Okay, I have been hanging around this forum reading, learning, trying, changing... and even though I have only written a few replies to what others have written, now I feel drawn to write about my own raw food adventures.

For decades I have eaten what many people would consider a healthy diet: no red meat, lots of fruits and veges, chicken and fish occasionally, no alcohol, nutritional supplements, and no desserts. Yet when I was under stress a while back, I started having acid reflux symptoms that persisted and worsened. My self-image has always been that I am a healthy person, so having an ongoing health issue was new territory for me. Over and over I turned to medical professionals with little relief, until a specialist finally gave me a prescription that worked – not 100%, but pretty well. The bad news was that even after several months, I still needed to take it. The doctor said I would be on the medication for life, that my symptoms would get worse with time, and that it would be likely that I would need surgery at some point! This was unacceptable – at least without a fight. I began researching alternatives. Without boring any readers with all of the details in a lengthy story, I discovered raw foods.

Raw food! Simple! Makes sense. I’m game to try anything to get off of medication, avoid surgery and not have acid reflux!

I went totally vegan and high ninety-something percent raw right from the start. Although I was still taking the prescription, I found that I experienced only good things from my change in diet. Great skin, energy, weight loss – what great side benefits! I even found that former food allergies disappeared. (The ridges on the roof of my mouth used to get swollen when I ate some foods. I am guessing that preservatives, dyes or some other chemicals in food had been causing that.) Anyway, things were going so well with raw foods that I decided that even if it didn’t cure my acid reflux symptoms, I would continue vegan raw.

This is getting to be a rather lengthy first entry, so I’ll stop now and write again another day. My plan is to record my progress and “adventures in the raw” food world once a month. Thanks for listening. ☺

very cool, welcome to the forums , and thanks for sharing your story !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I am trying out including a photo of my pet to go as my signature. This is a test.


My favorite raw vegan

Whoops. I am more nitwit than nerd when it comes to computers. Oh, well, no photo with my signature for now. Maybe someday....

I wasn’t going to write until a full month passed, but decided to sooner because there's a lot I didn't say in my first entry things are going so well with me.

For over a year I struggled with going to different doctors and trying different prescriptions to get relief from acid reflux. Me! What a surprise! I rarely even get a cold. After several different GPs and two specialists and after trying different prescriptions, I finally got one that helped. I was glad to have such a significant reduction in symptoms and hoped to be fine after a few weeks. After a couple of months on this new prescription (a different proton pump inhibitor, taken twice a day), I began to feel discouraged that I still needed to take it. When I asked the specialist about it, he was very discouraging about me ever getting off of it and warned me that my symptoms would likely get worse. On my own I kept looking into things I could do and found suggestions like sleeping propped up, losing weight, etc. One of the things I tried was digestive enzymes from a health food store. I didn’t notice any change, but it led me to trying raw food. (Yay! Applause! Wolf whistling!)

For the first three months eating raw, I was 90-something percent raw in that I used some seasonings, ate cooked egg whites twice, had two cooked lunches out with friends and continued taking my prescription and an over-the-counter antacid. (Being just a few hours late taking a capsule would result in heartburn, throat pain, burping, etc., so I felt I couldn't stop taking it.)

Those first three months eating raw were “all-consuming” so to speak. In order to help myself to be successful eating raw foods, I allowed myself to eat as much raw anything as I wanted. That’s a lot of fruit! In addition to the other good results that I mentioned in my first posting (energy, weight loss, etc), I found that food was more flavorful. Could it be that fats in dairy products and olive oil coat the tongue and block some of the flavor? Whatever it is, I still remember eating the most delicious banana ever! And blueberries – yeow! Another interesting thing to me was that my stomach growled in the morning before breakfast. I hadn’t experienced that sensation since childhood! Maybe what I had been thinking were hunger signals all these years have really been just “thoughts” about wanting to eat. Hmmm.

Mentally, I became absorbed with learning about raw foods and spent lots of time reading websites and blogs to get ideas and perspective from other raw fooders. This seemed like such a major life change and I was afraid of missing vital nutrients. Everything about raw food became interesting to me. I compiled a list of recipes for myself. I sprouted for the first time. I even dehydrated a raw bread. My husband was (and continues to be) supportive and enjoys the new foods I share with him. All was going well, except for having to continue taking medication. When I contacted my doctor about this, he was actually more than discouraging. He told me I would likely need surgery in the future, because of the severity of symptoms and that I was already taking the prescription two times a day. Well, hearing the word "surgery" was just the kick in the pants I needed to try 100% raw. (I won't describe the surgery. It's enough to scare anyone into trying raw food!) I figured I could always start taking the prescription again if 100% didn’t work, but I could never undo the surgery if it came to that.

Sooooo, after about four months of pretty much raw I decided to take the plunge and go 100% raw, which would also mean stop taking any medication. I did just that a week ago and to my amazement I feel about the same as when I was taking the medication. That is, I have a mild discomfort in my throat, but no other symptoms. Amazing! Astounding! Incredible! Instead of pain in just a few hours, it has been seven days and I am not in pain. This hasn't been an instant cure. I have been doing several raw food things that have helped. Here’s what I do that has helped so far:

1) I keep oil/fats intake low. During my first three months raw I realized that eating lots of nuts gave me indigestion. Since I love nuts, it took a while for me to admit to myself that I needed to stop eating them – at least until they no longer give me reflux symptoms! I eat a little avocado now and then, but definitely not everyday and I don't use olive oil. Oh, and I eat only small amounts of seeds.

2) Alkaline foods are key for me. Greens are alkalizing. I was wary of green smoothies until I tried them. Now I think they are delicious. When I eat acidic foods like citrus, I also eat some lettuce or spinach.

3) High protein foods (chicken, fish, eggs - that I used to eat) are hard to digest and increase acid production and GERD symptoms. I always used to think that vegans ate that way for reasons of conscience only. I didn’t understand the positive health consequences.

4) I also used to overeat cheese and dairy products, but don't eat any now. I think dairy was a factor in my symptoms, although I am not sure whether it was the fat and/or the high protein in dairy that affected me negatively. It doesn't matter. I don't eat them now.

5) No apple cider vinegar (Some people find it is good for reducing acid reflux. It isn’t for me.)

Granted, it is only a week since going 100% raw and stopping medication, but to feel as good not taking my prescription as I did when I was taking it is astounding to me. Previously just being a few hours late taking a capsule would result in significant pain and I would continue to feel bad for a couple of days after that. If I continue to feel as good as I do now, it is life changing. Hopefully I will continue to heal, but will write again to share my progress. (I hesitated writing about this so soon, but wanted to share my success with others who may be searching as I was.)

I am so grateful for this and other raw food sites that gave me the encouragement and confidence to try a vegan raw diet. And oddly, I am grateful for having had GERD symptoms because that led me to try this way of eating. No matter how things go with curing myself of GERD, I can’t imagine going back to the way I used to eat. Thank you all for sharing your ideas and experiences.

Here's an adventure... or rather a mis-adventure. When I first started eating raw food, I felt so great that I wanted my husband to experience what I was experiencing. He liked almost everything I made for him. (Yes, our relationship is traditional in that sense: I do the cooking and he takes out the trash. It works for us.) Anyway, I don't want to eat nuts to keep my percentage of fat low, but he is thin and loves dessert. Soooo, I found a recipe for a pie on another site. It had a nut-date crust. and a filling with blended nuts, avocado and blueberries. He liked how it tasted, but suffered later with a VERY uncomfortable stomach. Whoops! I hadn't read about food-combining. I didn't have any and so dodged the bullet. I didn't realize until too late that I'd shot him. (He lived and has forgiven me.)

Popeye's got nuthin'on me!

Spinach was on sale and I took advantage of it. Breakfast was a green smoothie with baby spinach. Lunch was spinach soup (blended spinach, zucchini, tomato, garlic, onion, Italian spices, salt, corn)... yum! And this afternoon I had a green lemonade with - you guessed it - more baby spinach! I'm not sure what's for dinner, but let's just say that the remaining spinach won't be wilting.

Trive,
Welcome here.
I was wondering if you ever tried cantaloupe for the reflux?
When I get heartburn,I eat a slice and it knocks it right out!

Some have suggested celery.
But the lope works great.

Vinny

Hi, Eaglefly,
Cantaloupe will be put on the menu. Thanks for the tip.
Trive


My favorite raw vegan

Hmmm. Bear with me folks, I'm still trying on the photo/signature thing.


My favorite raw vegan

AAARRRRGGGG!!!

If it doesn't work this time (photo w/ signature), I promise not to try again without professional computer help. Fingers crossed....


My favorite raw vegan

see if this works for you,,,,



aww its so cute !!!

make the tag look like this

[*img]http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv145/trov/100_0020.jpg[/img]

but remove the * before the word img so the pic shows up

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2009 11:27AM by Jgunn.

OHMIGOSH! When I looked to see the new posting on my thread, there was Fernando's baby picture! Seeing it always makes me smile. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Jodi,for figuring that out for me. It was kind of you to have mercy on my struggle and take the time to do that for me. Your banana eating buddist picture was what inspired me to try. It brings a smile to my face as well.

Fernando was only three days old when that picture was taken. He's a miniature donkey. Although he is fully grown now, my (tall) husband can stand over him without sitting down.


My favorite raw vegan

aww shucks ! no prob thanks hun yer a dear

and i want to just reach into that pic and HUG that baby donkey ! =D

some people at the local agri fair here had a couple of baby mini donnkeys there and i swear if i could have smuggled it past my hubby we woulda be goin home with one

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2009 09:07PM by Jgunn.

Hee hee, my husband has started asking me if he could have some of what I'm making for myself. This morning it was green ginger lemonade. For lunch it was raw baba ganoush. When I first started eating raw foods, I gave him "samples" of things I thought he'd like and I'd always served him some of my salad with his meal. But to have him ask for raw things tickles me pink.

Woo hoo! I have not had any allergic reactions to any food since I started raw a few months ago. I decided to risk eating kiwifruit, which I had reactions to a couple of times - and no problem. Not having allergies to food is such a fabulous bonus, I am giddy. I was so encouraged that I decided to try my food nemesis - raw pineapple. I hadn't eaten it since childhood. I tried a little. No problem. A little more. Still nothing. I couldn't believe it! I ate a half a pineapple!! Absolutely delicious!


My favorite raw vegan

Here's an update on acid reflux.... For a week or so after I quit taking my prescription for acid reflux around the beginning of October, I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing, but I felt about the same as I did when I was taking it (i.e., very mild throat discomfort) and continued. Gradually, I started feeling better - normal, even. I was waiting for one month to declare victory, but have had a setback.

Yesterday I yelled across a valley to my husband who couldn't hear me, so I yelled some more. Big mistake. My throat is raw and painful from doing that. I had no idea I was hurting myself. I feel discouraged, but I think that is more emotional than logical. Logically I know that healing takes time. At least my symptoms are not as bad as they have been in the past. I still believe I'm doing the right thing, I just need to keep doing what I have been doing and not yell!

It's incredible progress, congratulations...reading with interest :-)

Arrow xxx

Just reporting back that things are going well again after my yelling episode and I am back to feeling positive about how I am healing. Actually, very positive.

The GERD thread in the category "Other Health Related Topics - Not Related to Living and Raw Foods," is placed wrong because living and raw foods are exactly what GERD (or acid reflux) is related to!

I wasn't sure when I started this way of eating (about four months ago), but was hopeful that it would help me. It has. TREMENDOUSLY! No, I'm not 100% healed yet, but am well on my way and a far cry from thinking I was dying and having two different doctors tell me I will likely need surgery.

Here's how the surgery is described: "The surgeon wraps the upper part of the stomach (fundus) completely around the esophagus to form a collar-like structure. The collar places pressure on the LES and prevents stomach fluids from backing up into the esophagus. Open fundoplication requires a hospital stay of six to ten days and recovery at home between six and ten months."

The surgery is horrible enough to scare anyone into trying almost anything to keep from such butchery! I am infinitely grateful for the internet and every raw food person who has contributed what they have learned. It has changed my life for the better and forever. I believe I have avoided surgery, and I am medication free as well. I shudder to think where I'd be without you all. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Trive that is awesome hun truly a breakthrough for you

i rarely suffer now from acid reflux or heartburn or any of the other gastrointestinal discomforts of old days

it sure makes you feel good ... to feel good

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Hi Trive,

Sounds like you're on the right track. Would love to have your raw baba ganoush recipe btw. I do miss it. I'm also really happy for you that your husband is willing to some of your food. My husband doesn't want any of it. He eats salads, but buys his own dressing; that's as close to raw as he gets. We're at the point where we prepare our own food.

That surgery you describe does sound barbaric. No wonder you don't want it. It's also great that you discovered which food contributes to your AR and what helps you.

Anyway, I'm happy that you are doing so well on raw food. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

Mona
padremickey.blogspot.com

Within our wonderful new world,
we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.

Hi, Mona

Thanks for your kind comments. When I make something really yummy, I always give some to John. He eats a healthy cooked diet, so I'm not worried about him, but I love it when he likes raw things I make. Does your husband like vinaigrette dressings? They are raw and taste wonderful. I like one from the Herb Farm cookbook. The raw baba ganouj recipe you requested follows:

Baba Ganouj
Cut eggplant into chunks. Marinate in vinegar and salt for one or two two days. (This reduces the bitterness of raw eggplant.) Rinse and squeeze. Grind it in a food processor with some red bell pepper, pressed garlic, basil (or other Italian herbs), tahini (to make it creamy), apple cider vinegar (if needed), cumin, chopped parsley, and salt (or Bragg's, if you use that). Blend until smooth.

I like to use it as a dip for other raw vegetables. It can also be wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Oh, and I also have added zucchini to it a few times and it was good that way too.

Yes, my health has improved drastically. I am embarrassed to say that I wouldn't have tried a raw diet without being as desperate as I was. Now I wouldn't go back to a cooked diet for any reason - even if I never experience acid reflux again! It makes me have more patience with people who think a raw diet is weird.


My favorite raw vegan

Hi Trive,

Thanks for the recipe. I can try it next week.

My husband doesn't like vinaigrette dressings. I love them and I make my own all the time.

I can't imagine going back to eating cooked either. Every time I do, I end up with an upset stomach or some kind of consequence, like IBS symptoms returning. Like you, desperation brought me here.

I'm really glad you joined us. Best of luck with your raw food adventure. Keep up the good work!

Peace,

Mona,
padremickey.blogspot.com

Don't give up before the miracle happens.

This is crazy. I have 247 cookbooks... and not one of them is for raw food!!! Although I sometimes use them for inspiration for making something raw, now I find that I have become a confident raw (un)cook. I love becoming a mad chef wielding a chef knife and chopping like a pro. You should hear me mince!

I used to use my mixer, stove, microwave and oven often. Boy, has that changed. I still use them some to make things for my husband, although he cooks for himself a lot. Sure, I had a blender and a food processor, but I rarely used them. Now I use them every day.

Lately I have been inventing pate' recipes. It started with eggplant and moved to zucchini. Now, each time I add different veges, it has an entirely new flavour. Each pate' reincarnation has a life of its own. If only I would measure and record ingredients, I could add another book to my collection.

On the GERD/acid reflux front...

The major battles have been fought an won. I know I will not need surgery (as I was told I would by doctors). I know I will not have to take prescription medication for the rest of my life (as I was told I would by doctors). And I know how to control it with a healthy raw diet (about which I have not told doctors)!

That leaves just a very mild symptom to clear out. I still have an occasional sensation in my throat that lets me know I have eaten too much or have eaten something I shouldn't have. I almost hope to not win this last skirmish because it keeps me doing the right things. (I am half-kidding there.) Actually, I look forward to being completely healed. It has taken several months of low-fat, raw food to get this far, but hey, the problem was years in the making.

I have and continue to lose weight. I'm within normal range, but still on the high side of normal and would like to be on the low side of normal. Now, I sleep through the night better. I used to be quite the insomniac. I no longer experience food allergies. What an unexpected relief that has been! And I feel more upbeat (although I am not usually a depressed or moody person). In all I am elated to have the results I have had. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


My favorite raw vegan

Hi Trive! It's really great to follow your progress. Your 'favorite vegan' is adorable, btw. :-) I have a suggestion for all those cookbooks: don't throw them away, but take some of your favorite recipes and see if eventually you can come up with raw adaptations of them. I have a cooked vegetarian recipe book I bought at Goodwill the other day, for the sole purpose of seeing if at some point I might want to make create some exciting new raw recipes using the recipes for inspiration.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Yep, my favorite raw vegan is a cutie. I just came in from luring him with a carrot out of the far paddock where he and his brother had escaped to. (A visiting child left a gate open.) The donkeys love being loose, but fortunately it's easy to catch them because they love carrots more! Hurrah for raw food!

You are right about using cookbooks for inspiration. I just went through The Joy of Cooking and adapted several recipes for my raw collection. When I make it into a book, I should name it, "The Joy of Not Cooking." Hee hee.


My favorite raw vegan



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2009 02:10AM by Trive.

The title of this entry is: "The Raw Truth."

The absurdity of me having so many cookbooks has gotten me to wondering. How can I have changed so radically in what I believe? I am amazed that such a fundamental change happened so quickly. How did the human species change from eating a natural diet to thinking that over-processed, nutrient-stripped, chemical-laden, cooked stuff is "food"? It is so bizarre that the change must have been gradual and insidious - slowly over generation after generation. Or did it happen in relatively quick jumps?

It's interesting to me how my donkeys sniff food before eating and avoid many plants by smell. Mine rejected celery and pear without even tasting it. However, they LOVE salted, buttered popcorn. It seems they know not to eat certain things, but are seduced by fat and salt just like people are.

How have we have gotten to where we are now - to where bad things are produced, promoted and accepted as normal? Some people eat almost no fruit and vegetables. It's killing them and they either don't know it or are in denial. Some food isn't even food at all - just chemical concoctions. Did this all happened via mass indoctrination? I know I never questioned food when I was growing up. As an adult I tried eating what I was told was healthy, but those "healthy" recommendations were still so far from what I know to be good food now.

In my opinion, much of our current grief started when we stopped thinking of ourselves as animals. Also, language was a wonderful invention, but it also enabled us to pass on misinformation as well as information.

These are really just musings that aren't going anywhere, so I posted this here instead of on the main discussion forum. But I am curious what others think about how we got in the state we are in.


My favorite raw vegan

Hi Trive,

I have tons of cookbooks, too, and am thinking of going through them all and copying the recipes that are raw already, ie salads & dressings, or near raw and converting them, and then give the books away. Mostly because I'm planning to move back to the States next year and need to get rid of lots of stuff.

Mona
padremickey.blogspot.com

Take what you like and leave the rest.