Guest guest Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 I recently had to go off raw foods after nearly 3 years trying to follow the Budwig diet and eat a large raw fruit salad for lunch and green salad for dinner. I have had IBS problems for 20 years and one year into the Budwig diet they got much worse. Since I had previously had allergic reactions to Flaxseed but felt I was OK with the oil, I decided I was not OK with it and dropped it, and have been trying to deal with the worsened gut problems since. I have slowly been working out that I react to all nuts and oil seeds, and eliminated them, but something was still really causing terrible gut problems, and I determined I did better on only cooked foods. So much for the raw food for me. This time I am staying off of them indefinitely to see if I can improve. I'm also trying to do herbs that are supposed to help IBS, and also hypertension, which is also a problem. People on the colitis crohn's group say food allergies can trigger bad reactions in the intestines, I suppose it's like hay fever where the trigger causes itching of the eyes, throat, runny congested nose, etc. but symptoms in the gut like diarrhea, constipation, mucus, etc. I can't understand why the raw foods would cause problems but the same foods cooked do not. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Hi Susie, This is really interesting information. Oddly enough, my switch to a raw food veg diet cured my IBS and other digestive problems. I don't know if I have leaky gut, but I know that I am so much better now than I was when I was eating more cooked food and meat. I have digestive problems when I don't eat enough raw foods. ar > > Hi , > > I have a lot of digestive issues as well, so I can understand your frustration. First, the reason why cooked foods digest easier than raw foods is because when cooked, a lot of the hard to digest fiber is broken down into an easier, more assimilable form that a " sick " body can deal with. Also, when the digestive system is compromised, large, undigested particles of food " leak " (leaky gut syndrome) through areas of the small intestine and into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, the immune system mounts an all-out-attack to destroy the foreign invader (allergies). Another problem also occurs when larger particles of undigested food that don't " leak " through the small intestine, but travel further down to the large intestine, the undigested particles end up putrefying and fermenting which produces toxins that keep feeding the cycle of IBS and other digestive issues. > > I have been looking into a diet called Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and have been part of a forum with many people claiming to have healed their gut. Also, I have been reading a book called Fiber Menace and in this book the author talks about fiber's role in diet failure. I feel he's on the right track considering the great numbers of people in America with digestive problems. Every day, whether it be from your doctor, the media etc. you hear, more fiber, more fiber, gotta have more fiber. I know fiber is a big part of my digestive issues, but I am dealing with chronic constipation and I am currently taking herbal laxatives just to be able to go. I am not sure how I will juggle getting off laxatives, eating less fiber, healing my gut, and resolving my constipation issues. > > The GAPS diet is also in book form and is a low-fiber diet. Another website I would go to for information on diet and cancer would be www.westonaprice.org. There you can archive a resent article on diet and cancer by Dr. Tom Cowan. One more thing, nut and seeds are very difficult for most people to digest, particularly when they are not properly prepared. > > Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Hi Susie, You could also look into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. My son is on this diet. It is for people with IBS, Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, etc. It also helps children with autism (my son) by helping to address leaky gut and bowel issues. I know people debate GAPS and SCD all the time, so it might be a good thing to investigate if you are interested. Start with the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. If you end up liking the philosophies, they have an amazing group called Pecan Bread. You start the diet by thoroughly cooking all fruits and veggies for digestion purposes. Perhaps you even know about this diet, but if not, I highly recommend it. All the Best, Kim Susie <pfieber@...> wrote: > > Hi , > > I have a lot of digestive issues as well, so I can understand your frustration. First, the reason why cooked foods digest easier than raw foods is because when cooked, a lot of the hard to digest fiber is broken down into an easier, more assimilable form that a " sick " body can deal with. Also, when the digestive system is compromised, large, undigested particles of food " leak " (leaky gut syndrome) through areas of the small intestine and into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, the immune system mounts an all-out-attack to destroy the foreign invader (allergies). Another problem also occurs when larger particles of undigested food that don't " leak " through the small intestine, but travel further down to the large intestine, the undigested particles end up putrefying and fermenting which produces toxins that keep feeding the cycle of IBS and other digestive issues. > > I have been looking into a diet called Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and have been part of a forum with many people claiming to have healed their gut. Also, I have been reading a book called Fiber Menace and in this book the author talks about fiber's role in diet failure. I feel he's on the right track considering the great numbers of people in America with digestive problems. Every day, whether it be from your doctor, the media etc. you hear, more fiber, more fiber, gotta have more fiber. I know fiber is a big part of my digestive issues, but I am dealing with chronic constipation and I am currently taking herbal laxatives just to be able to go. I am not sure how I will juggle getting off laxatives, eating less fiber, healing my gut, and resolving my constipation issues. > > The GAPS diet is also in book form and is a low-fiber diet. Another website I would go to for information on diet and cancer would be www.westonaprice.org. There you can archive a resent article on diet and cancer by Dr. Tom Cowan. One more thing, nut and seeds are very difficult for most people to digest, particularly when they are not properly prepared. > > Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 Susie- I probably wasn't clear enough, I WAS having terrible gut problems, then I cooked my raw fruit and vegetable salads, and like night and day I'm suddenly practically normal again for the first time in a long time. I was taking enzymes, Betaine HCl, probiotics (even enteric coated Acidophilus), enteric coated peppermint, teas, eliminating allergens, zeolite, psyllium seed, a herbal liver cleanser, etc. I looked at the SCD, I guess I missed the part about starting with cooked foods but it was talking about eating mostly raw foods which seems to be a problem for me. As for constipation, eating whole wheat (and/or some other gluten grains like barley, spelt, or rye) or cooked tomatoes has done that to me, it's as though my gut reacts to the allergen or whatever by shutting down peristalsis and just sitting there for 24 hours. If I avoid those foods I don't have that problem, but I do need to take the psyllium seed often so I have to say I think I need fiber. The Budwig diet has been good for me in eating non-gluten grains instead like buckwheat, rice, less often quinoa, and I also seem to do OK on oats. Anyway, it is a pain since I am a gardener and grow my own blueberries, etc, not to be able to eat them raw but I'm going to do the cooked food for a while since I'm encouraged by making progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 I think some of the confusion is that IBS has become a catch-all diagnosis for any digestive issue that can't be attributed to something else. I was diagnosed with IBS-C when I was in college and have struggled with it for years. I've tried minimizing dairy, eating vegetarian, eating more raw foods, eating more soluble fiber, eliminating coffee, drinking more water, and so on...lots of things made it better, at least temrpoararily, but nothing has cured it. I went to a holistic practitioner a few months back & he tested me for gluten & other food intolerances & the results came back fine-no allergies or intolerances. He said he doesn't think I actually have IBS, just a sluggish bowel. He recommended I take 2tbsp ground flax seed per day, drink some coffee in the am, & he gave me some bitter drops to take with meals. I've been on this regimen for a month or so now & I'm having one of the worst weeks digestively-speaking that I've had in a year. Go figure. > > > > Hi , > > > > I have a lot of digestive issues as well, so I can understand your frustration. First, the reason why cooked foods digest easier than raw foods is because when cooked, a lot of the hard to digest fiber is broken down into an easier, more assimilable form that a " sick " body can deal with. Also, when the digestive system is compromised, large, undigested particles of food " leak " (leaky gut syndrome) through areas of the small intestine and into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, the immune system mounts an all-out-attack to destroy the foreign invader (allergies). Another problem also occurs when larger particles of undigested food that don't " leak " through the small intestine, but travel further down to the large intestine, the undigested particles end up putrefying and fermenting which produces toxins that keep feeding the cycle of IBS and other digestive issues. > > > > I have been looking into a diet called Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and have been part of a forum with many people claiming to have healed their gut. Also, I have been reading a book called Fiber Menace and in this book the author talks about fiber's role in diet failure. I feel he's on the right track considering the great numbers of people in America with digestive problems. Every day, whether it be from your doctor, the media etc. you hear, more fiber, more fiber, gotta have more fiber. I know fiber is a big part of my digestive issues, but I am dealing with chronic constipation and I am currently taking herbal laxatives just to be able to go. I am not sure how I will juggle getting off laxatives, eating less fiber, healing my gut, and resolving my constipation issues. > > > > The GAPS diet is also in book form and is a low-fiber diet. Another website I would go to for information on diet and cancer would be www.westonaprice.org. There you can archive a resent article on diet and cancer by Dr. Tom Cowan. One more thing, nut and seeds are very difficult for most people to digest, particularly when they are not properly prepared. > > > > Susie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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