Like when I try to flex my calf muscles it stays contracted (doesn't release like normal) more longer than usual? Also, my calves always seem to twitch/tremble...

My left eye on occasion twitches as well now.

What is the cause or any advice? Mineral deficiencies?

I'm an 80/10/10 (80% greens, 10% fruit, 10% fats) person.... Actually probably no fats, but I'll just say 10% cause of a small handful of seeds. So it's more like 80% greens and 20% fruits (no fat fruits).

Could I actually be needing supplements even after the amount of greens I eat?

Are you eating buckwheat sprouts?

I don't do very many sprouts. If I do then its sunflower sprouts or alfalfa.

Since I've been doing the Celtic salt in water....not at all. Try it! Maybe it will work. Cheap way to go!

Love,

PG

I used to get leg cramps before going raw, and used magnesium supplements to get rid of the problem.

I get plenty of magnesium now in my raw diet, so I don't need the supplements and I don't get the leg cramps either.

You may want to try using fitday.com to enter in your foods, and see how much of the minerals you're getting daily. You may be surprised to find some deficiencies. I know I never get enough zinc, for example, so I've started supplementing for that.

And I was always deficient in selenium, but now I eat one brazil nut a day and get over 200% of the RDA for selenium. OK, I know the RDA is probably not the best yardstick, but it's the ONLY yardstick until they invent another one!

Good luck, hope your problems go away quickly!

Oh, btw, the REAL KEY is lots of leafy greens. That for me is a FACT, not an opinion.

Rawdev, Usually this is a Calcium/magnesium deficiency. Also exercise/ stretching helps. There are many raw/vegan sources of this. Personallly, I take powdered ca+/mg+ supplements. Jan

Try adding sesame seeds to your diet. They are one of the best, most concentrated food sources of calcium. A nutritionist told me many years ago that a lack of calcium causes those leg cramps people get at night.

Make sure the sesame seeds are unhulled (brown) sesame seeds because most of the calcium is in the hull. You probably need only about a quarter cup a day. I find them to be very delicious and filling when mixed with an equal part of sunflower seeds (Sunflower seeds are high in iron). They take a long time to chew, but they're still very good.

My nutritionist told me raw wheat germ is high in calcium. It's very delicious in salads with a dressing of cold pressed olive oil (if you're into that) and lemon juice.

You might also try a vegan B12 supplement. About 5 years ago, after about 15 years of a strict vegan diet, I began to feel tingling in my fingers and toes. After about a month of taking a daily B12 supplement, the tingling went away and has never returned. B12 is the only daily supplement I take.

You might also try getting a blood test to get a better idea of what (if any) vitamins and minerals you are deficient in.

I really do eat a pound or more of greens a day so I don't know what else to eat but what all that has been listed above like:

Sesame seeds and wheat germ, cal/mag supplement, b-12, Brazil nuts, Celtic.

Anything else?

Could I actually be over doing it with greens? I'm not over-eating, but..........

When ever I get cramps in my legs it is because my intake of potassium and sodium is low or depleted from to much exercise and sweat in the hot Sun.
It happens to me very rarely now since I eat a lot of bananas and get plenty of water especially coconut water before I do any exercise in hot weather as for sodium there are many sodium rich foods like the greens you eat and celery but try some cocounut water it is also important for me when I run.

Cherimoya

Is it possible of over-doing it with greens? I drink 64 ounces of greens with kale, spinach, dandelion, chard, napa, romaine, etc.

I've read about people eating too much fruit but...greens......I don't know......

I've never done sprouts or grains; maybe I need milk (I'm asking this as a last result, the medical profession, nutritionists and advocates claim that calcium comes in abundance in milk).

I think there's many posible causes, but calcium shortage seems to be a prominate cause. the link i put under gardening on nutrient dense food gives some idea on how short the food we eat is on minerals, specially calcium.
I've heard of there being a problem with Oxalic Acid counteracting calcium. that combined with the low calcium in soil may be cause enough for a calcium shortage in diet.

Dear rawdev,

You mentioned maybe you should try milk. Everybody needs to do a certain amount of experimenting before they can be confident in what their own diet should be.

But if you would rather not try milk, I'd just like to encourage you by saying that my husband and I have been strict vegans now for almost 20 years. He works construction 5 days a week, plays basketball 2 nights a week, and scuba dives on the weekend when he's not helping me run our farm. It's worked for us all this time. I believe it could work for you. After all, no other animal drinks milk after it's been weened. Why should we humans?

Maybe you ARE overdoing it with the greens. It's possible. My husband eats greens every day, but he almost never juices them. He just eats them whole. Personally I can't handle eating greens everyday. If I eat greens every day, it makes me tired. I do eat greens at least twice a week, and then I'm fine. I CAN handle eating fruit, nuts and seeds every day.

Good luck. Don't be discouraged. Keep on keeping on. Good for you for asking for suggestions. I don't know of anyone who has ever maintained a healthy vegan or especially raw diet without first experimenting to see what works best for them. Onward through the fog!

Well, just my two cents:
I believe you can't get too many greens.

I will also add that variety in everything food-wise is necessary to get a balanced diet.

So, I eat a variety of greens. I eat a variety of fruits, other veggies, nuts, sprouted grains...you see where I'm going with this.

And because I eat a large variety of foods, I don't eat JUST greens, it makes the greens section of my diet just a part of the whole picture. No one thing gets more attention than others in my diet.

The leg cramps issue is one that makes me wince just reading about it, because I remember that particular pain.

So, my suggestion stands: enter your foods into fitday.com and see where you are deficient. This will help you narrow down what you need to eat more of, to add the nutrients you need to your diet to make the leg cramps go away.

I agree from above posts it could be magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, B-12, but the only way you'll see what exactly it might be is to get a picture of your nutrients daily.

Good luck!

On Fitday after entering everything you've/I've eaten where does it show the total (everything I've entered) mineral/vitamin contents? Or does it only show mineral/vitamins content by each item you place?
Also this is very limiting to what you've actually eaten (like size or quantity). Like the nuts (I definitely eat less then the allowed amount).

I see the carbs/proteins/fats/alcohol total...but...

So mine is: Carbs 57%, Fats 28% and protein 16%. Again the fats would be lower but there's not many options.

Hi Rawdev, go to the reports section, and see your Nutrition for the day. That gives you the breakdown.

You and I are similar in our percentages. Some days I have more or less fats, but my protein is around 15% daily.

It is a very helpful tool for me. Hope it works as well for you, too!

Well on fitday I’m not calcium or magnesium deficient only b12 and zinc deficient.
After reading all the stuff about B12 serum test not being reliable I decided to do the B12 UMMA urine test.

In case it helps, here is my experience.

Every time I had muscle cramps in the past (after sitting for while or while sleeping at night) it turned out that sole fixed the problem. The sole I make is Fiji water saturated with Himalayan crystal salt for at least 24 hr. & kept in the cold & dark.
So, the muscle cramp went away with a form of sodium.

I am convinced, on the other hand, that adding salt to my food is not good for me (it causes edema, addiction, etc.)
I am also convinced that the food I eat is far from ideal since it was not grown with ocean water or rock dust or rain-forest compost.
What to do then?
Manufacture my own version of ocean water by using salt that has naturally matured to crystal (Himalayan pink) combined with bottled spring water (sole) or else the natural water contained in cabbage (sauerkraut) or in fruit (fruit kimchee).

A few drops of sole I use to structure my drinking water, which I keep in the fridge for at least 24 hr.

Also, it seems to me that MSM helps increase muscle flexibility. Omega fatty acids may help as well.

BoraBora LoveJoy
a visiting goddess