22 Years Old, Severe Leaky Gut, Help Going Raw

[Cherokee]

Hey folks,

I am new here. I will try to save you the unnecessary details of my journey to poor health. Suffice to say, In high school I ran track and field (400m & 800m) at state and national level at (5' 10", 163 ibs).

Nearly 4 years later, I am 147ibs and suffering from serious digestive distress. A mixture of college food and frequent antibiotics have ruined my digestion.

I live in New York where Lyme disease is endemic, because of this I have had many courses of antibiotics to prevent developing lyme disease after the 3-5 tick bites I get each Summer.

After taking these antibiotics (doxycycline mostly) I always noticed my digestion would be ruined for weeks, but would eventually recover.

As Im sure most everyone here knows, antibiotics cause leaky gut, and leaky gut is a precursor to many autoimmune diseases.

Before my sophomore year of college (2 years ago now) I experienced my usual tick-bites while running a recreational running program for 2nd 3rd and 4th graders. With these tick bites came a few courses of antibiotcs and with them leaky gut.

Unfortunately for me and so many others, all college food is predominantly GMO corn, soy, and wheat. Obviously these foods are poisons without leaky gut, but with leaky gut they are a fast track to illness.

In the fall semester of my sophomore year, I tried soy milk. I had a severe inflammatory reaction to this which caused bloody diarrhea and constipation (from the inflammation) for weeks after. After this I quickly realized my gut was in poor shape and I transferred colleges to be closer to home and so that I could live off campus and buy my own food.

Months after this experience, I noticed that this same kind of gut inflammation occurred with all grains, but especially with gluten grains and soy.

8 months ago I ate rice that had soy sauce on it when a restaurant made a mistake on my take-out order. At the time I was too starving to resist and had just driven 3 hours to visit my girlfriend and not eaten all day prior.

Well the same thing happened. Bloody diarrhea, constipation, bloating except this time it stayed.

This Summer a Dr. tested for small intestine bacterial overgrowth (sibo) however the test was negative. Treatment with sibo specific antibiotics only worsened my condition, severely.



Being ill has made me realize just how corrupt medical and food industries are, and for that I'm thankful. Otherwise I just pray each day that I can recover.

Of all the diets I have tried since being ill the only thing that has saved me from utter starvation is raw meat.

Of all foods it causes the least bloating, constipation, and burping I experience as a result of my damaged gastrointestinal system. Im still too afraid to eat it completely raw after what I have gone through so i cook the outsides briefly but strictly eat the raw parts inside. This is both wasteful and expensive.


Unfortunately, I only have my own experiences to go off so Im fumbling my way through this new way of eating. I want to try truly raw meat and raw eggs, and maybe some day raw dairy if my gut improves.

At the moment the most probable explanation for all my symptoms is that my small intestinal brush border is damaged, and therefore, I cannot produce enough enzymes to digest and absorb my food before gas producing bacteria in my gut do. It is likely based on my symptoms that I also have low stomach acid, hence my hesitation with fully raw meat because of potential contamination.

Its possible I have something like Crohn's disease, but even if my situation is as bad as that, I will never touch prescription meds again. I'm determined to do what it takes to gain my health back as nature intended.



I thank anyone dearly who gets this far in reading my struggle. I would be most grateful for knowledge, tips, or insight into how I can get better.
 

[TylerDurden]

Once you've gotten used to eating a 100% raw, fresh meat diet, I would strongly advise you going in for raw organ-meats as well.Obviously, these should be of high quality, given that toxins get concentrated in the organ-meats, a real problem if the animals is fed on low-quality, processed, unnatural foods.After that, try eating raw aged meat(aka "high-meat"). I reckon the latter would be the most effective for your problem. The trouble is that it takes time to get used to the taste of it. Personally, I consider it essential for older people on RVAF diets to increasingly eat more and more aged, raw animal foods/plant foods as a percentage of their diet in order to counter the decrease in digestibility in their guts. Of course, I may be wrong, and it might be that such gut deterioration is solely due to cooked-foods-consumption over decades, not due to age at all. I hope older RVAFers can confirm or deny this in subsequent posts on this thread....

[Alive]

Hi Cherokee
My bowel condition has been quite similar to yours.

For my version I find that it is most important to eat low carb and high fibre, low carbs to reduce the food for the out of control microbes, and high fibre to keep bowel flow going and remove toxins.

I have experimented with a mixture of psyllium husk, slippery elm bark, linseeds, and potato starch - a couple of tablespoons mixed with water creates a gloop that is very effective at providing good bowel motions.

My observation is that for this condition it is very important to eat foods with a very low glycemic index / load.
It also appears to be more important to eat the plant food raw than the animal food, maybe since cooking plant food increases their early digestibility too much.

Also lots of reports out that exercise is very good for improving bowel condition.

Good luck

[Cherokee]

Thank both very very much for you insight!

I had a bit of a set back after trying some goat butter last week, in the hope my body would tolerate the low levels of casein. Unfortunately my immune system has decided that casein, no matter what the source, is not welcome in my GI tract. Resulted in some rectal inflammation that makes going #2 problematic to say the least. Hopefully it will subside sooner rather than later!

As a college student I am struggling to afford all the grass-fed meat and calories I need to survive.

My current dilemma is getting to the point where I can eat meat totally raw. Cooking it, then cutting the brown parts off has me wasting nearly half my serving and my money. I suspect I have low stomach acid, and so i'm afraid to try completely raw meat. I know Aajonus Vonderplanitz had low stomach acid too, but my body isn't his body.

I buy my meat from the supermarket, but i only buy organic, grass-fed, antibiotic free, beef and lamb. Both come unfrozen in plastic sealed packages.

How safe would it be to eat this type of meat without cooking?

[Apani]

What about just trying a small bite of raw meat at first?

Anyhow, I would open the vacuum sealed bags as soon as I can. But they should be fine.

[Alive]

Just cut up your meat / fish and put lemon juice or cider vinegar on it, this will kill most microbes and increase the acid levels for your digestion.

I've eaten raw meat, fish, and chicken from various sources (including lots and lots of raw mince) and in varying degrees of freshness (up to green lamb chops and fish buried in the ground for a month) and never had any problem (except the time I also had commercial juice and bread at the same time and the meat microbes went wild eating the carbs and I had to vomit).

Remember to eat lots of raw greens too, so your gorilla large intestine has something to do.

If you are blocked up then the high fibre gloop mixture will help to restart things and get them settled down again more quickly.

My experience of this kind of condition is that I need to eat:

'Greens' - raw wet fresh plant matter
Protein and fat - raw wet animal food

BTW our true requirement for meat is actually quite small, if you are having trouble affording enough calories then ask a butcher for their fat off cuts - which are normally free.

[Apani]

Yeah. There's a butcher in my town I only ever visit to get fat trimmings and bone marrow.

Haven't given a single coin to him yet.

[Alive]

Also I don't buy organic food, just conventional.

I mostly eat home grown plant food (leaves/stalks/flowers) - Now I've moved to suburbs from a lifestyle (life sentence?) 'farm' it's much easier to grow my own organic greens.

Regarding meat I subscribe to the theory that animals have their own liver to detox unwanted chemicals, and if their grass fed then they don't have a lot of chemical exposure anyway. The US GMO corn fed beef sounds a bit more scary, plus you have the omega 3 / 6 rebalancing needed.

To save money you can buy the cheap cuts of meat and slice them fine enough swallow. Mince is good because they add fat back into it, the cheaper grade has more fat. A bowl of raw beef mince with raw egg yolks, salt, turmeric, and pepper is delicious.

50/50 turmeric and pepper is very good to moderate unwanted microbe activity, there is evidence that regular consumption results in reduced inflammation and reduction in cancer etc etc

[Cherokee]

Wow, thank you so much guys! You have been so helpful! Tomorrow I will try a small piece of fully raw meat with some lemon juice on it. Praying for a good result!

[Cherokee]

Hello all! Happy holidays! Recently it has become quite clear that my digestive issues are caused by low stomach acid secretion, if any at all.

Alive's recommendation of putting lemon juice on my food lead me to try ingesting it with my meals ( about 1.5-2 lemons worth per meal). 

Doing this has helped significantly reduce my bloating and burping! Thanks Alive!!!

This brings the possibility of autoimmune gastritis on the table, and its counterpart, hypochlorohydria (low stomach acid). I do not believe H. Pylori to be the cause as when I took antibiotics in an effort to fix my gut things got worse rather than better. Presumably eating raw meat everyday would have managed a rampant H. Pylori infection as they'd have ample feeding material, and therefore, would be more inclined to acting as commensals rather than unruly guests.

In any case, looks like I'm in a similar position as Aajonus was.

Any further tips you guys can offer? Every bit helps!

Also, to my knowledge Aajonus didn't eat vegetable fiber, only vegetable juice. Does anyone know if this was because they caused intestinal fermentation for him? I eat a lot of raw carrots, which are obviously very fibrous, and am wondering if vegetable fiber should be limited for someone like me being that its big time food for microbes and mostly waste for us.

[TylerDurden]

The trouble with juicing is that it not only makes the nutrients in the plant more bioavailable, it also makes the antinutrients more bioavailable as well. Long-term, I would not recommend eating/drinking anything in its non-natural form. Even something like raw minced-meat could theoretically be dangerous since the form it is in tricks us humans into eating more than we should.

[Projectile Vomit]

You might also consider a prolonged fast, or at least intermitted fasting to let the gut rest for longer stretches.

[Cherokee]

The trouble with juicing is that it not only makes the nutrients in the plant more bioavailable, it also makes the antinutrients more bioavailable as well. Long-term, I would not recommend eating/drinking anything in its non-natural form. Even something like raw minced-meat could theoretically be dangerous since the form it is in tricks us humans into eating more than we should.

That is a very good point, and a very good dietary principle. Chewing is a big part of the digestive process I suppose, and I agree that we shouldn't completely bypass that step.

[Cherokee]

You might also consider a prolonged fast, or at least intermitted fasting to let the gut rest for longer stretches.

This has proven helpful! I only eat twice a day for the last 5 months.

[TylerDurden]

That is a very good point, and a very good dietary principle. Chewing is a big part of the digestive process I suppose, and I agree that we shouldn't completely bypass that step.

Actually, most of us RVAFers don't bother to chew much. Carnivores in the wild just bolt down their meats, and edible vegetables like carrots don't need much chewing. Grass et al does need lots of chewing which is why herbivores have their special jaws. I would concede that some chewing is necessary, though, for cooked-foodists as their foods don't contain any enzymes in them which can help predigest the meat in the upper stomach.

As regards (intermittent) fasting, twice a day is too much, imo, to  get real benefits. The minimum, imo, is to eat within a 4 hour window once a day. There is also ADF/alternate day fasting which is claimed to be even more effective.Also, if the gut is the problem, like Eric said, some prolonged fasting here and there might alleviate matters a bit. It's true that eating the right(raw) foods can help, but sometimes the body does need rest from eating so that it can concentrate its resources on healing instead.

[Projectile Vomit]

And although it isn't raw, consuming meat stock can also help a leaky gut. Meat stock is made by gently cooking a piece of meat with bone in it (and connective tissues like ligaments, cartilage, and tendons) in water for a few hours. This is very different from making bone broth, which is generally cooked for much longer periods, sometimes 24 hours or more. This light cooking at lower temperatures (below boiling) draws collagen into solution without damaging it too much as would happen with prolonged boiling, and that collagen has been proven to help the gut heal. Certain herbs can also help the gut heal, particularly herbs that promote the re-growth of collagen fibers like common plantain. If you can find some, i would recommend eating a few whole, raw plantain leaves at various points throughout the day. These leaves are very fibrous, so chew them thoroughly and swallow them. Not very tasty, but proven to help heal collagen-rich tissues.

[political atheist]

try bone broth

[political atheist]

Just cut up your meat / fish and put lemon juice or cider vinegar on it, this will kill most microbes and increase the acid levels for your digestion.

I've eaten raw meat, fish, and chicken from various sources (including lots and lots of raw mince) and in varying degrees of freshness (up to green lamb chops and fish buried in the ground for a month) and never had any problem (except the time I also had commercial juice and bread at the same time and the meat microbes went wild eating the carbs and I had to vomit).

Remember to eat lots of raw greens too, so your gorilla large intestine has something to do.

If you are blocked up then the high fibre gloop mixture will help to restart things and get them settled down again more quickly.

My experience of this kind of condition is that I need to eat:

'Greens' - raw wet fresh plant matter
Protein and fat - raw wet animal food

BTW our true requirement for meat is actually quite small, if you are having trouble affording enough calories then ask a butcher for their fat off cuts - which are normally free.

according to my research we need about 1g/kg/day.. if you are an athlete 2g/kg/day.

how much protein do you think we need per day?

[TylerDurden]

according to my research we need about 1g/kg/day.. if you are an athlete 2g/kg/day.

how much protein do you think we need per day?

Most people here claim 100g a day for protein.

[Cherokee]

Thank you all for your contributions to journey back to health!

I tried bone broth for a good while in the Summer, however, the cooked proteins and highly available amino acids within it proved to worsen my intestinal overgrowth. It was this experience actually which lead me to discovering the importance of raw proteins. Presumably stocks and broth would help some, but in my own experience I have found raw foods, plant or animal to work best for me as they are less conducive to putrefaction and fermentation in the gut.

I suspect that those of us with low stomach acid simply cannot breakdown and absorb cooked proteins before gut microbes begin to feast on them and produce their often problematic metabolites.

Upon reading your suggestions I have cut my protein consumption down to near 100g. I am also reducing my consumption of carrots and introducing cucumbers and leafy greens.

Yesterday I drove 2 hours to a farm and bought 20ibs of raw grass-fed suet, which I lightly render and mix in a 4 blueberries to sweeten and eat 2-3oz of with my meals. Delicious!


Per your recommendations, I have increased my consumption of veggies and fat and brought meat consumption into range. Lemon juice and stomach acid supplementation have lead to marked improvements in digestion, bloating, and constipation.

Due to my history of antibiotic use and worsening of symptoms after using them this Summer, I suspect my issues are related to an overgrowth of yeasts and molds in my gut.
My plan of attack from here is to eat in such a way as to feed my gut bacteria and starve gut yeast. Consequently, I will be removing carrots and switching to non-starchy veggies like kale and cucumbers.

As always, I am most appreciative of your sharing of your own knowledge and experiences! Thanks for tuning in

[political atheist]

i think raw starchy root veggies like carrots, beets are not an issue because u cant access the sugars unless cooked

[van]

I disagree about not getting the sugars out of carrots..  Steer to leeks, garlic, cabbage, shredded broccoli stems, radishes, tasty lettuces, asparagus, bock choi.  You can also empty capsule of superior probiotics into glass of water with one teaspoon of psyllium husks and let sit on counter for a day before drinking on an empty stomach.   The psyllium will protect the bacterias from stomach acid and high ph of small intestine and thus deliver a living source of food supported ( psyllium ) bacteria...  Works quite well. 
  The trick with feeding prebiotics to your growing healthy gut bacteria is to feed them throughout the day.  Gut bacteria multiply every ten minutes.  Thus they need frequent feeding, thus you can snack on prebiotic vegetables as listed.  Leeks  are my go to, as well as cabbage, but often you hear that variety also helps. 

[political atheist]

I disagree about not getting the sugars out of carrots..  Steer to leeks, garlic, cabbage, shredded broccoli stems, radishes, tasty lettuces, asparagus, bock choi.  You can also empty capsule of superior probiotics into glass of water with one teaspoon of psyllium husks and let sit on counter for a day before drinking on an empty stomach.   The psyllium will protect the bacterias from stomach acid and high ph of small intestine and thus deliver a living source of food supported ( psyllium ) bacteria...  Works quite well. 
  The trick with feeding prebiotics to your growing healthy gut bacteria is to feed them throughout the day.  Gut bacteria multiply every ten minutes.  Thus they need frequent feeding, thus you can snack on prebiotic vegetables as listed.  Leeks  are my go to, as well as cabbage, but often you hear that variety also helps.

so the best case scenario to get the microbiome healthy would be to eat fermented veggies every 2- 3 hours because fermented veggies(the ones you listed in a fermented version and the root/starchy ones as well, because fermentation reduces sugar inveggies) contain both prebiotics and probiotics. Am I right?

[van]

 couldn't hurt, and, but, fermented vegs. have most of the prebiotic carb already fermented, which means that there might not be enough food/carb left for the microbes in the gut to feed on.  Thus I think a combo is best.

[Cherokee]

Hey folks!

I am now back at college for my final semester. Fortunately the supermarkets in the area have grass fed beef options and wild salmon, however sushi-grade salmon is $37 per pound! Grass fed beef is about $10 per pound. So I'm trying to figure out how I can afford to eat raw paleo without running out of money before the semester ends.

Regrettably, I still have not tried a raw steak form the supermarket because I am terrified of getting food poisoning. I only buy grass-fed meat which comes in vacuum sealed packages. I sear it 20-30 seconds a side and eat everything but the cooked outside parts.

Cooked meat causes bloating and swollen lymph nodes for me, similar to what Aajonus experienced after his vagatomy.

My current diet consists of:

Beef (mostly ribeye)
Blueberries
Cucumbers
Carrots
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Lightly rendered grass fed suet which I mix with berries.

I really want to just eat the ribeyes raw but the fear of food poisoning is stopping me.

Does anyone else here eat packaged grass fed meat raw? Or does everyone get theres from a butcher?

As always, your input is extraordinarily helpful and formative. Thanks in advance!