Hi there - just wondering if you all would post your favorite book(s) that talk about the transition to raw, how your body may react.. (yes, I am one who recently asked about bloating) :-)

I have almost all the raw uncook books out there, but none really go into the other physical/emotional issues and give good tips for making a slower transition to 100% raw. I was 100% raw for about 9 months, about a year ago, but slid back into some cooked stuff. Now, I am struggling a bit more physically this time around and it's confusing me. (Not to mention frustrating because I am SO ready to get back on this horse!) My issues: bloating - more so as the day progresses, gnawing pain in the belly button region, a feeling of needing to eat, not being satisfied, etc.) Anyway - sorry to babble but any thoughts or suggestions for reading would be greatly appreciated. I was looking at Matt Monarch's Raw Spirit online, anyone know much about this book?

Thanks a bunch!

I like Matt's book and I'm looking forward to his new one called "Raw Success" that is coming out soon. It helped to fill in the gaps that I felt some of the other books left out.

I think this book would be good [www.amazon.com]. The Raw Food Detox Diet talks about transition a lot and how to do it gradually.

Thanks Karen - I should re-read the beginning of Raw Food Detox; I do have that one. When you said I think this book would be good - did you mean Raw Spirit? I think the frustration is just that I've been sort of "transitioning" all along, always eating a high percentage of raw, so now I just want to eat all raw but my gut is not cooperating! (And I usually have a very strong gut with very good digestion.) Another thing: I just checked my urine pH this morning and it's borderline too alkaline! Hmmmm......

Thanks again, I do appreciate the reply!

Hi, peony. When I said this book would be good, I then provided a link to The Raw Food Detox Diet on Amazon. On Amazon they show the Table of Contents and it has lots of sections on transition, not just at the beginning. You might click on the link to make sure we are talking about the same book. It's by Natalia Rose. It helps you determine your raw food transition number and then to pick the transition you should follow. One later section is called - Transition: Don't Dive Head First into the Deep End of the Raw Food Pool.

She talks about infusing yourself with enzymes first too. Since your gut is acting up, that might help you a lot. Good luck!

Thanks for the clarification! The link doesn't show up like that on my screen - it just says amazon.com! Yes, we are indeed talking about the same book. I'm going to go grab it and sit down with it again! I have been taking a probiotic for about 4 days. Wonder how long it takes to feel the effects. Anyway - thanks again for your help! Forward on.... :-)

Hi peony, probiotics are definitely good for repopulating your intestinal flora. But you might need some enzymes too. Enzymes to help your body breakdown the raw food that your body isn't used to yet. If you are experiencing any gas, then enzymes might help.

You know, one thing that Matt mentioned in his book (in the half that was an interview with the 40 year raw foodist Dr. Fred Bisci) is that you can just as easily die from endogenous toxins as you can from exogenous toxins. He means that for some people, switching to a 100% raw food diet all of a sudden without anything else being done (like colonics, supplements, etc.) can kill them because their body will release too many toxins too quickly from inside their body. Transitioning, enzymes, colonics are all good things that can help.

About six months ago, I switched my dog (who had lymphoma) all of a sudden to a raw dog food thinking it might help heal her. She ate it good for awhile, but then she stopped eating and got so skinny that we almost put her down. But, for some reason, I thought it might be trapped gas so I found a supplement at The Vitamin Shoppe called PeppermintZ and gave it to her. She started releasing the gas, from both ends, and started eating again. I still had her on the raw dog food, not realizing that might be causing part of the problem. I thought it was due to the cancer. Then she lost her appetite again and even threw up a lot. So, this time I thought she was dying so I thought why not feed her what she loves if she is dying. So, I switched her back to canned Alpo. She got her appetite back and is doing great now. We also did a lot of alternative things like a zapper, supplements, Reiki, etc, and the vets are amazed at how well she is doing. They had us cut back her medicine and want us to have her blood tested again soon to see if she is maybe cured.

But, anyway, the point is that now I realize that the raw food diet was probably what was causing the gas and the throwing up. I should have transitioned her more slowly and added enzymes to her food. I did add some enzymes, but turns out it wasn't a very good brand. I went to a new pet food store today and bought a new raw dehydrated dog food I am going to try on her this time, with a better enzyme supplement. I talked to the owner of the store and when I told her what happened with the raw food last time, she said that does happen. That going to raw food too quickly and without some enzyme help can cause gas. I might alternate her with a cooked meal and a raw meal - a 50/50 raw/cooked food diet for awhile - to transition her. I think the throwing up might have been some of her toxins from her cancer she was getting rid of.

Probably more information than you wanted peony, but it's a fairly new realization for me and I wanted to share in case it would help. Take care.

Peony, btw, all links provided by people on this bulletin board display as just the main website they are from but when you actually click on them the link may be to a specific webpage on that website. So, trying clicking on that amazon link above that I provided and see what I mean. This confused me for awhile too, but that's how it works.

Thank you once more Karen. As someone who lost a beloved cat to cancer I can relate. My two are now raw, but not vegan. I think what you say makes sense. I think a lot of it just has to do with pride! I've always had "killer" digestion, and eat so much raw all the time anyway, it was puzzling, It's calming down. One thing I'm doing is eating less at each meal.

Which food are feeding your dog now? My cats get Nature's Variety.

Anyway - thanks again for fyour support!

Yeah, it is sad to lose them to cancer, isn't it? I've lost cats to cancer too. They were old though and died quickly and then the autopsy showed they had cancer and I had no idea. This is the first pet that I've had a chance to maybe save from cancer. We live in such a toxic world.

Nature's Variety? I hadn't heard of that. So that is a raw complete cat food? My cat is not eating raw yet. She refused and would have starved herself to death instead of eat it. I'm glad your not trying to feed them vegan, cats are definitely carnivores. My cat is a Maine Coone and she is eating Fancy Feast fish flavored with 3 Standard Process supplements and I take her to a holistic vet. She said my cat may need to get healthier before she is ready to switch to raw. I was feeding her dry food before, which was very bad for her.

I bought Force and Embark from The Honest Kitchen, it's raw dehydrated food that you rehydrate. They have a website at www.thehonestkitchen.com.

Eating less at each meal is a good idea. Keep me posted on how your are doing! Maybe you could start a journal in the raw diary forum, if you don't already have one.

Karen - here is a link in case you're curious. They have complete frozen patties and a raw, grain-free dry food. My cats are Maine Coons too!!

[www.naturesvariety.com]

A raw diary may come... if I get more time!

Peony,

If you are struggling with some gut distress you might be miscombining your foods or just hitting your gut with too much too fast. Try mono food meals for alittle and see if it helps. Then you can start adding more. Natalia Rose's book discusses food combining but I think that "The Raw Gourmet" by Nomi Shannon explains food combining better. Another outstanding resource is the website on raw, nutrition, and the body's response is

[ url]http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/[/url]

I just finihsed reading "The Master Cleanser" (Stanley Burroughs) and "Lose Weight, Have More Energy, and Be Happier in 10 Days (Peter Glickman, companion book to Master Cleanser). More so in the Glickman book than Burroughs is quite an explanation of Detox Symptoms and how to cope. In the Glickman book, something I found quite interesting is the topic of cravings. I thought I would write this here because I imagine one problem people have when making this change is craving SAD (that's Standard American Diet for those who are not sure what it means).

Anyway, as the body detoxes itself and all the toxins and junk are being released you often crave that which is currently being released. So if you ate tons of pizza and steak, at some point in your detox when all the 10-year old pizza and steak that is still lodged in your gut finally breaks free you will want to eat it. Same goes for drugs, meds, caffeine, etc.

I, too, had huge struggles with my shift because of multiple food allergies that were unmasked. Literally got to the point that all I could eat that did not cause a reaction was potatoes, zucchini, alfalfa and bean sprouts. For survival, I had to turn to cooked food. Plain baked potatoes became a delicasy for me. I can appreciate your desire to want to be 100% raw. However, your well-being (physical and mental) is way more important. I guess I am trying to say that don't be discouraged or feel like you are some failure by having to go to cooked food to help yourself transition. You are obviously smart enough to make wise choices otherwise you wouldn't be on this forum. I doubt you are running off to McDonalds right now.

In a number of posts, people have written like you that they were raw and then reverted back, etc. Using my own experience, I would guess that we try to transition too quickly, run into detox/frustration problems and decide to throw in the towel rather than ease up a bit for the body to adjust. Rather than be satisfied with 50-60% raw for a while we just give up. I also think I just tried to do too much too soon and was getting kinda burned out by the food prep - especially making all those gourmet raw dishes. (There is another post about that in here somewhere.)

Just like anything, each person has to find the right blend that works for them. Now, I am getting hooked on green smoothies (aka meal in a blender).

Good luck.

Patty

Okay, my link to www.rawfoodexplained.com didn't work. Let me try it again.

[www.rawfoodexplained.com]

Patty



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2007 01:55AM by Bryan.

Peony, that is such a coincidence that you have Maine Coon cats too! Mine is a silver female and I learned from my holistic vet that their immune systems are not as strong as the other colors. So I am trying very hard to keep her healthy. Do you use the frozen patties or the dry food from Nature's Valley?

Patty, good book and website recommendations. I agree that sometimes we need to transition slowly like with a 50% raw diet. Based on my experience with my dog where I think I almost killed her by trying to transition too quickly. She got so much gas and was in such pain. This one holistic doctor I knew would start people out slowly. If they hadn't touched any raw fruits or veggies in a long time, which many hadn't, he would suggest eating one apple a day, or adding some steamed veggies, or a salad, or skipping breakfast - whichever worked for them. Then once they had adjusted to that, he would up the ante.

Thanks sew raw. All good thoughts and ideas. I've never been a "typical" SAD eater - well maybe up until about age 15! That was back in the 70s! I even went raw back the 1980s for awhile. One problem I had..... OK I will just come out with it: I was addicted to M&Ms. There. It's out there! I would eat perfectly combined vegan and raw food all day and night. But at work I had this addiction going, and it was getting out of hand. I am now 31 days processed sugar (and M&M) free. It wasn't easy. I wonder if some of the gut issues were related to this withdrawal of sugar in some way. I have no clue. Anyway, I am done with sugar. Things are getting better now. Smaller and simpler meals seem to be helping a lot. I know I will get through it. Although at some point I will have to ride through the symptoms if I want to get to 100%. (I am not pressuring myself on this by the way, I'll get there when it's right...) Anyway... thanks for all the support!

Karen - my cats get both! They loved the raw patties but then got a bit finnicky. So they get a bit of both. Their coats are so unbelievably soft and shiny. My boy had a problem with diahrea when he was a kitten and I finally narrowed it down to grains. Can't even use the wheat based cat litter because they lick their paws and he would get the @#$%& from that! (Too much info coming from me now....)

Thanks

I was a sugar addict too, so I can so relate. Well, I guess I still am - I am just a recovering sugar addict now. I love peanut M&Ms and they provide them in the breakrooms at work. So much temptation. But I have not touched sugar in 3 months. Yeah! And you are doing great - one month sugar free, wow. Keep it up!

That was interesting about your cats and the wheat based cat litter. I will have to look at our clumping cat litter and see if it has any wheat in it.

Three months! Fantastic! I really am over the intense craving part and it's not so bad to just say no. I know how horrid processed sugar is for the body and that is what keeps me going. I think most cats probably tolerate the wheat litter, but my guy just had a really sensitive tummy.

speaking of sugar(s) i just got this in my email today




*THIS SHOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT USING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.....
IF YOU * *USE THEM???*

We live in the woods and carpenter ants are a huge problem. We have spent thousands of dollars with Orkin
and on ant poisons trying to keep them under control but nothing has helped. So when I read somewhere that
aspartame *(NutraSweet)* was actually developed as an ant poison and changed to being considered non-poisonous
after it was realized that a lot more money could be made on it as a sweetener than as an ant poison, I decided to
give it a try.

I opened two packets of aspartame sweetener, and dumped one in a corner of each of our bathrooms . That was
about 2 years ago and I have not seen any carpenter ants for about 9 to 12 months. It works better than the most
deadly poisons I have tried. Any time they show up again, I simply dump another package of NutraSweet in a corner,
and they will be gone for a year or so again. Since posting this information I have had many people tell me of their
success solving ant problems with this substance, when nothing else worked. I found later that small black ants would
not eat the aspartame. It was determined that if you mixed it with apple juice, they would quickly take it back to the
nest, and all would be dead within 24 hours, usually. I have found that sometimes it will kill them, and sometimes it
does not. Not sure why, may be slightly different species of ants or something.

Fire Ants: We got our first fire ant hill about 2 weeks ago. Poison did not work. We tried aspartame and the ants
ignored it until we got a light rain. It was just a sprinkle, enough to moisten the NutraSweet and ground, but not enough
to wash it away. They went crazy, hundreds of them grabbing it and taking it back into the mound. When I checked
the mound 2 days later, there was no sign of the fire ants. I even dug the mound up, and still saw none of them.

How does it Work: *Aspartame is a neuropoison.* It most likely kills the ants by interfering with their nervous system.
It could be direct, like stopping their heart, or something more subtle like killing their sense of taste so they can't figure
out what is edible, or smell, so they can't follow their trails, or mis-identify their colonies members, so they start fighting
each other. Not sure what causes them to end up dying, just know that for many species of ants it will kill them quickly
and effectively.

As with any poison I recommend wearing gloves and washing any skin areas that come in contact with this poison,
and avoid getting it in your mouth, despite anything the labeling may indicate.

More information on this poison can be found at:

*www.dorway.com*

<[www.dorway.com] >* *


*The Truth About Aspartame...

*Aspartame is NOT a natural substance!*

* Aspartame is NOT a Diet Enhancement product!*

*Aspartame is NOT safe - for ANYONE!*

*Aspartame is NOT a food "additive" *

*Aspartame is an UNREGULATED and UNSAFE DRUG!*

*Aspartame in liquids turns to FORMALDEHYDE above freezing!*

*Aspartame is even worse for DIABETICS!*

*Aspartame poisoning is cumulative (it adds up!)*

* Aspartame byproducts get stored in your FAT!*

*Aspartame has 92 "Official" Side Effects (the worst is DEATH!)*

* Aspartame MIMICS a wide range of problems*

*Aspartame side effects are USUALLY MISDIAGNOSED!*

*People with MS are warned to stay away from Aspartame!

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I just sent that to my parents. Thanks for posting!