Hi Everyone (apologies in advance for the long post)

This is my first time posting - I have been trying over the last 6 months to make the raw diet work for me. But I have been having debilitating psychosis and fatigue that I wanted to see if anyone can help.

About 3 months ago, I started eating raw having read Frederick Patenaude and Steve Pavlina's blog. I have included an example day below, with the calorie stats. I was doing fine for 2 weeks at work, then I went to my mums for 2 weeks (eating organic produce only), and then when I returned to work, I was in tear the whole day, having suicidal thoughts and shouting at my family after work.

I have been under extreme pressure recently, the 2 weeks with my mum was for her sugery for a full hysterectomy/removal of cancer. Also, I am deeply frustrated with my job in the city since 2002 which I have to keep for financial reasons. I have been trying to develop home-working opportunities, none of which have really succeeded.

I don't really know what happened, but 2 days before going back to work, I couldn't stop crying all day and that first week back at work. The only thing that brought back my sanity was eating protein.

It is also possible, that switching back from organic to ordinary fruit/veg affected me. I now also know that I should have been taking a Vitamin B12 supplement.

Please, can someone help me - I know that I want to eat raw, but is this something I might have to postpone until I have a less-stressful lifestyle? But everything I have read, says that if your fat is low, and your calories are up, you shouldn't be having hypoglcemia problems?

JaneA




Health challenges: Hypoglycemia, Candida, fatigue (possibly worn out adrenals), Anger/Depression (food related), Dandruff

I tried to eat 1,000 calories before midday and eat every 3 hours
I always make sure I eat at least 1800 cals a day (I am 160lbs/11.25 stone)
Take 3 bottles of chilled smoothies to work with me - commute in to the city 1.5 hrs twice a day. I am a mum of one, so I have to economise on food prep in the evening because I am tired
No supplements at this time

DRINKS: Peppermint tea x3 Water 1-2 litres
TOTAL CALS: 1800-2500 per day
BREAKDOWN: This example is Carb 89%, Fat 4%, Protein 7%
(Sometimes fat is more, if I have an avocado)

7.30AM BREAKFAST (approx 475 cals)
4 Bananas
1/2cup Blueberries or Strawberries
70g Spinach or Kale

10.30AM MID MORNING (approx 475 cals)
4 Bananas
1/2cup Blueberries or Strawberries
70g Spinach or Kale

1.30PM LUNCH (approx 475 cals)
4 Bananas
1/2cup Blueberries or Strawberries
70g Spinach or Kale

4.30PM MID AFTERNOON (approx 500-700)
1/2 Watermelon or apples/oranges

7.30PM DINNER (approx 600)
3/4 Mixed fruit salad:
2 Oranges
1 Nectarine
2 Apples
1/2 Mango
1 Large mixed salad with lemon & olive oil (1tsp) dressing,tomatoes, cucumber etc

10.30PM
1/4 remaining fruit salad

Hi Jane,sorry about that.Have you done colonics?Maybe it will help with the poison that you are eliminating.I am a very fund of colonics.

Sorry about all the stress
Diet is not everything...
Some things to wonder about:

1) Do you have someone to talk to that you trust?
This is very important. If there is no one, find a support group of some sort.
Going thru what you're going thru requires real person to person support.

2) How do you KNOW you have hypoglycemia? Eating protein could simply be slowing down detox. Hard to know...

3) Are you getting enough sleep?

4) Are you taking a multi vitamin or just B 12 ?

5) What does this mean?: <<DRINKS: Peppermint tea x3 Water 1-2 litres >>
...if it means up to 6 quarts of water a day, then that is too much, unless you live in the tropics--the general rule is drink when thirsty--don't force water down.

6) How is your elimination? How do all those "chilled smoothies" feel in your stomach? Your dinner includes oil and fruit which is a bad combination, especially the sweet fruit & oil. Also according to food combining melon should be eaten alone. Research food combining on the web.

7) Do you get some exercise? -- even if just walking for 20 minutes a day?

8) Do you have activities you enjoy?...that are somewhat relaxing?

9) #1) is most important

Good luck & Hang in there, you've made a great start, making changes and reaching out...

all the crying was a release from all the pent up fears and emotions and stresses you`ve been going through ever since your mom was diagnosed with cancer. i lost my sister on feb 12th after a long miserable battle. during those 3 years i cried almost every time i thought of her, and i screamed and yelled at god weekly for allowing this to happen to her and her family....i know reasonably "he" wasn`t to blame but ...it`s a long story and off topic for this forum. i just want you to know i`m here for you if you need to "talk". take the necessary steps to heal your body and mind and be gentle on yourself.
patty

SAD food has always been my numbing drug of choice. It's heavy to digest and distracts me from feeling anything of consequence. When I'm raw, I don't have that to fall back on, all of the repressed emotion comes out.

Working on the mental as well as the physical is very important. I've been using EFT to help me through the rough spots. It's like acupressure for emotional difficulties. You can download the free instructions at emofree.com

Good Luck!

JaneA,

Given the symptoms you have, a low fat raw vegan diet will help. However, this diet will make you more sensitive and you will feel more of your pain that is already inside your body. While this is a healthy thing to do, it may be too intense for what is happening in your life, plus you may have some healing to do spiritually/emotionally/psychologically.

I would take the raw diet slowly, transitioning from your existing diet to a raw diet over a longer stretch of time. This will allow you to gently deal with the emotions and feeling that have been stuffed inside you over the years, and perhaps you can find people to work with who will help you the the spiritual emotional aspect of your healing.

The best part about the food that you listed is that you spead it out throughout the day in small meals! But, it combines fruit and veggies in a way that is bound to upset digestion and agrevate candida. Fruit should ideally be eaten alone and on a empty stomach for the best digestion. If it is eaten with greens it will slow down digestion and ferment, the fermenting will agrevate candida by giving the candida fuel.

I would eat fruits all morning,
then have a period where you eat your greens, fats and proteins,
then if you are hungry later, eat more fruit.

Mixing them up all day long isn't really needed, I know there is prevailing wisdom in the SAD diet that you should eat a protein at every meal, but it is actually easier to digest them separately.

I notice that you aren't eating any dried fruit and they are a good source of calories, 4 dates are 100 calories and have little fat.

I notice also that you are really low fat, but are eating a tsp of olive oil. If you want to "spend" your fat calories better, ground seeds on top of your salad would be better. There are so many useful nutrients in seeds: magnesium, zinc (pumpkin seeds), calcium (sesame seeds), vitamin E (sunflower seeds) all seeds have these nutrients but those particular seeds are high in those nutrients. That should give you the protein you might have been missing that particular day.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2008 07:06AM by Lillianswan.

Hi Jane A

i'm really sorry that you are feeling this way
i hope that you experience progress soon

Oh thanks guys, you've really encouraged me.

I think I will take it a bit slower, I am a bit of a perfectionist and threw myself in at the deep end. The detox physically and emotionally was probably more than I can handle at the mo.

I will keep going. And hopefully I can post my success story sometime in the future!

Thanks again.

Jane