Hello Everyone

[Aliayzar]

Hello everyone my name is Alicia. I am 24 and blissfully married for two years to a carbavore who has finally decided to transition to Primal in January because he is overweight and wants to get healthy. He hears me talk a lot and observes how well I am doing and I think that is what really motivated him to jump on the bandwagon. 

I am primal right now, still do cheese and fermented dairy but I am starting to realize I need and want to take my health a step further. Here is the background: I was born with jaundice and 2 weeks later I started a round of projectile vomiting that would come and go and last until I was ten, which is exactly when the doctor said it would stop. During that time my immune system hated me and I was constantly sick, on antibiotics a few times a year using suppositories often and hospitalized for dehydration once. Moving on in my teens I dealt with horrible menstrual pains, bad enough to black out, and later mind numbing stomach pains that left me crippled in bed I would later learn was IBS. I tried everything I thought was a 'healthy' diet to make myself better. Gluten-free, raw veganism, vegetarianism and finally thank goodness Weston Price which became my stepping stone to primal when I overhead someone mentioning it at the store. After a year on being primal I ovulate for the first time ever,  my menstrual pains are lessening and my PMS symptoms, cravings and pain is drastically reduced! I do still have ovarian cyst and pain. I know I have not yet looked into healing my thyroid or adrenals because I have been so busy dealing with candida and gut issues even going so far to do a primalized version of the SCD diet and maybe later this year a raw primalized version of the GAPS diet. I really thank my lucky stars that my childhood did not permanently damage me, as far as I know, and I didn't drop dead from the childhood assault on my gut bacteria. I want to be able to finally heal further; still occasionally get stomach issues rarely, and replenish and nourish myself as well as build a good nutrient  and genetic store for any future children I want to have. A friend suggested a mostly meat diet as a drastic solution to reseting my body but I think adding a bit of raw meat to my already primal diet could do wonders to replenish for now. I am tired of being sick even if now its only occasionally.

The only issue is I don't know where to start  and how to convince my poor husband to try some of the raw meat I want to eat and that's why I am here for support, to give support and share.

[TylerDurden]

Welcome to the forum!

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/sticky-advice-for-newbies-wishing-to-slowly-ease-into-a-raw-animal-food-diet/

[CitrusHigh]

Glad to have you! If you are raw primal already you may not find the newbie section necessary but I would still read it anyway before posting anything that might be in there.

Definitely  you will find a wealth of support and info here. You sound like a pretty motivated, reasonable and independent woman and this forum is helpful for do it yourself-ers like yourself. The search engine isn't great but with enough tenacity you should be able to find what you're looking for, and anything you can't, post about it and someone here will likely have some input for you.

Where are you from or living? It sounds like there are quite a few people in to raw animal foods there?

Got to love those Pricers huh! I discovered WAPF right around the time I went RAF, because I was looking for raw milk and I was told to contact the local chapter leader for a hookup. They are awesome folks!

[Aliayzar]

Thanks so far for the warm welcome everyone. Thanks TylerDurden for the great link I know I have to get rid of dairy but I crave it so badly sometimes. I am going to take a closer look at that link tomorrow, really appreciate it. CitrusHigh I am just starting to look into raw primal I have so far only tried raw fish sliced up but that is as far as I have gotten.

Weston Price chapters are awesome usually a great place for meat and fermented foods and cod liver oil. I live in South Florida there are not many of us down here but the handful of us down here try to stay in touch even if it's just online but we really are a rare breed.

Thanks again and nice meeting you both.

[Dorothy]

Just saying HI! 

... and welcome.

[Aliayzar]

Hello Dorothy!

[PaleoPhil]

Hi Aliayzar, what foods have you found helped most with your menstrual pain and do you have any idea why? I have a friend with endometriosis who doesn't want to go raw Paleo, but maybe she would add one or two foods.

[Dorothy]

Hi Aliayzar, what foods have you found helped most with your menstrual pain and do you have any idea why? I have a friend with endometriosis who doesn't want to go raw Paleo, but maybe she would add one or two foods.

Hi my empathic friend!  

Endometriosis causes horrific menstrual pain but not for the usual reasons and therefore would not necessarily respond as well to the usual treatments/foods/herbs for menstrual pain. It's caused by uterus cells growing places they shouldn't be.... which is very likely caused by a severe omega 3 deficiency. Your friend needs raw fishes! Flax seed oil is also supposed to be very good because of the lignans. 

If your friend refuses to eat raw salmon, mackerel etc. etc. and will only take a pill or the like, I would highly suggest Minami brand fish oil pills. They are the only ones that I found that don't heat the oil and they do something that makes them very effective (that I have yet to fully understand).

If she is nauseous - ginger tea can help. During menstruation very hot sitz baths are supposed to help with the pain.

Going the herb route there are some herbs that can possibly help her by preventing such intense cramping and relax that part of the body.

Wild Yam root is very nutritious and is a tonic herb for the hormonal system in general. It relaxes the uterus muscles. Cramp bark also relaxes and tonies the uterus.... as does hibuscus, but hibiscus is a cooling herb for summer... but hibiscus also purifies the blood and heart and strengthens the urinary systems - which all can be involved in menstrual pain.

It's really too bad she won't change her diet as most women's pain and problems in this area go away completely when they stop eating things that are bad for them and get proper nutrition. I'm surprised she won't give diet a try because that kind of pain every month to have to endure would motivate most people to do just about anything necessary for relief. 

Tell her an old (good) witch on the forum told her to try raw paleo with lots of raw fish for a month to see how it makes her feel. Also tell her that endometriosis is connected to infertility and that she needs to heal her whole body, not just get a quick fix for a symptom. If she ever wants to not live in pain every month and if she wants to keep the option of healthy children rearing open and has any desire to move towards healthy wholeness - now is the time - when she has YOU to help her.......... or

............ just tell her to eat raw fish or take that pill and it might help some.

Sorry for going off on this tangent but there was an empathy emergency! hee hee.

[PaleoPhil]

I'm surprised she won't give diet a try because that kind of pain every month to have to endure would motivate most people to do just about anything necessary for relief.

I don't understand it either, but then I had one woman tell me that her husband was going to get part of his colon removed and wouldn't be interested in trying dietary therapy first because he wouldn't want to give up chocolate chip cookies! 

Thanks for the info.

[achillezzz]

I don't understand it either, but then I had one woman tell me that her husband was going to get part of his colon removed and wouldn't be interested in trying dietary therapy first because he wouldn't want to give up chocolate chip cookies! 

Thanks for the info.

And they say sugar is not addictive!!

[PaleoPhil]

Bear in mind that choc. chip cookies also contain fat (usually heated, refined vegetable lard), refined wheat and probably other things that contribute to addiction and they tend to be heated thoroughly at high temps. It seems to be an effect produced by a combination of many elements rather than just sugar alone. I don't know of a single person who's addicted to plain table sugar (not that it isn't possible, just unlikely).

[Dorothy]

I'd rather die a painful death from cancer than give up smoking.
I'd rather have diabetes than give up sweets.
I'd rather trash my adrenals and be angry than give up coffee.
I'd rather get cirrhosis than give up alcohol.
I'd rather give up every semblance of a decent life than give up meth.
I'd rather be not able to think straight, be in pain, pay through the nose for medicines and medical treatment and die young than give up my favorite cooked foods.
We've heard all these before.

There are only a few elite that have strong enough wills and intelligence to step out of the box and out of addiction. So everyone here put your hand out in front of you, draw energy into it and think how amazing you are and then pat yourself on the back. 

[TylerDurden]

Yes, I've also come across people who more or less said the above. It doesn't matter how much scientific info I provide backing up  the notion of eating raw and palaeo, they just can't change. I guess this is because cooked foods are way, way more addictive than cigarettes or drugs.

[Haai]

For me personally, tobacco and alcohol are much more addictive than cooked food. I had no problems with giving up cooked food, but giving up tobacco and alcohol (the latter of which I only gave up for about a year) was very difficult.

[Aliayzar]

Sorry I took so long to reply holiday season. PaleoPhil I fully agree with Dorothy's earlier post to keep on this new tangent. If your friend does not want to go raw paleo for me personally I found the following foods even cooked helped.

Seafood- lots of seafood especially with an omega 3 focus and zinc focus. Salmon, mackerel, sardines, cod, oysters steamed, clams steamed, fish roe is a godsend, smoked salmon. Lox and gravalax are pretty much raw but most people do not seem to mind.

Dairy ( if she is doing)- it has to be raw or at the very least grass-fed. I stuck to butter, ghee, 24 hour fermented yogurt (homemade so there is no lactose) and a bit of raw  milk here and there. I eliminated dairy completely the week before I was going to get my period because it is inflammatory and caused really bad cramps.

Fermented foods- kimchi, sauerkraut, beet kvass, kombucha lots of good vitamins plus a good gut bacteria can take care of many things at least for me.

Eggs- Cannot say enough about eggs, especially the yolks raw in smoothies, coconut milk eggnog, hollandaise however she will eat them

Saturated fats- what absolutely aggravated my cycles was vegetable and seed oils. Once I started eating good saturated fats (coconut, chicken, tallow, butter, ghee) the pain wouldn't be near as bad, but one meal with vegetable oil and it was agony city. Women need fats and good clean healthy fats. If she thinks she is eating enough saturated fats eat more.

Maca powder- its known for balancing hormones and it greatly helped with my pains when I was now starting to eat clean and not fully there. Preferably eat it raw from the pack don't cook it in brownies or so though you can, I found it wasn't as effective when cooked.


Sorry again for taking so long hope this helps.

[Dorothy]

Yes, I've also come across people who more or less said the above. It doesn't matter how much scientific info I provide backing up  the notion of eating raw and palaeo, they just can't change. I guess this is because cooked foods are way, way more addictive than cigarettes or drugs.

Hi Tyler, I personally think the thing that is most difficult about eating raw is that it is socially isolating. The entire population eats cooked foods. If you don't smoke or drink people can at least comprehend that you are trying to do something for your health and well-being... but not eating cooked food is so very strange and not understood as healthful and eating raw animal foods is quite taboo. We are social creatures. The biggest challenge is not sharing in food with others, eating alone and being judged by others for what one eats. It's not only that it contains physically addictive things, but it also contains a social aspect that I think is even stronger than the physically addictive substances in the more intense drugs our society offers.

How many people here have others with whom they can share their raw paleo meals? You'd have more company doing crack.

[Aliayzar]

 

How many people here have others with whom they can share their raw paleo meals? You'd have more company doing crack.

Hi Dorothy & Tyler sadly it is so true. The only socially acceptable  is eating sashimi but really how much sashimi can one person eat?

[TylerDurden]

There are ways round. One can always order steak tartare/beef carpaccio or just ask the waiter to  sear the meats for 10 seconds on each side so the surface looks cooked, but the inside is still raw).

[Aliayzar]

There are ways round. One can always order steak tartare/beef carpaccio or just ask the waiter to  sear the meats for 10 seconds on each side so the surface looks cooked, but the inside is still raw).

Can we really trust raw CAFO beef that is served in restaurants?

[TylerDurden]

Can we really trust raw CAFO beef that is served in restaurants?

  Some restaurants provide only grassfed meats. One just has to look around.

[CitrusHigh]

Pastured meats are still exceedingly rare here in the US in restaurants, and even then, everything else accompanying the meat is likely to be SAD, including beverages and condiments.

CAFO meats should not be supported for reasons more important than our health. By purchasing those products one is contributing to the torture of those animals and the accompanying pollution inherent in that system of growing grains to feed to confined animals.

If you want to see more grass fed meats at your local restaurants, then call them up and request it.

They are now carrying 100% grass fed meat at Target stores here in Minnesota, that was probably due to a customer or a number of customers requesting it.

A lot of merchants are willing to explore pastured options if they see a customer demand for it. But they may need some guidance when it comes to making it cost effective.

Still, you can eat CAFO meats without likely dying, but it should be kept to a strict minimum. I started out RAF 4 yrs ago on CAFO meats because I did it on my own and didn't know what grass fed was.  So it's doable, just not recommended.

[TylerDurden]

Hmm, I've seen grassfed burger chains here in the UK which seem to have been american imports. I have also seen a grassfed beef restaurant chain(aberdeen angus) around in London, UK.

Also one can usually find raw wild game(or raw wildcaught seafood) in the better restaurants around the world.

But I agree that one should not even compromise by ordering grainfed meats if no other meat is available. Better to eat a raw salad. That reminds me, Ron Paul, our official saint, is also against government grain-subsidies re feeding animals on them.

[Aliayzar]

Our local Weston Price chapter is opening a restaurant that is all pastured and grass-fed. So excited! We also have a grass-fed burger chain. And for an 1.5 hour drive we have three really great farm to table restaurants.

Just a bit nervous about eating CAFO meat raw been food poisoned too many times. Plus it tastes sort of blah.