Hi everyone!
I am new to raw food and was so excited to start. I bought books, a blender, and my dehydrator's in the mail. But I have been having some physical pains. My head hurts a lot, and right now I am in bed with a stomach ache. It also happened last week, right after my first raw meal. My mom says it's from the nuts, or too much "roughage." I really want this to work. I'm eating so many greens and fresh fruit and I was promised that it would help me feel better. What should I eat/ do/ change to avoid stomach and head upsets?
Thanks!
~Eliana

It does take time to get used to roughage. Also it sounds to me like it could be a mineral balance issue causing the headaches and possibly stomach upset as well. The mineral balance of fruits and greens is a lot different than what your body was probably used to. It takes several days to weeks for the body to transition. Programs like at nutritiondata.com can help check nutrient intakes.

Hi again ELight, a headache can also be caused by low blood sugar. It's common to come up short on calories with raw foods.

ill second what loeve says about the low blood sugar/headache, so many people dismiss it as "detox" instead when its likely the former.

see how you get on for a week or so and if theres no change then maybe you can partially go raw instead of full until your body adapts.

Third what loeve says about low blood sugar. Make sure you are eating to satisfy hunger and that you drink lots of water besides to help your body to process all that roughage; it can make you quite out-of-sorts initially. Good luck! : )

Hi ELight, way to go wanting to eat raw!!
I've been reading David Wolf's 'Sunfood Diet Success system.' He talks about (and what worked well for me when starting) is a mono diet; one food type at a time. The raw meals like 'hamburgers' and other cooked for copies are wonderful but because of the way different foods digest sometimes (especially when first transitioning) they can cause discomforts. I was so excited to eat at a raw food restaurant, when I did i had a 'hamburger' and i felt crampy and kind of nausous.
Fruits digest easier than veggies and nuts. If i want to eat more than one food i try to eat the 'lightest' or water dense food first, like an apple before a banana before an avocado.
try different methods and listen to your body. If you're not hungry, don't eat, if you want sugar eat sugary fruits, if you feel like you want/need protein eat a fattie fruit like avos.


Good luck!

anniebananie

I think the headaches and stomach aches are due to detoxing. You were probably a bit stopped up and the increased fiber is moving things a bit too quickly. The headaches are normal when you purify yourself (and I don't know if you have quit coffee, too, which could definitely be a withdrawal symptom). If you find you continue to have problems digesting, fermented veggies feel good to me. Just a thought. It's very easy to make your own raw kraut...

Thanks so much for your suggestions! I will keep you posted!
~ Eliana