Candida? and Muscle?

Hi All,

I have been raw for about 3 months now and feel fantastic. After many years of struggling with digestive issues, IBS, and just always feeling rather crummy, this has been an amazing discovery for me. I have two concerns though perhaps someone has learned about this already?

I'm a little concerned about loosing muscle? It seems alot of the people I see on line promoting "raw" are very skinny with little muscle tone. I do "crossfit" 5 days a week which is quite demanding, and I'm just worried about not having enough protein to build muscle or at least maintain what I have.

Also, what about developing Candida with all this sugar? Albeit it's natural fruit sugar but doesn't the body still see it the same way as regular sugar? And Insulin resistance? what about that?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. This is a great lifestyle, I just want to be sure I've not missed anything...

Comments

  • I'm not a vet, but I've done some research on muscle and have some personal experience.

    My husband is not raw, but he played football for the Crimson Tide and when that was over he lost alot of weight. I'm talking 100 lbs. Obviously he lost muscle too, but he didn't lose his strength. They key? Food does help build muscle but working it also helps you to keep it. Don't stop using them.

    Now my own personal experience with losing muscle was very scary. I'm a stay at home mom (and have bouts of inactivity). When I began to eat 50% raw I lost alot of muscle not due to raw foods, but a gluten intolerance I was unaware. So, in my ignorance, I did quite a bit of research on the affects of muscle and the raw diet (and hubby is a health instructor so he helped quite a bit). When I eliminated wheat from my diet and went 75% raw my weight went up and my muscle became more defined, but after a while with no exercise I lost definition. I've read articles about body builders that are on raw diets (can't think of the names at the moment) and they admit to a losing of weight, but not strength and acquiring a leaner and more defined body with this diet. When raw your body will eliminate toxic wastes which are sometimes stored in your muscles, but you won't lose definition if you continue to work those muscles. You will be leaner.

    NO OFFENSE ANYONE, BuT...just think about those that you do see raw. Some raw foodist don't work out at all- excuse me they don't have intense workouts ( an occassional stroll at the park) and some have yoga and pilates routines (not to mention hiking and so on- Think of AnnMarie and Kevin Gionanni, look healthy and very fit and active) and some are fitness and strength training fanatics, but the majority we see are not the latter. So most raw foodists are leaner or very skinny.

    I have also read accounts were some have more stamina on a raw food diet and become stronger. I'm not a big fan of exercising (but I'm love the Wii Fit Plus- Kung Fu Rhythm is so awesome) and I haven't lost any stamina (typical workouts are between 45-60 minutes). Remember what protein required is recommended on the SAD diet is not truly neccessary because of genetics and diet.

    http://endorphins-inc.com/rsz.php?img=files/rawfoodpyramid.jpg&rsz=700

    This pyramid should give you some idea of your needs and your body will let you know the rest (whether you're getting enough or too much).

    Oh the sugar thing- you really don't have to eat tons and tons of fruit. Each individual is different as well as each fruit. Some fruits have more sugar than others. When I have a load of dates (about 13) I don't want fruit for days. If I don't have dates I typically don't want more than 2 bananas, a mango, 2 peaches, and a grapefruit or about 1/2 cup cranberries (almost five a day) and this is when I haven't eaten many greens. When I have greens and veggies I sometimes want less fruit. I would also buy seasonal fruits (like not buying these overpriced strawberries because they're out of season) because they give you exactly what you need in that season and according to climate. I would also eat the bulk of fruit in the morning for energy (a smoothie would have the two bananas, mango, and peaches then the grapefruit for a snack later). Now don't forget fruits also include tomato, avocado, etc what we don't think is fruit a good bit of fruit is not bad but too much of anything isn't good.

  • kellyannekellyanne Raw Newbie

    Hi! I eat a low-fat, high fruit diet with some veggies and have no problem building muscle and also have no problems with candida. If you are eating a diet high in fat and high in fruit then you will have problems. Low-fat has been the key for me. Before I started eating just fruit, I ate a diet high in fat from avocados, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, etc. and I started getting serious candida symptoms. I also had no energy because a huge percentage of my calories were coming from fat and not carbs. After a few months of horrible symptoms I dropped the fat and picked up the fruit and felt better and better everyday. I have tons of energy now for my workouts and am able to build muscle when I lift weights and run. Like ItVeganAtGenesis said, I really think you just have to work your muscles to keep them. No need to worry about muscle loss on a raw diet. As long as you're eating enough calories, then you are getting all the protein you need. Just make sure to get enough calories and compensate for the calories burned during workouts.

    In the post you said you feel fantastic so I would keep doing whatever you're doing and don't let fear stop you from that.

    Wish you all the best :)

    Oh and ItVeganAtGenesis- I'm a fellow Alabamian! Nice to see another on here :)

  • RawEverythingRawEverything Raw Newbie

    Hi, I'm sorry to say it in this forum but it's something I noticed in my search for better health. I did 80+% raw for 6 months my body did perfect but I noticed that I was not getting stronger or even I was getting weaker. Now my dinner is 300 to 500 grams raw meat and the rest of the day is the same as my rawvegan days (large green smoothy in the morning, fruit and nuts the rest of the day). I gained lots and lots of strength and muscle (no change in workout). But I can imagine that raw meat is not your thing 8).

  • RawEverything,

    I did mention that I'm 75% raw and eat cooked vegan meals at night (actually I've been eating 100% lately). I always have legumes and a starch like rice at night which gives me a rich supply of protein, but sprouted legumes have a good bit of protein

    1 cup of cooked Lentils= 17 gms protein

    1 cup sprouted Lentils= 6.9 gms protein (of course this is lighter and yeilds from approx. 1/4 of dried lentils)

    You can always eat more sprouts and throw them into soups. I'm not even calculating all the protein in greens, grains, nuts and seeds and fruits. You don't always get a ton of protein at one meal setting but by the end of the day if you're conscience of protein intake it can definitely be accomplished.

    I use this food data base http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/cgi-bin/list_nut_edit.pl

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