Hi there,

7 days ago I've introduced more raw foods into my diet (50%) and I've also started drinking green smoothies, once or twice a day.

Last couple of days I've been sleeping less, and had alternating anergy levels. On day 7, yesterday, I've had some bad diarrhea at night, and today I am feeling sick, with dry mouth and minor headache and low energy.

I dont know could this be a detox effect from introducing raw foods? I am totally new to this diet, I was inspired by watching the video RAW FOR LIFE and decided to add some changes. Also I suspect maybe I could have had food poisoning from sauerkraut that I ate yesterday. Another suspicion is that adding more raw foods could have interfered with the antipsychotic medication I am taking ( that I have been tapering for a year).

Please help figuring this out, if you could. I am thinking of reseting my diet to before.

I don't think 50% of calories from raw food would cause a detox - though a change in diet to increase fiber intake could result in diarrhea (or it could be food poisoning). Probably depends on how high or low fiber your diet was prior.

The gut is the "roots" of the body (compare to a tree). Changing the diet is like changing the location of the tree to a new soil. To the brain, this does not make much sense but to the body it means a whole deal. The body could start detox symptoms like for example when the liver releases pockets of ancient stored bile. This could in turn create temporary diahrrea. Detox has many faces but with only 7 days in the new diet, that would be a guess. I would go throw the bumbs. Reducing fat or calories could also affect sleep.

Hello, and welcome, vaseadude!

I agree that a sudden increase of fiber and healthy liquids may be causing temporary digestive issues. Unless you were eating a very healthy diet before, it will take your body time to adjust.

Please browse older threads here to see if there's anything others may have experienced that could illuminate your situation for you. Good luck, and good healing

Thanks for your responses guys!

So is this type of reaction common? And if so, how long does it usually last (roughly)?

Also, would a more gradual, linear introduction of raw foods be better tolerated?

MY prior diet did not include processed foods, but included breads, meats, dairy, grains, vegetables, and occasionally raw stuff (5-10%).

In my green smooties I was blending stinging nettle (as I could get fresh Spring nettles from farmers) Could nettles be a problem?

THanks for the attention.

Could you tell us exactly what new raw foods you've introduced into your diet and exactly what you've been putting in your smoothies. Are you still eating meat, dairy and gluten? If so, I would suggest eliminating them. If you want to drag it out, I'd eliminate meat first for a month, the next month eliminate dairy, the next month eliminate gluten-containing grains. There's still plenty to eat without those groups.

2 thoughts

You are just detoxing

OR

You are not combining foods properly

Hang in there and don't give up no matter what!!

Mindy

I think it's TOTALLY detox! I am not sure why some people on here start with that premise. As for "only" being 50% raw, that is a lot when SADsters are probably eating 10% raw if they're lucky. And green smoothies are majorly detoxing. The alternating levels of energy is a big clue. I have heard people who go 100% say they feel like crap, then feel amazing and then have days where they get hit with another round of detox. Cewl beans in a way...

I agree with banana on the whole 50% thing. That can be quite a radical change for a SAD body.

Mindy





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2013 09:38PM by mindy66.

Sorry, I meant to say that I cannot understand why more people on here DON'T first assume it's detox before suggesting other possibilities.

I was never a big believer in the whole "it's detox" meme. And I don't think you can 'detox' if you're not eating 100% raw. Because I think you feel better, not worse, if you're eating more raw. So if you ARE feeling worse, it's because you have a health issue or else some new food you're eating is affecting you and making you feel worse.

For example - You've upped your raw food to 75% and suddenly you're getting headaches, and it's because you're eating a big salad every day and oil gives you headaches. It's not 'detox', it's the oil.

Another example - Let's say you upped your raw food to 75% and you're suddenly very tired every evening, and it's because you're eating a handful of nuts every day that you weren't previously eating, and nuts make you tired. It's not 'detox', it's the nuts. (Or an underlying condition of weak liver or gall bladder problem, etc.)

Another example - Let's say you stop eating meat and eat 100% raw, but you feel weak and you're heart is pounding and you feel anxiety. It's not the Raw Food Diet; it's not 'detox', it's that you have an underlying condition - a blood sugar problem.

I have a big problem with using 'it's detox' for every diet issue, especially if a person isn't even 100% raw.

Just be careful with the fermented stuff, I think that is where your issue is right now. Introduce things slowly, the raw organic will have some detox affect but nothing to bad. It's when you get into other things that you might have an issue. Clearly you have poisoned yourself with the sauerkraut. Lots of raw organic veggies are a great addition to any diet! I have never had an issue with more more veggies to a regular diet that's ridiculos. If anything you should feel better when eating more veggies.

I tried this quercetin/stinging nettle supplement, and I had a bowel issue and one of my legs felt prickly/pins and needles for days. So it could have been the nettles that caused your problems.

[www.amazon.com]

Thanks for all your inputs, peoples!
I have some bad news to share tough... Yesterday I felt so sick that I had to call the ambulance. It was really awful. The doctors told me that it's not food poisoning, and that it is probably pancreatitis, and I scheduled an appointment for a doctor on Monday.

I've been having digestive upset for quite a while now, probably caused by my medication. Studies directly link this medication to diabetes and other digestive problems. I thought improving my diet would make it better, but I guess it made it go off the roof.

Not giving up on the raw foods idea though... the idea of eating a NATURAL diet for humans - it is still friendly with me. I just think that I will defer the diet change, and first remove the cause of these digestive problems, which is the toxic meds that I am on.

Peace to all!

Hope you get better, soon, vaseadude! Best of healing to you!

Sounds like a good plan (working towards getting rid of meds with new lifestyle). I am working towards the same thing!

Hope you feel much better very soon.

Another thought...Have you studied up on Food Combining? It is critical, most especially for folks with digestive issues. Makes a tremendous difference.

Mindy

Hey Mindy! Thanks for the suggestion. Can you recommend any good resources or books on food combining?

Btw, I doubt it was pancreatitis now, but just hellish withdrawal from meds caused by the diet change. I recommend people on psych meds to be really careful with such radical diet changes, it can really mess you up as it did for me.

Peace!

Question: are you still taking the meds or have you eliminated them totally? From a recent post it sounds like you are still taking them. Please don't blame the diet (not saying you really are doing so). It IS purifying your system, hence the meds affecting you even more so. Actually, it should highlight how cleansing this type of eating is and how toxic meds are. I am glad you are being very careful in how you get off it, however. I think you are on the right track.

Weird. I made a reply this morning but maybe I forgot to click "Post".

Anyhoo, Herbert Shelton wrote a book called Food Combining Made Easy. I think you can even read it for free on soilandhealth.org

Mindy

Thanks a lot! Maybe I will check it sometime in the future after I stabilize.

Banana Who, yes I was thinking that as a possibility. I am also curious if other people have found this diet helpful to get off psych meds, and how did they go about it. If youve ever heard of such experiences please share.

Peace!