on the raw veggie thing leads me to believe that raw veggies are easier, not harder, because of the enzymes.

I would love to have some answers to say to these people. Why do some say meat is easier to digest than veggies? Does anyone know why they think that? Where do they get their info. I want to respect everyones wishes to eat how they wanna eat, but I would like to be able to explain why I do what I do.

Thanks! :)

[JinxieKat]

It's a good question. The best answer you can get is from your body. Do you feel bogged down when you eat a meal of fruit and veggies? Do you feel bogged down when you eat a meal of meat? I know my digestion is alot faster and more efficent this week. Alot of bowel movements ya know! *lol* I feel better, don't feel sleepy after meals, and have not had any of the usual crampy, grumpy, something is wrong in my intestines feelings like I used too.

Jinx

[Raw Jewelrylady]

JinxieKat said what I was going to say. I, personally, am so sick of all these "diet experts" telling people how to eat. How do you feel???

I know, for me, I must have 30-40 "diet" books in this house that I will be giving to charity. I have never felt better than on Raw. :)

I would not ... IMHO... be afraid to eat raw fruits/veggies/nuts & seeds...She probably left vegan because she wasn't getting enough fat in her diet...just a "hunch." That seems to happen to a lot of people.

Sometimes w/have to go w/our "GUT" instinct...literally...I hope this helps. :)
Lana

PS. I hade horrible IBS until I went RAW. My DR....MD. is thrilled w/my progress & supports me. :)

PSS. It really is no one's biz what you eat..but MIssLinda did a great thread on eating RAW....Check it out...

[Rawkinlocs]

There are some veggies that are more difficult to digest in raw form such as your cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). But there is always the option to marinate and/or "warm" in the dehydrator to make them a bit easier to digest as well as eat!

If you check out the recipe section, there is a thread for broccoli and cheese where it's Alissa's recipe, slightly modified by SamuelWilson and it's getting rave reviews!

I also like to take veggies like carrots, cabbage, onion, bell pepper, etc., marinate in Nama Shoyu and a little olive oil along with other seasonings such as ginger, garlic, etc. and warm in the dehydrator for what I call "Stir Dry".

I know she's a professional, but meat is hard on our bodies to digest and I'd think much more so than veggies, but I'm no expert.

Those who say meat is easier to digest are probably saying that because it's cooked. But it still sits in your system for quite some time before it's fully digested. Just make sure that with your veggies (or anything for that matter), you are CHEWING THOROUGLY. Also, don't forget about green smoothies, raw soups and veggie pates that would also help make eating veggies easier on your system!

[honeybee joy]

I hope you guys did not think that I was thinking that cooked or meat was the way to go. I just sometimes wish I had better answers to give people. I don't like to push my opinions on others, but when they are discussing it with me, I hate not having a answer. I guess I will find them in time. Personally, when I stopped eating meat alone I was able to have much better bm's. I do feel the best when I am raw vegan.

I think she might have not been getting enough fat also. alot of veggies and vegans eat alot of pasta and bread. I think that could make anyone sick. I know I feel awful when I eat them.

I read that article that misslinda posted. It was awsome!

Thanks for the responses!

The edit: My IBS went away when I ate raw and lots of water w/ sea salt.

[pdx kris]

you know, i don't know where these numbers come from so you might want to check it out a bit before using this method to explain to people, but i've seen them in many raw books, websites etc.

regarding the digestibility of food, it would make sense that the less time a food takes to leave the stomach, the easier it is to digest. so, fruits leave the stomach in around a half hour, vegetables in a few hours, fats in a few more hours and animal products in like 6 or 8 hours (thought i'm not sure about eggs). i think the digestibility of cooked vegetables is probably pretty close to raw ones, but they are so much yummier in the raw. :)

obviously foods like rice and grains are going to be difficult to digest raw, but we raw folk don't eat those anyway. :)

hope that helps some!

[karenisraw]

Meat has to be broken down into amino acids to be useful to our bodies. Raw fruits and vegetables are already in amino acid form. That is extra work for our body to do to get the meat to the point that is useful. In amino acid form. That is why when you eat meat, you become tired because your body has to work on the breakdown of the meat while when you eat fruits and veggies, you can just cruise along without your body having to adjust like when "dealing" with the meat. I guess when you are tired it means your body has to repair or deal with something. When I eat raw fruits and veggies, I am never tired so I am assuming my body is able to utilize the nutrients easily without disrupting normal functioning. I learned this in a lecture from my doctor.