Raw pregnancy and some problems

[greenmother]

Hello! I am 21 weeks preganant and 2 weeks ago I went 100% raw. On the first week I felt good...although I had some strong cravings for cooked food but I was over them and still ate 100% raw. From the second week I started to have health problems - I feel all the time breathlessness, even when standing in one place. Well actually I can't even stand, I have to sit down because I feel it is really hard to stand and breeth normally. I think it might be the lack of iron but I'm not sure. Also when I am sitting in one place and stand up then I feel like blacking out.
The other problem is weight loss. I have lost 4,5 kg in 2 weeks. Is it normal during preganancy? I am afraid that maybe baby won't gain properly weight.

Before becoming 100% raw I ate everything, including meat, dairy etc. But I didn't eat junk food. I felt ok but I wanted to go raw because I have read about it and it just seemed so right and natural way of eating. I have been pregnant once before - I ate everything I wanted during that pregnancy and although I felt really good and happy, I gained 28 kg-s and my labor was really long (almost 24 hours). After giving birth my excess weight lost itself really quickly, I didn't diet or anything. So when becoming pregnant again I was in a healthy weight. Right after becoming pregnant again I started to gain really quickly weight just like on my first pregnancy. So before becoming 100% raw I had gained already 7,5 kg's with this pregnancy (as I have now lost 4,5kgs it means I have only gained 3 kg with the first half of my pregnancy but my weight might drop more, I don't know that yet). As I am on vacation in Thailand at the moment and here are so many delicious fresh fruits in the farmers market, it seemed a perfect opportunity to become raw. By eating raw during the second half of my pregnancy I am hoping to make my labor easier and also hoping not to gain so much weight as with my first pregnancy. But at the moment, when I started to have the problem with breathlessness and quick weight loss, I have become doubtful about eating raw. I really would like to be raw till the end of my pregnancy and beyond but I don't want to harm my growing baby, so I am in a situation where I don't know what to do. One part of me is thinking that I should listen to my body and follow the cravings - maybe body knows the best what it needs? The other part of me is thinking that raw food is the best and most nutritious and the cravings are just false signals because I was used to eat cooked foods. Although my cravings are not so strong anymore, because I have now used with the thought that raw food is only thing I eat. I still would eat rice, potatoes, dark rye bread, yoghurt, cheese and some salmon if I wouldn't be raw at the moment...but I really prefer to eat raw if I would just feel good and healthy.

Talking about my raw diet then I don't consume any salt or sweeteners (sugar, honey agave etc) or dehydrated foods. I eat only fresh fruits and little vegetables. My food portions are really huge as I eat as much as I want. On the mornings I really love to eat fresh watermelon so I usually eat at least 2kg of this fruit. A little time after that I usually snack on some fresh tomatoes because I feel hungry again. Before the lunch I sometimes eat tangerine oranges and/or rambutans. Usually after lunch I start to snack very often till the dinnertime. So for lunch I usually eat a big tomato salad with white and green onion (tomato is my favourite food of all the time) or a pineapple smoothie (juicy pineapple + some leafy green vegetables). After that I usually eat 1kg of red grapes and some more tomatoes and sometimes maybe some tangerine oranges as well. In the evening I usually eat more tomatoes or a vegetable salad of cabbage, carrot, onion, tomatoes, fresh garlic and a little raw corn. Every day I eat at least 1kg or more tomatoes and about 1 big onion, because I really crave these foods. In the evening I usually add some cold pressed olive oil to my salad (about 1 table spoon). So this is it. As You see I don't eat any nuts or seeds or dried fruits. I really would like to eat some raw nuts, seeds and even avocado - I have hoplessly looked for these items from the farmers market but they sell only salty boiled peanuts and thats all.

I think that to eat really healthy I should also consume some raw nuts, seeds and sprouted grains but here my only option is to buy nuts from store, so these are not raw at all. Jinjee points out in her ebook "Ecstatic birth" that some people say that fruit and veggies have everything that a growing baby needs and there is no need to eat nuts and seeds. But I haven't heard of anyone eating only raw veggies and fruits during pregnancy.
I will be back at my country after 1,5 months, before that I am travelling around. When I will be back in my country I can buy some raw nuts and seeds and grains for sprouting...but before that I don't know if I will find any raw versions or should I eat the non raw nuts?

So maybe here is someone who has been in similar situation (or knows someone who has). I would gladly like to hear what am I making wrong and what are my best options at the moment?

Also please don't recommend me to take some kind of supplement. I don't belive in supplementing. Most of my life I haven't taken any pill, any medication, any vitamins, any supplements. Also with my first pregnancy I didn't take any supplements. I belive that human body should get everything it needs from food. I would never supplement, that's fot sure.

And forgive my my english, it's not the best I know.

I highly appreciate Your opinion and advice.

[Eva]

How do you know none of the nuts and seeds are raw? Would love to hear more about what you DO have available...

Are there any health food stores there??

Hope to be of help to you!

xxo Eva
10.5 weeks pregnant
raw, vegan & loving it!

[dime]

Hmm, jumping to 100% raw while being pregnant sounds like a pretty bad idea, be careful. Being raw properly is not such an easy thing, and it's just as easy to mess it up as it is with cooked food. I would suggest to take it veery slowly, e.g. each week increase how raw are you by 10-20%, and in the mean time read as much as you can about raw, nutrition, diets, etc. Especially about fruitarian diets, since your diet is mainly fruits. And even fruitarian diets include nuts if I'm not mistaken.

My guess would be your problems come from eating only fruits:
* too little energy intake, it's hard to get enough calories with frutarian diet, you really need to eat constantly! Read this, a bit long but it presents this very well: http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/...aradox1a.shtml
* too much detoxification going on, fruits are pretty much the most detoxifying food you can eat
* too much sugar at once, I mean 2kg of watermellon at once is a lot. A general rule would be to not eat more than 1-2 normal size fruits (like apples, oranges, ...) per hour.
* fruits are pretty powerful diuretics (especially watermellon , so you're losing a lot of weight as water, which again if over done is not such a good thing
* fruits are in general low on minerals, and it could be that due to the diuretic effect you're even losing minerals at a higher rate. Furthermore, essential fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and so on, things which are either absent or in trace amounts in fruits, but are quite important in pregnancy. That baby needs to grow, and if you don't take these things with food, it will be taken from your body (bones, muscles, etc.)
* and many more things to be aware of, additionally check this: http://www.beyondveg.com/cat/fruit-dreams/index.shtml These articles are written by people who have been fruitarians for years, so they have some credibility.

In my opinion, the best you could do in the beginning would be to continue with your old way of eating, but additionally eat something like one fruit per hour. Just make sure you don't eat fruits for maybe two hours after a normal meal, but instead have 2-3 fruits more before the meal.

[Raw Angel Mom]

You may want to contact dr. Gabriel Cousens or anyone that knows about raw food and assist pregnant woman.

What do you eat as raw food?


Make sure to eat many rich food in vitamin A and B-complex. Get also your vitamin D from the sun (When it is cloudy, it block the UV great time for vitamin D. Morning and evening, is safe too within one hour after sun rise or one hour before sun set)

Leafy greens, gojii berries are good with Iron.

Make sure you eat food with ommega 3 (hemp seeds, wall nuts etc...)

Stay away from sprout at the store (they could contain a harmful bacteria for the baby)

Consider to get a blood work done to make sure to see what you are low in.

Unless you get your food from the wild, or grow your own garden, you have no guaranty that the food you eat isn't deprive in some sort. Food aren't as rich as it used to be, it is necessary at time to supplement with chlorella, spirulina etc....

If you cannot bring back your iron level back and you change your mind about supplementing, go with angstrom size mineral, it is the only mineral that your body will be able to absorb. It is the same size as plant food.

If you have severe detox symptom you can slow them down with steam vegetables.

I am not a doctor but as long your baby is gaining the weight he/she needs and he/she is getting the best food from your blood stream, it will be ok even if you lose weight. Your body is wise and is putting your baby first.

If you eat as much variety of food and as much different color of food, it will be a great start

Please get your blood work done to test if you are deficient or low in anything.

While pregnant your body develop more blood vessel, which lead to decrease your blood pressure and therefore can make you daisy.

Listen to your body and rest.

I pray for you to have a healthy baby, a smooth delivery and all the help that you need with you child.