do you have candida problems? it sounds like you have low stomach acid as you mentioned burping, gas etc upon eating?

if your feeling rough get even cooked vegan food back in you to get back on your feet, stick pride aside for abit as much as i know you'll want to stay. If your not feeling good then dont suffer then try and diagnostically work from there.

http://www.juicingforum.co.uk

I've never considered if I have candida problems. I've just looked up the symptoms and I do have some, but they could also be related to issues in my life. The burping/gas I have is related to the diarrohoea though, it's not a normal reaction when I eat.
I guess I may have to go back to cooked vegan food for awhile if it gets worse - I'm just confounded as to why I'm one of the few people that are getting worse not better on a raw food diet....maybe I'm not eating enough daily variety of food to get the nutritional benefits of eating raw?
I would be interested to know what people eat on a daily basis to cover all the food groups. As far as I understand it, you don't have to eat alot of fruit and veg, just the right variety and in correct combination.

what kind of foods are you eating and what does your daily food intake look like.

just the diarrhea makes me think theres intestinal issues going on.

http://www.juicingforum.co.uk

I'm not sure what exactly you're eating so a daily intake would be helpful..also I thought I would mention that awhile ago I went through a very emotionally stressful time and even though my diet never changed I experience really bad diarrhea just from the stress. Maybe the two could be related. I hope it gets better for you. On a daily basis I usually eat all fruit and then a large salad at dinner or some steamed veggies and maybe a brown rice tortilla. Do you eat enough fruit?

Like powerlifter says. what did you eat the last week or so?
If you got diarrhea there is something in your guts that need to come out FAST.
But the main issue what did you eat 8)?

" I have not had positive effects everyone talks about - increased energy, concentration, focus, less sleep needed etc."

Some thoughts on this: People who have wonderful initial effects tend to be very excited (understandably) and share those effects. People who have less dramatic effects, or have problems, do not often mention them for fear something is wrong with them (well, at least that is my opinion). Some people who have had horrid diets show dramatic improvements. People who drop a lot of weight do too. I don't know if these dramatic positive effects are completely the norm? Some of us just slowly feel better over time.

Also- for some people who diet wasn't the problem, they continue to have health issues because their medical condition isn't being addressed. Pretty much everyone can benefit from increasing their fresh fruit and veggie intake.

But, going raw doesn't always fix everyone's physical problems. Sometimes when big success stories are talked about, people forget that. Just something to think of.

Maybe you are not eating enough? Possibly, if you are coming from a terrible diet to begin with, this change is too sudden?
If so, maybe go back to eating cooked food (healthier stuff, not junk), and slowly add salads and fruit.

Before you started going raw, where you healthy? If so, you may want to go back some toward what you were eating, and slowly add raw in. Just a thought.

Could you be allergic to something you're eating that wasn't in your diet much before, maybe?

Karly,
I've been raw for about three years now, and over that time my diet has fluctuated greatly. I did go through some difficult times transitioning and figuring out what is best for my system.

Recently I discovered the benefits of MSM. When I stopped taking two tablespoons of MSM per day, I got really bad burping and digetive upset. When I started taking it again, the upset disappeared, so I am quite sure that my body must need the sulphur at this stage in my life. (I take the MSM in lemon juice and maple syrup - I know, not raw:( - in the morning.)

I have a history of IBS, so I also started taking 5HTP and magnesium to calm the intestines because, like you, I respond with this part of my body to emotional stress.

Be patient with yourself and don't expect miracles. Listen to the wisdom of your body.

What are you eating?! What were you eating before? Have you tried any water fasting? Juice fasting? Oil pulling? Maybe an island diet?

Hi everyone,

thanks for all your input. I've found (with some fascination) that what my body wants to eat has changed almost on a weekly basis.

Recently, I eat fruit for breakfast (either fruit salad of apple, banana, orange and maybe pears, grapes or kiwi fruit), have a salad for lunch and for dinner I've either gone without, had a green smoothie or eaten dried fruit/nuts. This may be part of the problem I'm thinking as I'm eating ALOT of dried fruit/nuts and sweet things as I'm so tired alot o the time. Having experienced diarrohoea today, all I ate yesterday was banana and apple with almond milk and dried fruits and nuts, a salad with a dressing and then more dried fruits/nuts - raisins, pumpkin seeds, dried apple rings, peanuts. Problem being that this is what I have to hand as immediate food to eat vs having to make something....

I have also been going through a very stressful emotional period in my life to boot - at work and at home. I was vegetarian before this transition and drank alot of tea and ate alot of cheese. I wasn't completely unhealthy but not fab either. In fact my body went into detox all by itself after a therapy session and it was my body that decided to go raw, not my head.

I haven't tried any fasting yet, I'm a little too scared to do this as I don't have any excess weight to lose and I do feel ill if I don't eat (hence the bingeing on fruit/nuts to hand). I do also try to incorporate superfoods into my diet and regularly eat goji berries, bee pollen, nature's living superfood in smoothie and monatomic trace elements,

Maybe it would be better to try and eat more fruit vs dried fruit/nuts? Is it true that mainly people eat fruit and one large salad per day? I have to admit I do get bored quite easily eating the same thing all the time but it's hard to find a variety of recipes that don't have exotic ingredients or need alot of time to prepare in advance....

What is MSM & 5HTP? Also curious to know what oil pulling is what an island diet is comprised of?

I agree with you. More fresh fruit would help you. Look into food combining, this may be where the indigestion is coming from. I would recommend eating mono meals instead of fruit salads for breakfast. Or a simple green smoothie, just greens and bananas. Mono meal means one fruit/vegetable at a time. Bananas would be a good start. An island diet is where you eat one type of fruit for an extended period of time. I would recommend short water fasts. 1-3 days. Ease into them with juice/monomeals and ease out of them. Do NOT fast without properly researching it. You should check out www.rawfoodexplained.com. I'm glad other folks have heard of it and are using it. Also check out www.oilpulling.com. Are you exercising? Tai-chi? Yoga? Try them. Life will be easier to deal with. Maybe go to the acupuncturist, get your chi realigned. There is hope. When it comes to your diet, simple is best. The energy it takes for your body to digest complex meals could be used to help detoxify, instead. Your body will heal itself FASTER if you simplify your digestive process.

i have been doing the green smoothie thing for breakfast, and trying to do salads for lunch and a cooked vegan dinner during transition... transition is hard, but we can do it!!!

First of all, nutrition alone is not going to fix stress related issues - for that you probably need exercise and meditation along with good food.

You are probably not taking enough greens. I make a blender full of green smoothie in the morning - lots of leafy greens, some fruits - apple, banana, pear, carrot, etc., kelp, some apple cider vinegar, some aloe vera juice, etc. etc. Sometimes I would add cilantro - good for heavy metal detoxing and/or chlorella powder (expensive - again, for heavy metal detoxing). Feel free to add whatever herbs you think you need for your specific situation. I keep drinking as much and as often as I can. If there is still left and I don't feel like taking it alone, I would combine it with some cooked/spicy stuff for my taste buds.

When I started out I was a fanatic about raw foods and no cooked foods. Now, with experience, I am just pragmatic. I try to take as much greens and vegetables as possible, and some fruits every day. I would combine some good organic cereal with seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, etc.), nuts, raisins, etc. and keep it on the shelf for snacking - but only for snacking, not a meal. Eat as much good natural food as possible.

If you were not used to eating lots of raw foods, it might cause something like diarrhoea - it may simply be the body getting rid of all the junk accumulated over the years. I have gone through it too. Take 50000 bacteria probiotic - Bio-K or some other brand. This will definitely make a difference with the gas and burping, etc. It is good to reinstate the good flora in your tummy. Continue it for several weeks/months. It helped me.

In my experience, 4 months is probably about the time it is going to start showing some real effects. Around this time, I fasted a day each a few times (for some social causes - it wasn't part of any plan) and after that every time I would weigh myself in the gym I would be a pound or two less. And I definitely did not have much to lose, weight-wise, even before going raw..

I hope you are drinking filtered water.

Stop using artificial sugar. Use xylitol or stevia, if at all you need to.

Don't lose heart. I have been only partially raw for almost a year and my blood test shows real good results. My physician was impressed.

Once again, exercise is very very important to handle stress. I can't emphasize enough its importance. Food alone is not going to help you. If you feel like it and if you can find a free meditation group, it is worth exploring - but it is a completely different ballgame. You can't force yourself into it or just go thru the motions and expect great results. Don't fret if it doesn't work out - there is a time (not necessarily of your choosing) for everything, especially this kind of stuff. Exercise alone will go pretty far.

Don't hesitate to see (eye) doctors(s)/dermatologist. Combine the doctor's advice with your own knowledge and experience about natural remedies - use google - you can find pretty much anything on the internet. Natural remedies are slow but they make fundamental changes. Allopathic treatments work quickly, though not necessarily fundamentally. Use your judgement according to the situation and severity of the issues.

You are definitely on the right track. You just need some fine tuning and some patience.

Hope this helps.

Peanuts and the dried fruit are very suspicious. Peanuts aren't nuts they are pea's. Dried fruit if you didn't make it your self is often not raw. Just eat fresh ripe fruit 8).

Hi Karly,

Information on MSM can be found here: http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/health-benef...

and 5HTP here: http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/benefits-of-...

@ns
I agree with you. I don't think people (especially the raw 'gurus') realize how important greens are to the diet. The healthiest folks I know eat a diet of 50% greens! Smoothies are the easiest way to consume greens,

Dear all,

Thank you for your support and valuable input. I've voiced my concerns to a number of people who are all telling me to go back to a partially cooked diet e.g. having cereal for breakfast and cooked grains/beans for dinner (b-complex carbs). I really don't want to go back to a cooked food diet (I experimented and ate a pesto and spinach pasta salad tonight and feel absolutely rotten now - but it goes to show I reallly do NOT want to go back down that road if I can help it...) but in all honesty I am afraid of how fast I appear to have gone downhill within the space of a month.

I do drink filtered water and use only natural sweeteners like xylitol and agave syrup in sweets. I will try and incorporate more greens into my diet, though it's not easy as my supermarket doesn't do a big variety of organic greens and it does get boring quickly (I bought the green smoothie book by V Boutenko and I've never seen half of the greens she mentions anywhere). What leafy greens do you guys consume mostly and would you be willing to share some green smoothie recipes that you make?

NS
- Did you go from all raw to partially raw because you weren't feeling 100% on the totally raw food or was it because it didn't fit with your lifestyle?

You are absolutely right about the meditation and exercise and thank you so much for bringing it up - it's been on my 'to do' list and never quite getting to the top. I needed to hear it from someone to kick me up the backside to start again!

Re the 4 month thing, what did you notice for yourself? Was it a gradual improvement and a gradual increase in wellbeing, energy and vitality? The problem I have is that a number of big life changing events (inc the raw food) happened simultaneously (thanks to the universe, not my choosing!) and so it's difficult to tell if the raw food is assisting me with all the stress and allowing me to cope with more difficulty or whether I'm experiencing more stress than necessary because the raw food is also exacting a toll on my body. I'm quite aware that going raw does appear to bring up a variety of external and internal issues.

Anyway, thanks again, you've all been really helpful and it's greatly appreciated. I don't feel so alone anymore. Thank god for raw chat forums!

I like to use spinach and kale in my green smoothies.

What kind of sweets are you eating? In my opinion, there's no need for sweets if you are getting enough calories from fruit.

Karly,

I stumbled upon raw food stuff when I had a serious sciatica attack more than a year ago and every doctor would give me a new pain killer which caused more and more nausea and overall terrible feeling in every way. I was pretty much immobile for more than a month. I went 100% raw and it was easy because my family was away in India. Then they came back and my wife liked the idea of raw foods in principle but was not ready to give up her spicy Indian cooking completely. After some time I realized trying to be 100% raw is simply not worth the aggravation with the current demands on my time and all the work and stuff. Now I just try to drink as much smoothie as possible and eat as much raw salad as possible along with some of the cooked foods. I am quite sure I am more than 50% raw on most days and, in general, I am happy with the way I have taken care of my nutritional needs.

The purpose of relating this story is that there is no one formula for every one. We all have to find our own solutions according to our situations and circumstances and priorities. I don't think anyone (including me) is suggesting that you go back to cooked foods, especially if you don't want to. Everybody is sharing his/her views/opinions/experiences/philosophies. Now you have to figure out your own solution in your case with the added benefit of all these experiences.

Just reading about all the divergent views and opinions about raw foods alone (and how to implement it ) can be very overwhelming and daunting. We have to realize that just like raw foods is a holistic approach to taking care of your body's nutritional needs (and maybe some additional aspects), there is a bigger holistic approach of taking care of the body as well as the mind and spirit. That is where exercise and meditation come in. But, if anything you do or try (whether it is food or exercise or meditation) is causing additional aggravation instead of helping you solve problems then we need to step back, reevaluate and then move forward again with a different tack.

Also, taking on too many projects at the same time can be difficult and unmanageable. Life is long (hopefully). The world is not coming to an end anytime soon. (Even if the previous two statements turn out to be untrue - it doesn't really make that big a difference in the big picture.) So be patient. There are rarely any miracles. Everything takes time and effort and patience. Do one thing at a time and then move on to the next.

I use all kinds of leafy greens - spinach, red/green/romaine lettuce, kale, chards, endive, etc. etc. The principle is - you need leaves and crushed into a smoothie to release all the proteins and other nutrients. I don't mind buying conventional if I don't find organic. The fruits go into the smoothie mostly to mask the taste of the greens. As mentioned earlier, I add kelp, aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar. Sometimes I would add selba, goji berries, cilantro, some protein powder, etc, - whatever comes to my mind.

I bought several recipe books but now I rarely open them. I simply do not have the time to follow the books. I am not too fussy about the taste - actually, they all taste quite good regardless of what combination I put in the blender. There is a book called "The Complete Book of Raw Foods". That is thick and has a large number of recipes. Go to the Amazon website and do a search and read the reviews. You can also find all kinds of recipes on the internet for free.

I try to eat lots of salads with or without cooked foods. My salads are - open the fridge, see what's there, chop them up. For my dressings, sometimes when I have the time, I would follow a recipe book, otherwise I would add all kinds of oils in various combinations - hemp, sesame, flaxseed, olive, soya seasoning, etc. and various spices.

Regarding the 4 month thing - I wouldn't exactly remember the sequence of events. It definitely was gradual. Sometimes when we go thru some change we don't even realize it. It just becomes part of you. It definitely gives you more energy but I am not sure if you would suddenly feel that you are bursting with excitement. It just happens and you don't even really think about it. There are days when I am up for more than 20 hours and it doesn't even bother me.

In my earlier post I meant 50 million bacteria probiotics not 50000. Once again, it is worth trying for some time especially if you have taken lots of medicines in the past and have been on a SAD diet for long.

Remember, a lot of things you are trying to do now in a short surgical strike is undoing years of abuse. It is going to hurt some and take some time.

Again I have gone pretty long. Let me try to summarize. Raw foods is good - eat as much as you can. If too much fruits haven't worked out for you, try too much greens and observe. Finally find your own balance. Good food of any kind would always be good for you. Try to get as much exercise as you can - and, definitely starting tomorrow, if your body is up to it. Meditation can wait for a more opportune time.

And if there is a problem you can't handle on your own, please do not hesitate to see the doctor. Once you are better, go back to your own experimentations and explorations. As I said, life is long.....

I also remembered that when I started out I used a lot of nuts. I would make nut milk and all the text book recipes tend to use a lot of nuts. That used to cause a lot of bloating and burping. If you are doing the same, you can consider cutting down nuts drastically for a few days and you should see the difference immediately.