I am currently spending some time with my folks at a spa. I just did some low key hot-cold water treatments and ate the detox diet, which consists of fruit in the morning, salad bar (mostly greens and cucumber, but I did have some sauerkraut and something with a vinegar dressing) and fresh fruit juices for lunch, a vegan broth for dinner. I have been doing this for three days now, but find myself very bloated (water retention, not digestive), my period is starting/stopping/starting, super tired (I am usually not jet lagged, but maybe thats what it is?), for the first time since going high raw vegan I am constipated! In general just not feeling well. I ate enough calories, as I did not want to put myself through too much detox after the trip, so except for the fruit juices and the vinegar dressing there is not much of a departure from my usual diet. When I started feeling crummy I saw an Ayurvedic and a TCM Dr here. Of course they both blamed it on the raw food diet. Told me to eat meat and protein. Their assessment was that my spleen and kidney energies are depleted and that I needed to eat warming foods.

I am familiar with these kinds of assessments and have heard and read about them before. Not sure what to make of it. Even less sure how to help myself, especially the water retention is really annoying. Out of sorts, out of rhythm. In listening to my body I strongly get how much I miss my green juices (the Doctors here said not to eat salad, as its too cooling).

Any thoughts to any of the above?
Thanks

Well, i'm having the same problems, only i didn't see a doctor and I am eating 90% raw. So..i am really interested as to what anyone else could give as advice?

Of course there are so many factors that could be causing this that it's impossible to accurately say based on the limited info, but what jumps out to me is the "vegan broth." Almost every vegan broth I've ever seen is quite salty, and any very liquid, salty substance will cause water retention in most people. Don't know how much salt you eat in your raw diet at home, but the sauerkraut is also likely to be very salty.

thanks for your replies.

doghouse, that broth was part of the detox thing, so low salt. I eat no overt salt at all at home except for a little miso. If I get the salt itch I'll juice some cellery. That would feel so balancing right now - some cellery juice and some greens! I miss my greenstar.
I am wondering if my hormones are just out of whack and thats part of it. After all my body is dipping in and out of my period. Since going high raw vegan I have not had water retention like this ever, however.

Thanks for your input

i too also am always on constant low-sodium watch and it seems to have no effect with or without salt on me, at least.

Perhaps not enough salt...Maybe your cells aren't absorbing the water and retaining it outside of your cells.

I get all my salt in simple natural foods because chemical salt that is not from a food source does not work well in my body. Especially problematic is salt that has been mined from the ground or dried from the sea and has not been incorporated by a plant into its plant structure.

For me, any added salt at all in my raw food diet can cause a lot of problems with bloating and constipation (although a reasonable amount of seaweed is good).

Also:

-Whole fruit or whole fruit smoothies are better than fruit juice if you happen to be constipated. Fruit juice lacks the fiber.

-Maybe try lemon and cold pressed organic olive oil, or lemon and avocado instead of vinegar dressing.

-Exercise, especially as we get a little older, is absolutely essential, no matter how good our diet is. Exercise strengthens muscles - including the muscles used in elimination - and speeds metabolism. Even just walking long distances if you have the time, is very good for helping to prevent constipation. Yoga - especially the inverted poses - is VERY helpful.

-If you're able to do one good 36-hour (all day and night) water fast per week (or even 2 per week), that'll definitely keep things moving. I really believe that no matter how clean we are, our bodies appreciate the chance to rest and get rid of the old cells to make room for the new. Kind of like rewinding a clock.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2008 12:35AM by suncloud.

i just read a little about oriental medicine as well, and it may hold some of your answers.. it sounds like what your doctors were suggesting -- since the fruit clearly isn't working for either of us

[www.natural-health-remedies.net]

other then that i'm still on the look out