For six days, I've been doing the unthinkable. Instead of my standard meat/vegetable diet, I've been raw. That means I'm living on green smoothies, nuts, salad, low-glycemic fruits, and seeds -- something regular Kathy would have chuckled at, but Bizarro Kathy really enjoys.
The plan started innocently enough... a movie about juicing, a repulsion to cooked things, a feeling that my body needed to do something different. To give you an example of the impact it's made, here are my actual symptoms as recorded in my symptom journal before starting.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Pain - 5 out of 10
Symptoms: Insomnia (slept 2 hours), Racy..panicked, nervous, prickly hands and feet (gravel hands), shuddering in sleep, pinching pain in back and side, SANDY loose stool, stiff neck, left foot pain--plantar faciitis, stabbing pains.
And after...
Friday, July 29, 2011
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(insert crickets here).
It's not that I didn't have any pain yesterday; I did. But the fact that I forgot to record it? That speaks volumes. My mood is better, I've slept three nights in a row, the shuddering has subsided, I'm walking normally, my foot's not aching, my poo actually looks human again (sans a few visitors). What??? How is this possible? When I opened the book Green for Life, I was shocked to read what it said.
The Roseburg Study
How many of the following symptoms do you have?
- Bloating, belching, flatulence after eating
- Diarrhea, indigestion, constipation
- Soreness, burning, dryness of mouth
- Heartburn
- Food allergies
- Nausea after taking supplements
- Rectal itching
- Weak, peeling, or cracked fingernails
- Redness or dilated blood vessels in the cheeks and nose
- Adult acne
- Hair loss (women only)
- Iron deficiency
- Undigested food in the stool
- Chronic yeast infections
- Low tolerance for dentures
If you have more than a few, Boutenko would say you might have hypochlorhydria or low stomach acidity...a problem that can impact nutrient absorption, the duration of infections, allergies, and overall health.
According to Boutenko, there are a number of conditions associated with low stomach acidity: bacterial overgrowth, chronic canndidias, PARASITES, Addison's disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, asthma, autoimmune disorders, celiac disease, stomach carcinoma, depression, dermatitis, diabetes, eczema, flatulence, gall bladder disease, gastric polyps, gastritis, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, myasthernia gravis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, roacea, ulcerative colitis, urticaria, and vitiligo.
According to the Roseburg Study, there are also a number of people who SWEAR adding green smoothies to their diets made them feel better. "It healed my skin," one said. "I got off my medications," another stated. "I can walk," cried another.
Makes you wonder...if supplementing with green smoothies can help other conditions, is it possible it can help with Lyme Disease too? My symptoms seem to think so. Let me know if you decide to give it a try.
PS To find out if you have low stomach acid, drink a 1/4 cup of beet juice and see if your stool or urine's color changes. According to Boutenko, if it starts looking beet-like, you do.
PPS Always consult with your doctor before changing your diet and never just go ALL RAW -- the die off will be miserable. Just supplement slowly and see what happens. Adding two-three green drinks a day has made a profound difference for me (hey, I'll take it). FYI: Victoria also cautions against eating too many nuts..which can result in a dangerous overconsumption of omega-6 which can result of a depletion of omega-3. It's complicated, but trust me. If she's right, you don't want it to happen.
Altered Today: Raw know-how, cravings, thoughts about food