Pancreatic insuffiency

[Leonie]

Hi guys,

I'm quite new to the forum so not sure how many times it's been discussed here. I am attempting a more or less raw zero carb approach to diet. I have a whole history of severe gut issues that mainly started with the use of strong doses of antibiotics for acne in my teens ( I'm 33 now). I have been on numerous different diets( raw veganism, fruitarianism, nutritional balancing, cooked paleo, cooked zero carb..)  to try and improve my health ( CFS, Lyme, fibro, heavy metals..you name it, I got it ) Anyways, I'm trying to get to the point of explaining that no matter what diet approach I try, it pretty soon fails.. ( I have been doing raw animal foods only for 3 weeks and already I run into trouble).. of course, 3 weeks is mightily short and there are many factors playing I am sure, but the main issue I keep sensing is just a very poorly working pancreas and therefor a poor production of digestive enzymes and so I run into trouble pretty soon on any diet, as I said: cold hands, low energy, depression... Now, of course, I could add in my plant foods, but here's the catch: I cannot digest them either. If I have them raw I freeze to death as they seem very cooling, if I have them cooked, they irritate my gut aswell,it's bearable, but far from optimal.

So, are there any people here with such digestive issues and would it be related to pancreatic insuffiency?  Could be liver or gallbladder too, but it appears that it's the pancreas that's in charge of digestive enzymes ( and I always have a heavy feeling there too). How could I improve this? What are your experiences?

Thanks, have a nice day!

[TylerDurden]

I did a raw zero carb diet , 3 years into going rawpalaeo, and, like some people, could not handle RZC after 3 weeks. What I would suggest for now is that you do a week or so of 100% water-fasting  and give your body a rest from digestion. Also, do not overeat. Raw foods contain far more nutrients per gram than cooked foods do, overall,  so one should eat less. Consider Intermittent Fasting.

[Projectile Vomit]

I second the idea of a water fast. When my digestion isn't working as well as I'd like, the best antidote I've found is to take 3-5 days -- or more if I think it's needed -- off of eating to let my GI tract rest. Once I've rested for a period, I gradually break the fast with easily digested foods like raw organ meats from herbivores, raw ocean fish, raw oysters, raw shellfish or insects, small amounts of fermented vegetables to introduce pre-digested fiber, and perhaps olive oil if I can find some that's of very high quality.

I don't attempt to eat 2,000 kcals the day I break a fast. I've found it best to eat 500 or so kcals that first day, then ramp up gradually to a more normal intake over a few days to ease my GI tract back into its normal level of function.

[goodsamaritan]

Lately my pet angle is fungus / mold / candida / yeast from all those antibiotics, or mold exposure, and wifi exposure.

try eating a lot of saurkraut every day, say 1 cup per meal.

Add raw spinach to your meals as well.

[Leonie]

Hmm, I could do a short fast if that feels right. Tho I have not been responding well to raw sauerkraut or raw veggies or fruits in general.. it's too cooling to my body and I feel like I'm freezing up from inside. I even experienced it with too much raw fish. I do ok with a bit of cooked veggies but mit too much. My meat has to be raw tho, not cooked. I was recently doubting between nutritional balancing andraw meat diet. I remain undecided. I need serious deep healing and I have found too much raw fruits and veggies to be very counterproductive in my specific case ( I'm not talking in general here) . So that's where I'm at.

[goodsamaritan]

If you have an issue with "freezing up inside" then I suggest you make soup stocks from fish / bone broths with vegetables.  Maybe that is the approach you need right now.

[Leonie]

Yea, I think that's what I'm going to do, make some warm fish or bone or veggie broths and just have that when I feel cold. Thanks for the tip!

[technosmith]

This post is very much of interest to me.

Perhaps this is not the best site to post in order to get a well-balanced response but what is everyone's take on the Yin/Yang TCM diet perspective? My past experience when I experimented with raw paleo was that I found I didn't get the energetic warming boost from raw meats that I get from cooked meats, with the raw foods being very cooling.

Do we know if many people have failed on a predominantly raw diet perhaps due to it's 'Yin' cooling nature?

I know it doesn't really make sense scientifically that cooked food could be more beneficial but that's what it felt like at the time when I had a go at raw paleo?

Is there an explanation? Could it be a kidney thing, perhaps related to a lack of fat-adaptation and deranged metabolism, or maybe something linked to the climate you live in?

Phil

[TylerDurden]

Most people do not fail after going rawpalaeo. Some do make  basic mistakes like eating raw foods they are allergic to such as raw dairy, while others might go back to eating cooked foods due to social pressures, but that's about it.  Anyway, the whole tcm notion is absurd. For example, while, technically, cooked food is warming as it is preheated, it actually makes the body colder in the long run. That is, long-term RPDers often mention that they steadily get better blood-circulation as a direct result of their raw diet,  and, as a result,  over the years, get a far better tolerance towards the cold.

[political atheist]

pancreas is extremely important for food digestion... some people take pancreas supplements or eat raw pancreas