Just in case anyone's interested in my personal little experiment.....

I don't know if people remember, but a while ago I stopped eating greens because they were giving me trouble. I wanted to see if eating just fruits and nuts/seeds would be OK for me.

Well, the results of my experiment were:

I got hungry without the greens!

So here is what's helping me to now eat a lot more greens:

First, I reduced my fats consumption down to 10% - 20%. Surprisingly, that made it a lot easier to run because I no longer get side pains! Side pains have been my running nemesis for years! No more!

Second, since I no longer have side pains, I started running a lot more. I'm up to about 20 miles a week, running every other day.

And third, surprise! Since I started running so much, I can now eat a lot more greens. I'm eating them every other day - lots! Before, I could only eat this many greens if I fasted twice a week. It wasn't just the fats reduction that did it (I've tried that before). It was the combination of reducing the fats and increasing the running. Maybe someday I'll be able to eat greens everyday. But if not, this is OK. A tremendous improvement, and my energy level has soared!

Hi suncloud.
Great result. Brilliant news about no longer experiencing the side pains.
I get hungry if i exclude greens.

What sort of trouble were greens giving you?

I haven't been able to run for over three months due to an ankle injury.
I really miss it. I don't experience those wonderful high energy levels if I'm not able to run.
I'm so pleased that you have found positive breakthroughs whilst experimenting.
Its just great when that happens!

Thanks Fruit Faery!

Cute name, and cute puppy!

Sorry about your ankle. Maybe soon you will be out there running again! I hope so.

In answer to your question, here's my usual symptoms from greens, excerpted from the former post:

-Swollen eyes, sometimes almost swollen shut - especially in the morning, and worse for every day that I eat greens without a break.
-dry and itchy skin, especially on my upper arms (but I can feel it all over). My arms get so bad that I scratch in my sleep and break the skin, even with applying aloe vera or calendula or a moisturizer before bed and during the night.
-sheer and utter exhaustion
-loss of muscle tone
-some stomach pain, but usually not much. No nausea.
-bleeding when I @#$%&

Very uncomfortable, but you're right: positive breakthroughs are great!

Please get well soon, and thank you for your encouragement!

suncloud,

I am so glad that things are improving for you! I remember reading with some distress about the severe reaction to greens you were having, as I believe even a small amount of them is essential to good health for most people--the minerals, you know. It is great how you are working out a formula that you can thrive on. Congrats!

Thank you Tamukha,

I owe you and Bryan both some thanks for all your posts about reducing the fats.

I'll probably always eat some nuts and seeds. I do believe they're a good food; but if possible, it does seem best to eat a very moderate amount. That's definitely helped me, in a way that I wouldn't have figured.

About the side pains, are you sure you are breathing properly? I'm a runner. My running coach taught me, many years ago, that side pains are caused from not breathing properly. You need to relax and breath. Glad that your side pains have gone away though -- no matter what was causing them.

Glad you brought that up Molli. I did discover some time ago that breathing deeply helps...a lot!

I noticed that when I ran uphill, the cramps often went away. I couldn't figure it out at first, until I realized that I was breathing more deeply when I ran uphill. I normally breathe somewhat deeply anyway - uphill, 3 steps for an inhale, 3 steps for an exhale (I'm a slow runner, so that's fairly deep). Downhill and flat, 4 steps works very well for me and is very relaxing. But during a cramp, it wasn't enough. I tried to bring it up to 5 and even 7 or 10. That can be difficult to maintain during running. It works maybe 50% of the time. Sometimes the deeper breathing would cause me to burp, and the cramp would go away (more proof of the link between the cramps and diet). But often, the deeper breathing would not work well enough (for me). The cramp would get worse and worse until I just didn't want to struggle with it anymore.

Now though, I don't get cramps at all! It's very amazing. I stay at 3 or 4 steps for each inhale/exhale, and I'm perfectly fine.

I also always breathe through my nose into my abdomen when I run.

Um Bryan, are you around? What's the possibility of having a forum here dedicated to exercise? Exercise and strength development are such important components of good health and general well-being. And I think folks should know that strenous exercise is enhanced with a raw food diet, and a raw food diet is enhanced by exercise.

Also, since exercise makes us healthier, we become better examples to others of what raw food has to offer. And our exercise performance - like say running marathons, etc., provides excellent evidence that a raw food diet works!

I think people like Molli, who has been a runner for years, would have a lot to offer to this website in discussions devoted to exercise/raw food diet!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2009 06:37PM by suncloud.

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just in case anyone's interested in my personal
> little experiment.....
>
> I don't know if people remember, but a while ago I
> stopped eating greens because they were giving me
> trouble. I wanted to see if eating just fruits
> and nuts/seeds would be OK for me.
>
> Well, the results of my experiment were:
>
> I got hungry without the greens!
>
> So here is what's helping me to now eat a lot more
> greens:
>
> First, I reduced my fats consumption down to 10% -
> 20%. Surprisingly, that made it a lot easier to
> run because I no longer get side pains! Side
> pains have been my running nemesis for years! No
> more!
>
> Second, since I no longer have side pains, I
> started running a lot more. I'm up to about 20
> miles a week, running every other day.
>
> And third, surprise! Since I started running so
> much, I can now eat a lot more greens. I'm eating
> them every other day - lots! Before, I could only
> eat this many greens if I fasted twice a week. It
> wasn't just the fats reduction that did it (I've
> tried that before). It was the combination of
> reducing the fats and increasing the running.
> Maybe someday I'll be able to eat greens everyday.
> But if not, this is OK. A tremendous
> improvement, and my energy level has soared!

Suncloud,

Glad you have been able to reincoroporate greens into your life. They currently make up about 80 percent of my diet (by weight) in juices, salads, and soups. I've made a habit of giving the cruciferous vegetables, kale, collards, watercress, turnip greens, beet greens and brocolli sprouts priority since they are so much better than other vegetables in fighting cancer. Best to you.

Paul

Thanks Paul. And best to you too!

very cool suncloud ! way to go to tweak things and make em work for you

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks Jgunn!

You and many others on this forum have been so helpful, encouraging, and inspirational to me. I'm very grateful to be able to come here!

Hope things are going well for you. I tried sending you a PM a few days ago, but your inbox was stuffed full of messages from all your other friends! Just wanted to send you a cyber-hug, so I'll take this opportunity to send it to you now: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

(And a hug for your new little doggie too!)

*makes a big squeeky toy noise from the hug*

i cleared my box sorry bout that im usually better on that lately lol

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> In answer to your question, here's my usual
> symptoms from greens, excerpted from the former
> post:
>
> -Swollen eyes, sometimes almost swollen shut -
> especially in the morning, and worse for every day
> that I eat greens without a break.
> -dry and itchy skin, especially on my upper arms
> (but I can feel it all over). My arms get so bad
> that I scratch in my sleep and break the skin,
> even with applying aloe vera or calendula or a
> moisturizer before bed and during the night.
> -sheer and utter exhaustion
> -loss of muscle tone
> -some stomach pain, but usually not much. No
> nausea.
> -bleeding when I @#$%&
>
> Years ago, I juiced some old, stringy beans with my usual veggies. I experienced some of the symptoms you listed above. Immediate total exhaustion, stomach pain (no nausea) and my eyes itched for a couple of days afterwards.
Those symptoms that you listed above are very strong reactions.

If i don't have time to clean the juicer and i want a quick pick me up before exercising, i will blend lettuce with water in the VM, strain and add a little ice
and lemon. Its really refreshing.

Breathing correctly is the key, including actually stopping the run and breathing into the existing pain to relieve it.
Hope things continue to improve for you
ffx

Hi Fruit Faery,

Yes, that's exactly what it feels like: "immediate total exhaustion". It's not so bad though as long as I'm aware of it. I just have to go a little easy on the greens and make sure I run enough or whatever.

Thanks for the running tip. "Stopping"! What a concept! Never even thought of that! Weird, huh?

Well, anyway, the side pains have still not come back (since I lowered the fats). Hopefully I won't have to deal with side pains ever again! And my greens symptoms have subsided considerably with all the running.

I do notice some eye-swelling though recently, and my face broke out (I'm 58).

I think I need to incorporate one day of fasting/week. Fasting always helps, no matter what! For some reason, my body seems to have trouble getting rid of whatever waste products come with eating greens. I really think that's the crux of the issue, and that's why running and/or fasting helps so much.

How's your ankle doing? Getting better?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2009 05:56AM by suncloud.

That's wonderful news, Suncloud! I'm so happy for you. And thank you for posting your experimental results-- very helpful and interesting. Invariably when I read your posts about your food combining 'adventures' I always get inspired to be more thoughtful about the way I eat and combine the components of my own raw food diet.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Fruit Faery,
>
>>
> Thanks for the running tip. "Stopping"! What a
> concept! Never even thought of that! Weird,
> huh?
>
>Yeah!
I had trouble with this one!

You asked about my ankle. Not moving forward with this at the moment. I have an appointment with the osteopath tomorrow. I somehow managed to shunt the foot forwards whilst turning and twisting . This damaged a bunch of things including the peroneus longus and brevis tendons. Its just taking soooooo long to heal!
You know what its like when you cant go running. I can walk on it pain free, so im trying to be grateful for that!

ffx

The Fruit Faery,

You might consider replacing running with bicycling for awhile. I bike around a lot and I just love it. Yesterday I went for a fairly long ride to the HFS in town via some street riding and a long bike trail that follows the river downhill. The buses here have bike racks on them and I put my bike on that and it brought me and my shopping items back up on the hill. I've been smiling and thinking about the bike ride since. Even the short rides feel good.

EZ rider

Yes, you are right. I have been thinking about buying a bike again.
Maybe I will do something about it now!
I spend most of my free time walking the dogs, but i need to put myself first here! I just didn't expect the healing to take so long, but it has, so its time to sort it out. Thanks for the the prompt!
ffx

Hi Sharrhan,

Thanks!

Hi fruit faery,

Darn! Sorry your ankle is taking a long time to heal. Meantime, it would be great fun to have a new bike. Maybe when your ankle heals, you'll be biking and running too!

Maybe, if you're not already doing yoga, you might try going very easy on your ankle with a few simple poses. Might help correct any alignment problems, as long as you go really easy without pushing it.

Good thing you can walk without pain. I think walking is very healing. And I bet your dogs are happy to go walking with you!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2009 07:17PM by suncloud.

Hi Suncloud
Im still practicing yoga and meditation daily. Its responsible for keeping me slightly sane!
The osteopath lent me a wobble board to help strengthen the damaged area.

I have been investigating a pilates machine with a mini trampoline attached to the base. The exercises are non weight bearing so it may be an ideal choice for me just now. More expense, but if it works then its worth it!
Hows it going with the greens?

Hi Fruit Faery,

Hope your ankle is doing better. Did you get the exercise equipment?

Greens are doing good. Just need to add a weekly fast, and I think things will be perfect. Waaaaayyyyyy too busy to fast last week, but tomorrow......

Tomorrow is always good! Full of promise!

I'm waiting for the machine to come on offer. Reduction expected soon.
Meanwhile i have been searching for a second hand machine. Whatever happens first!