Hello my friends,

I need some advice from all you Raw health experts. My best friend really wants to go Raw but she is struggling with some really weird symptoms. Any advice you could offer would be helpful. She is willing to try anything to get her body in better health.

Whenever she eats raw foods here is what she goes through:
Kind of like heartburn, heat in her stomach, her entire esophagus feels itchy. The itchiest part is the larynx in the throat and spreads into her inner ear and down into her stomach. She thinks it might be some kind of allergic reaction because it spreads out and feels similar to what people often describe when they say they have a specific food allergy. The top of her throat feels like it’s closing a little, and her tongue feels like it’s getting fatter. She feels nausea, and it comes in waves, but has never thrown up from it.

She breathes through it….water doesn’t help much. Bread and ice cream are the only things that help make her symptoms go away, or any kind of dairy product seems to help; and it only requires a few bites for relief to begin. Sometimes nothing helps and there is no relief, and she will feel ill for the better part of an hour or so. The symptoms eventually fade into a dull annoyance, and she finds herself swallowing constantly, kind of like itching the throat and keeping from getting sick, simultaneously.

She really wants to go Raw but these symptoms are debilitating and seem completely random. She’s not sure what causes them but has had these issues since she was about 8 years old. She is now 27. Organic produce do seem to help to some degree. Some items she’s fine with one day, and next time it causes a problem. One day she can eat nuts, the next day one bite makes her feel sick! Also, sometimes the symptoms occur immediately, after one bite, and sometimes it takes a few minutes for the reaction to occur. She has thought about seeing a nutritionist about it but feels that it may be some kind of rare disorder and that no one will know what the heck is going on. Many friends and family have tried to tell her its all in her head… if she eats the SAME foods COOKED, she NEVER has a problem!

Now, she has done a lot of cleansing. The Dr. Natura cleanses for years, 3 day apple cleanses, and so it doesn’t seem to be because of toxins…or is it??? Do you guys think it could be an allergic reaction to the live enzymes?

Any words of wisdom on this subject would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you guys for all your suggestions!!

Jen Rose

"You must first unlearn the lies, and then you will have room for the truth"

Your friend is very sick. She is allergic to the raw foods, but it is possible for her health to be restored. She might want to find some water fasting therapists, say like Dr Doug Graham or Dr Vivian Vetrano or some other supervised fasting clinic, and allow herself to fast until her body heals. During her re-alimentation phase she can find out what foods do and don't work after her body has had a chance to detoxify itself from its current state. Still, it make take years before she can eat all the raw foods that most people can eat, as this kind of healing is more of a process than an event.

Alternatively, she can figure out what raw foods work for her now, and slowly incorporate more of those foods until the unhealthful foods are eliminated. Certainly she should be looking at getting rid of animal products, processed foods, and focus on a simple vegan cooked diet at first.

yes, i agree, she might be allergic to only some/few raw foods, not all of them...& might do fine, for now, on those that don't bother her...
i would experiment & try to find out which ones r the guilty ones
LOVE & BLESSINGS, Basia

her digestive system is definitely compromised! I would try many different raw fruit and/or veggie juices until you find the ones that your system will accept. I agree with the idea of fasting on water as part of a healing program. I would also suggest looking into digestive enzymes *vegan and probiotic supplements *raw. -good journey

\
did u say that

only bread and ice cream helps her?

then give her an ice cream sandiwch every day
just sounds nice
i think
ice cream sandwich
ice cream sandwich
ice cream sandwich
every
day!

just make the bread raw
and make the ice cream out of something raw too

use ze imagination

okay
i don't know
sounds awful

how sad what SAD does to put the immunity into a sad state of affairs

time for a major fast
not much else that can be done here
doncha think?

her body cant recognize what is what
it needs to get "intelligent' again

It's exactly as said above:

She CAN'T be alergic to ALL fresh, raw plant foods. Just find the ones that she loves.....and reacts well to. Try to keep meals light, simple and non-combined as much as possible.

-Be aware that a higher percentage of raw.....might equal a higher sensitivity to crap! LOL.

-Start with where she is VERY comfortable right NOW - and stretch from there. There is no artificial standard for what raw is.....and no raw food cops to enforce it. It is only the judgment in a person's own mind.

-Bless you and strength to you.

-David Mason

Bless you guys for your help...she is sitting with me now reading this and is considering ALL of your advise....THANK YOU!!

Jen Rose

"You must first unlearn the lies, and then you will have room for the truth"

Hello ALL! This is Lisa, the friend Jen was speaking about in the above thread. I wanted to share my story with you all, those who are raw veterans and those who are newer to this lifestyle.

That original post seems so far away now! Since then, I did raw vegan at an average of 65% per day for about 3 months. Then at Thansgiving time, all bets were off! From then to New Years Eve, I binged on anything bad I could get my hands on. It was my fun way of saying GOOD BYE to SAD foods!!! I decided to commit myself to 100% RAW for the entire year of 2007 (and hopefully forever...)!!! I felt I needed a good detox, so I did a 7 day juice fast, with the last three days eating some fresh fruits. I did an enema at the end of each day as well. What a great experience! The first two days were soooooooo hard. I was a major caffeine ADDICT so the headaches were unbeleivable! But I read something saying it was kinda ok to take an aleve or whatever, so i did (just so I could function!). But the rest of the cleanse was great, I was hardly hungry and the fresh juices really satisfied. I am on my first day of eating solid foods now, and YES 100% totally RAW!

I spent a few hours over the last week reading raw food 'cookbooks' and choosing the recipes to try this week. I figure i will make about a dozen things each week so I never feel bored and I am always excited and satisfied. This week I am making flax crackers, sunflower nut pate, ceasar salad, marinated portabellos, and broccoli with 'chedda' sauce, just to name a few. Oh and don't forget the fudge, and the cheescake! ALL RAW and VEGAN!!! Sounds amazing, huh!

So... the real reason I am writing isn't to brag, but to share what I feel like is a bit of a miracle, at least for my life. Recall all those weird RAW "allergies" I was experiencing??? Well, they were very REAL, and very debilitating. But this week I was not only ABLE to eat but also CRAVING some of the foods that previously made me feel sick, and guess what??? YEP! I had NOOOOOO problem with them. I am eating a raw banana for the first time in YEARS right now! I had guacamole today too, and mangos - they used to make me so sick if I just had one bite! So. Raw foodism is REAL and it WORKS. I want to share that with the world!!!

Peace and Blessings,

Lisa Renee

Lisa Renee

“There is nothing to fear but fear itself!” (An oldie but goodie)

what an exciting adventure you are on, lisa! congratulations with you success, and best wishes to enjoy the journey!


samina

What a great story. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa:

Always remember: YOUR BODY KNOWS BEST! Initially it had to adjust to raw foods, after many years of not having been exposed so thoroughly to them. But see how incredible the body is? Within a week you're experiencing major changes. Imagine how healthy you will be a year into your raw foods life?

Congrats on your success to date. More to come!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blissed be, Annie

Anne Kaspar
BodyByBliss.com
bodybybliss@gmail.com
505.690.0169

Lisa,
Congratulations on your successessful start! I don't want to burst your bubble, but I would like to stress the word START. There's more to go. Think of your health problems as an onion......you've just peeled the first layer off. Or.... I'm thinking of the quote, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

Remember your health deteriorated over a period of years and a 7 day juice and fruit fast couldn't possibly undo the damage and remove the toxins which have accumulated. There's more work to be done.

Most raw fooders I know have gone through periods of cleansing and detoxifying over a period of years.

It is said that the human body replaces all 18 TRILLION of it's cells over a 7 year cycle. So if you stay raw and continue to improve your health, in seven years you will have rebuilt a raw healthy body free of the old toxins and cells damaged by the abuses of the modern SAD.

Of course you should celebrate your successes; you earned them. However, one of the pitfall stories that gets told over and over again is the one of how great everything felt at first and then things started going awry, which lead to backsliding or people abandonding raw altogether.

Wishing you good health and continued success,
Uti

"allergies" are being caused by parasites, bacteria, funghus rapidly overgrowing, And body trying to get ridd of them(fever, vomiting, diarrhea, skin problems, and many other)

Several days of drinking large quantities of water (BEFORE going raw), or before each meal, and taking some herbs speeds up cleansing, and WORKS WONDERS.

sometimes eating a 2 cloves of garlic RAW can alone "stabilize"(kill) all bacteria in stomach, allowing for a quick start on eating raw foods, Yet.. NATURE DOES NOT Like word QUICK!

..so take Your time, that is to: anybody that may have similar symptoms.

Free, Open source.Healthy
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an acronym that stands for, False Evidence Appearing Real
F.A.I.T.H. - the First Attribute IN Thoughtful
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