Transition To Raw Diet?

[24rulz]

I started the RAF diet two weeks ago. Since that time I have had occasional problems with digestion. I have a lot of abdominal growling and gurgling after I eat red meat. I also have issues with bouts of diarrhea. I am battling liver cancer so I am not sure if my liver is adjusting to the change in my diet. Has anyone had any similar issues after starting the RAF diet? Any help is appreciated!   

[CitrusHigh]

Are you eating any organ meats? Or muscle meats only? Lean or fatty cuts?

Your body is going to be going through some adjustments as it greedily absorbs the much needed live and vital nutrients!

[24rulz]

I have been eating beef liver but it's mostly muscle meats. I has been very difficult to find meats that are from grass feed cattle.

[raw-al]

Hang in there. There is a transition period, but you will notice a number of things like everyone else.

Once you have made the transition you will get healthier as you go along. The liver will heal. I had a somewhat weak liver that would show up at the Ayurvedic doctor's when he did a pulse diagnosis. Since going raw it has healed.

[CitrusHigh]

What region are you in 24, maybe I can help you locate some source.

[Adora]

I had growling and diarrhea but I didn't feel very bad. I felt better over all than before RAF. I still do have them, but very infrequently. How do you feel overall and with the unpleasant symptoms? Did you do any chemo? I think you might have a more intense detox if you had.

[TylerDurden]

Look, every RVAFer goes through an initial detox when they transition. It's normal. I had 2-3 days of green diarrhea every 30 minutes. Then I had detox every 2-4 months(mild flu-like symptoms such as hot forehead/fatigue) which decreased in terms of severity, duration and frequency until they disappeared aftr a couple of years. Most RVAFers find that these detoxes disappear after 2-3 years, as long as they stick to raw foods, mainly.

[24rulz]

What region are you in 24, maybe I can help you locate some source.

I live in Daytona Beach.

I had growling and diarrhea but I didn't feel very bad. I felt better over all than before RAF. I still do have them, but very infrequently. How do you feel overall and with the unpleasant symptoms? Did you do any chemo? I think you might have a more intense detox if you had.

I haven't had any type of chemo. The cancer I have is very rare and chemo has no effect on it.

[Rawr]

1. Consider yourself lucky that the MDs didn't have any poison to offer you to "treat" (read as: worsen ) your health condition.

2. I would advise to focus on the fats more at the beginning of the diet.

If you're like me and most people, healthy fats are what you've been getting the least of for the most of your life. I also have a tendency to believe that healthy fats can somewhat "smooth" your body's "detoxes".

I eat eggs, butter (raw), avocados daily, and now and then some virgin coconut oil.

I have a feeling that most people here who have ever eaten bone marrow (from grass-fed organic/wild animals) usually prefer it over all other fats. I haven't tried it yet but look forward to.

3. One way or the other, detoxes are a natural part of life and especially when you've been "collecting" crap in your body for a lot of years. If they're too intense, I would advise trying to add more healthy fats. AV also recommends/used to recommend some cooked starches (potatoes?) to slow detoxes of some people in some situations - I would try to avoid or limit this.

4. Good luck, and welcome.

[24rulz]

Thanks for all of those who responded to my question!

[joej627]

I have figured out that in my situation my body can be overwhelmed trying to do anything too quickly.  My digestion isn't used to the raw animal products so much.  I think the #1 thing that helps me is letting the food warm up on the counter for awhile before i eat it.  I think half the time when my body "reacts" to a food it is because it is too cold on my system.  I kinda favor the chinese medicine approach of also using food to regulate your internal thermostat.  Eat cool when hot, hot when cool, etc.  Your not going to eat some chilled egg whites after standing out in the cold for an hour you know?  Temperature control has made a big difference for me.

[raw-al]

Depends on what you mean by hot. I have found that hot drinks temporarily warm me but overall the excess heat causes issues with things like scalded mouth, tongue etc. Every time I drink hot tea I feel sick.
I prefer to eat/drink, room temperature foods or drinks.

Ayurveda says to avoid extremes of temperatures. It destroys Ojas. It only seems like a good idea because you saw it on an ad for coffee etc.

[joej627]

No, i didn't mean literally like boiling hot.  More a comfortable warm temperature.  I do enjoy a cup of hot water first thing in the morning though with a little green tea or lemon.  I am slowly transitioning over but i find for me ADDING things in is far more important than subtracting bad foods.  For instance: adding in raw eggs as a protein/fat meal every other day.  Rare beef/salmon or raw bone marrow, etc.  I still eat slow cooked chicken/turkey but less and less of it.  I find that chicken cooked in a crock pot is nowhere near as hard to digest/assimilate as something grilled or fried.  I also eat fermented vegetables with my cooked food to help with the breakdown.  I think an important part of health is to focus on what creates health instead of focusing on what causes "dis-ease."  Creating a loving relationship with yourself and your body will always lead you to the right course of action at that moment.