I have chronically dry eyes, now for about 15 years, although they have gotten much worse in the last 5 years.

When I drink 2 litres (2.1 quart) of water or more a day my eyes are slightly better. I can even feel some moisture and coolness behind my left eyelid.

Yesterday, someone sent my family a cake. Even though I am on a mostly raw diet, I felt like having a spoon of it and did. My body urged me to have more and I ended up having a rather significant amount - about a quarter of the whole cake.

I felt my body becoming sluggish because of the sugar, but I also felt that the egg in the cake had done me some good.

In the next few hours my eyes felt much better. I felt the same sense of moistness and coolness that I feel when I am hydrated, but this time more than just slightly. After several weeks I experienced my eyes feeling and functioning near normal, without a sense of dryness or fatigue.

This lasted for 5-6 hours. Then it was time to sleep. I woke up in the morning and feel the dryness again.

Additionally, one of my long term health issues is a mild pressure or ache around the heart, which the doctors have been unable to diagnose. Most of the day it is not there, but I do feel it intermittently everyday for perhaps 2-3 hours. In the hours following the cake binge, this pressure came back.

How can I understand this experience?

I make sense of this in this way - my body needs fat. The egg yolk in the cake made me eat a lot of it. The fat gave moisture to my eyes - which was much needed. But the quality of this fat is not really good since it contains 50% saturated. I am not sure about this but it seems like the only fat which is healthy, that too if not taken in extremes, is unsaturated fat. Given the high degree of unhealthy fat in the cake, my heart issue came back for a while.

Lesson to be learnt - take more healthy fats from nuts and seeds.

Does this make sense?

PS: for the last fortnight I also have cooked food cravings. When I ask myself what I like about cooked food, I feel it is the warmth and softness of its texture. I have been wondering if this too is a need for fat. Could this be true?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2015 03:37AM by iandthou.

YOu are 5'8" and weigh 110 pounds. It sounds like you are hungry! It looks like you just need more food in general, all of the above, more fat, carbs and protein.

I recommended you watch Lou Corona to learn how to make nut and seed yogurt, since he helped many raw vegans who were underweight to put weight and muscle on. Some people have a hard time digesting nuts, so his method of nut yogurt makes it easier to digest.

[www.youtube.com]

Can't you go see an ayurvedic herbalist to get some herbs for your heart?

If you want to succeed as a low fat raw vegan, please watch Mike Arnstein, as he explains how much food you need to eat to keep weight. You will need to eat much more raw food, as sometimes there are fewer calories available in raw fruits and veggies compared to cooked.

But if you go for higher fat as a raw vegan, then if you make nut and seed yogurt, you can get very absorbable calories.

HOwever, try sprouting mung beans and lentils (2-3 days until they have tails) for protein daily and you can blend them with indian spices for raw dahl.

dry eyes:
try sprouted sesame and poppy seed yogurt,
juicy fruits, including grapes and lychee fruits
juice garnet yams and carrots
eat fresh mint, juice it and make smoothies with it,
eat and make tea with qoqi berries
eat dark berries, like blueberrie and black currant
take lots of herbs. There are great formulas in Chinese medicine for dry eyes, and I am sure there are several in ayurveda in your country.
eat dark colored foods: black lentils, black rice, dark berries, black seeds and blue foods too.

Chronic dry eyes + the heart thing + needing enemas = a likely magnesium deficiency IMO. An easy and cheap thing to test. Start by adding an extra 400 mg of magnesium a day and see what happens. I think you will be surprised and happy.

Can I see photos? You must be a model!

I say DEHYDRATION

TRY DRINKING MORE OFTEN AND MORE. Juices fast possibly.

I heard of people helping their eyes by putting drops of wheatgrass into it. I don't know if the condition was for "dry eyes" though. Anyways, I never thought eating cake would be a viable solution for anything. I know its not funny but it sort of made me laugh... in a good way though

Tai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> YOu are 5'8" and weigh 110 pounds. It sounds like
> you are hungry! It looks like you just need more
> food in general, all of the above, more fat, carbs
> and protein.
>
> I recommended you watch Lou Corona to learn how to
> make nut and seed yogurt, since he helped many raw
> vegans who were underweight to put weight and
> muscle on. Some people have a hard time digesting
> nuts, so his method of nut yogurt makes it easier
> to digest.
>
> [www.youtube.com]
>
> Can't you go see an ayurvedic herbalist to get
> some herbs for your heart?
>
> If you want to succeed as a low fat raw vegan,
> please watch Mike Arnstein, as he explains how
> much food you need to eat to keep weight. You
> will need to eat much more raw food, as sometimes
> there are fewer calories available in raw fruits
> and veggies compared to cooked.
>
> But if you go for higher fat as a raw vegan, then
> if you make nut and seed yogurt, you can get very
> absorbable calories.
>
> HOwever, try sprouting mung beans and lentils (2-3
> days until they have tails) for protein daily and
> you can blend them with indian spices for raw
> dahl.


Thanks! Yes, I too feel I should eat more. My eyes already feel better after adding sesame and flax seeds to my food in the last 2 days.

Could you recommend any particular videos by Mark Arnstein? The ones on his youtube channel didn't seem to indicate that they are meant for weight issues.

Will look at the nut and seed yogurt in a bit. At the moment there is so much to do that I am unable to find time to learn something new to prepare. But thank you again for the recommendations.

I've seen an Ayurvedic doctor but it didn't help. I do eat sprouted mung quite frequently.

I'm glad you have seen the writing on the wall and have decided to no longer be OK with being that thin. For those with health problems who choose to remain that thin, and not eat enough food, there really is no better health insurance than taking vitamin and mineral supplements while on a raw food diet.

Suez, My whole life I have wanted to be skinny girl thin. I know SUEZ you are right. Its not good. And there are imbalances with hormones.


I am getting my blood tested. I think I am fine, but I am all bones now. I love it. I fit so well into dresses and shoes

Posted by: la_veronique ()
Date: September 28, 2015 06:25AM

I heard of people helping their eyes by putting drops of wheatgrass into it. I don't know if the condition was for "dry eyes" though. Anyways, I never thought eating cake would be a viable solution for anything. I know its not funny but it sort of made me laugh... in a good way though smiling smiley



BUMP LA V's Advice!!! WHEATGRRASS for the eyes, but it stings like MF





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2015 07:59PM by suvine.

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm glad you have seen the writing on the wall and
> have decided to no longer be OK with being that
> thin. For those with health problems who choose to
> remain that thin, and not eat enough food, there
> really is no better health insurance than taking
> vitamin and mineral supplements while on a raw
> food diet.


Thank you SueZ. I don't want to weigh only 110 lb. I don't know if I would say I am too thin. I do not know how to measure it. I still have some fat in the periumbilical area, and if I had even a little more, it would be a paunch.

Perhaps I need both fat and muscle.

What would you suggest are ways in which I can gain weight healthily? Are there any articles / videos / books you would recommend? At the moment I am eating larger quantities at dinner, and am also eating significantly more nuts and seeds. I'm also eating a small but significant portion of cooked vegetables, every alternate day or so, but that is because I have a craving for cooked gourds, especially with onions, and I want to understand what nutrient this craving is for if any.

iandthou Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SueZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm glad you have seen the writing on the wall
> and
> > have decided to no longer be OK with being that
> > thin. For those with health problems who choose
> to
> > remain that thin, and not eat enough food,
> there
> > really is no better health insurance than
> taking
> > vitamin and mineral supplements while on a raw
> > food diet.
>
>
> Thank you SueZ. I don't want to weigh only 110 lb.
> I don't know if I would say I am too thin. I do
> not know how to measure it. I still have some fat
> in the periumbilical area, and if I had even a
> little more, it would be a paunch.
>
> Perhaps I need both fat and muscle.
>
> What would you suggest are ways in which I can
> gain weight healthily? Are there any articles /
> videos / books you would recommend? At the moment
> I am eating larger quantities at dinner, and am
> also eating significantly more nuts and seeds. I'm
> also eating a small but significant portion of
> cooked vegetables, every alternate day or so, but
> that is because I have a craving for cooked
> gourds, especially with onions, and I want to
> understand what nutrient this craving is for if
> any.

If you want to understand where to go you will first have to learn where you are, IMO. This will take some self discipline and if you are not up to it please hire professional help until you can trust your skills and body once again.

Start an account at a site like Cronometer.com and record everything you eat everyday. It is free. By doing that you will learn what nutrients you are not getting enough of and you can start doing something to rectify that. If you can afford to upgrade to their "gold" membership you will be able to type in the nutrients you are deficient in and get lists of the foods which are most nutrient dense in those nutrients so you can easily take more knowledgeable action quickly. These lists are also available by goggling them so you have no excuse for not learning what you need to know. It's time for you to get on the ball and stay on the ball. Start weighing yourself so you can know how you are doing with that. That when you first asked here if you were too thin you didn't know that you had lost 10 lbs. since you had last weighed yourself is not a good sign that you are paying attention to what is going on with you in more than a rather wistful dreamy sort of way. Please get to work on this now. Show the people in your life that you have taken your back your reigns and they can rest easy that you are not just letting yourself go. Unless there is some mental reason you can't do this yourself you owe it to yourself to do it yourself, IMO. You could use some self empowerment, IMO, and hopefully, with these tools, you will be able to overcome your bewilderment, make more sense of it all, and be able to take a directional correction that proves worthy of the time and efforts you invest in the learning and following through on what you learn.

Of course if you have unknown underlying health problems things will be harder to understand and correct by yourself. Why not get a bona-fide physical by a bona-fide health care professional right now so you can start off knowing as much as you can and also have numbers to compare with your health status at future update times? It can't hurt you. You don't have to follow any advice. You will remain free and in control and just better informed.

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> iandthou Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SueZ Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I'm glad you have seen the writing on the
> wall
> > and
> > > have decided to no longer be OK with being
> that
> > > thin. For those with health problems who
> choose
> > to
> > > remain that thin, and not eat enough food,
> > there
> > > really is no better health insurance than
> > taking
> > > vitamin and mineral supplements while on a
> raw
> > > food diet.
> >
> >
> > Thank you SueZ. I don't want to weigh only 110
> lb.
> > I don't know if I would say I am too thin. I do
> > not know how to measure it. I still have some
> fat
> > in the periumbilical area, and if I had even a
> > little more, it would be a paunch.
> >
> > Perhaps I need both fat and muscle.
> >
> > What would you suggest are ways in which I can
> > gain weight healthily? Are there any articles /
> > videos / books you would recommend? At the
> moment
> > I am eating larger quantities at dinner, and am
> > also eating significantly more nuts and seeds.
> I'm
> > also eating a small but significant portion of
> > cooked vegetables, every alternate day or so,
> but
> > that is because I have a craving for cooked
> > gourds, especially with onions, and I want to
> > understand what nutrient this craving is for if
> > any.
>
> If you want to understand where to go you will
> first have to learn where you are, IMO. This will
> take some self discipline and if you are not up to
> it please hire professional help until you can
> trust your skills and body once again.
>
> Start an account at a site like Cronometer.com and
> record everything you eat everyday. It is free. By
> doing that you will learn what nutrients you are
> not getting enough of and you can start doing
> something to rectify that. If you can afford to
> upgrade to their "gold" membership you will be
> able to type in the nutrients you are deficient in
> and get lists of the foods which are most nutrient
> dense in those nutrients so you can easily take
> more knowledgeable action quickly. These lists are
> also available by goggling them so you have no
> excuse for not learning what you need to know.
> It's time for you to get on the ball and stay on
> the ball. Start weighing yourself so you can know
> how you are doing with that. That when you first
> asked here if you were too thin you didn't know
> that you had lost 10 lbs. since you had last
> weighed yourself is not a good sign that you are
> paying attention to what is going on with you in
> more than a rather wistful dreamy sort of way.
> Please get to work on this now. Show the people in
> your life that you have taken your back your
> reigns and they can rest easy that you are not
> just letting yourself go. Unless there is some
> mental reason you can't do this yourself you owe
> it to yourself to do it yourself, IMO. You could
> use some self empowerment, IMO, and hopefully,
> with these tools, you will be able to overcome
> your bewilderment, make more sense of it all, and
> be able to take a directional correction that
> proves worthy of the time and efforts you invest
> in the learning and following through on what you
> learn.
>
> Of course if you have unknown underlying health
> problems things will be harder to understand and
> correct by yourself. Why not get a bona-fide
> physical by a bona-fide health care professional
> right now so you can start off knowing as much as
> you can and also have numbers to compare with your
> health status at future update times? It can't
> hurt you. You don't have to follow any advice. You
> will remain free and in control and just better
> informed.

Thank you. I will look up cronometer. I did get a whole body check up in June, just before I began to go raw and fast, and everything turned out normal. I have been putting off getting another one now largely because it is very expensive where I live. However, if it is really important I will spend the money it requires.

Are there any particular things you think I should get tested? Or should I just go to a doctor and ask them to determine what tests I need?

iandthou Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SueZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > iandthou Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > SueZ Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > I'm glad you have seen the writing on the
> > wall
> > > and
> > > > have decided to no longer be OK with being
> > that
> > > > thin. For those with health problems who
> > choose
> > > to
> > > > remain that thin, and not eat enough food,
> > > there
> > > > really is no better health insurance than
> > > taking
> > > > vitamin and mineral supplements while on a
> > raw
> > > > food diet.
> > >
> > >
> > > Thank you SueZ. I don't want to weigh only
> 110
> > lb.
> > > I don't know if I would say I am too thin. I
> do
> > > not know how to measure it. I still have some
> > fat
> > > in the periumbilical area, and if I had even
> a
> > > little more, it would be a paunch.
> > >
> > > Perhaps I need both fat and muscle.
> > >
> > > What would you suggest are ways in which I
> can
> > > gain weight healthily? Are there any articles
> /
> > > videos / books you would recommend? At the
> > moment
> > > I am eating larger quantities at dinner, and
> am
> > > also eating significantly more nuts and
> seeds.
> > I'm
> > > also eating a small but significant portion
> of
> > > cooked vegetables, every alternate day or so,
> > but
> > > that is because I have a craving for cooked
> > > gourds, especially with onions, and I want to
> > > understand what nutrient this craving is for
> if
> > > any.
> >
> > If you want to understand where to go you will
> > first have to learn where you are, IMO. This
> will
> > take some self discipline and if you are not up
> to
> > it please hire professional help until you can
> > trust your skills and body once again.
> >
> > Start an account at a site like Cronometer.com
> and
> > record everything you eat everyday. It is free.
> By
> > doing that you will learn what nutrients you
> are
> > not getting enough of and you can start doing
> > something to rectify that. If you can afford to
> > upgrade to their "gold" membership you will be
> > able to type in the nutrients you are deficient
> in
> > and get lists of the foods which are most
> nutrient
> > dense in those nutrients so you can easily take
> > more knowledgeable action quickly. These lists
> are
> > also available by goggling them so you have no
> > excuse for not learning what you need to know.
> > It's time for you to get on the ball and stay
> on
> > the ball. Start weighing yourself so you can
> know
> > how you are doing with that. That when you
> first
> > asked here if you were too thin you didn't know
> > that you had lost 10 lbs. since you had last
> > weighed yourself is not a good sign that you
> are
> > paying attention to what is going on with you
> in
> > more than a rather wistful dreamy sort of way.
> > Please get to work on this now. Show the people
> in
> > your life that you have taken your back your
> > reigns and they can rest easy that you are not
> > just letting yourself go. Unless there is some
> > mental reason you can't do this yourself you
> owe
> > it to yourself to do it yourself, IMO. You
> could
> > use some self empowerment, IMO, and hopefully,
> > with these tools, you will be able to overcome
> > your bewilderment, make more sense of it all,
> and
> > be able to take a directional correction that
> > proves worthy of the time and efforts you
> invest
> > in the learning and following through on what
> you
> > learn.
> >
> > Of course if you have unknown underlying health
> > problems things will be harder to understand
> and
> > correct by yourself. Why not get a bona-fide
> > physical by a bona-fide health care
> professional
> > right now so you can start off knowing as much
> as
> > you can and also have numbers to compare with
> your
> > health status at future update times? It can't
> > hurt you. You don't have to follow any advice.
> You
> > will remain free and in control and just better
> > informed.
>
> Thank you. I will look up cronometer. I did get a
> whole body check up in June, just before I began
> to go raw and fast, and everything turned out
> normal. I have been putting off getting another
> one now largely because it is very expensive where
> I live. However, if it is really important I will
> spend the money it requires.
>
> Are there any particular things you think I should
> get tested? Or should I just go to a doctor and
> ask them to determine what tests I need?

I would get a lipid panel test done in addition to all the usual yearly tests.
My own lipid panel test badly worsened (from always being normal) after 11 months on a high carb low fat (15%) vegan diet. Now my lipids are great after switching to low carb high fat. That has also helped overcome the blood sugar problems the high fruit diet messed me up with.

I am a big fan of vegan oils in my diet and personally do best with a much higher than RDA level omega 3 intake.

SueZ Wrote:
> I would get a lipid panel test done in addition to
> all the usual yearly tests.
> My own lipid panel test badly worsened (from
> always being normal) after 11 months on a high
> carb low fat (15%) vegan diet. Now my lipids are
> great after switching to low carb high fat. That
> has also helped overcome the blood sugar problems
> the high fruit diet messed me up with.
>
> I am a big fan of vegan oils in my diet and
> personally do best with a much higher than RDA
> level omega 3 intake.


Thank you