Improved Breathing/ Nasal Congestion

[Busgrw]

Hi all,

Was wanting to ask a question on breathing and nasal congestion. During your Paleo journey have you experienced any improvement in your breathing/ airways etc. I've had difficulty breathing/ nasal congestion for a good while now and I'm wondering if eating raw Paleo (or even just paleo) will help clear things up and allow me to breathe easier.

I'm considering going in for surgery (due to a deviated septum which worsens the congestion) which carries risks so I want to do as much as possible myself before I think about going under the knife and thought people on here might have noticed some improvement in breathing/congestion etc that would help me.

Probably not explaining myself too well here but hopefully you understand.

Thanks in advance for any help.

G 

[eveheart]

I'm not sure I understand what's causing your congestion, but you can easily experiment and find the answer to your question. I know that in my case, I never get congested when I eat the right foods, and the right foods are never cooked or processed. It would be easy enough to try RPD for two weeks and see what happens in your case. I would never get surgery before I tried a simpler solution. Doctors tend to address the symptoms, not the causes of the symptoms.

[cherimoya_kid]

I definitely notice a LOT less congestion when I eat all raw.  Sometimes after eating a cooked meal I'll have extra congestion in the morning for a few minutes, so there's definitely a relationship for me between the two.

[Busgrw]

I'm not sure I understand what's causing your congestion, but you can easily experiment and find the answer to your question. I know that in my case, I never get congested when I eat the right foods, and the right foods are never cooked or processed. It would be easy enough to try RPD for two weeks and see what happens in your case. I would never get surgery before I tried a simpler solution. Doctors tend to address the symptoms, not the causes of the symptoms.

Cheers Eveheart. I'm sure its the potato and sweet potato as its the only thing I cook pretty much  but there lies my dilemma. I've been experimenting for months with different combinations (100% raw animal meats for a month, raw animal foods with veg/fruit/ cheese/eggs, cooked paleo a la Primal Blueprint etc etc) but whenever I drop my carbs I get bad anxiety and I just can't push through it.So, I needed to find a way of getting carbs back into my diet in the healthiest way possible and I decided on Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes which seemed to work.......except the congestion and its now starting to affect my joints. Problem is, what do I swap them for to get my carb fix. I can't eat fruit in any decent amounts as it also gives me anxiety and I just crave it too much!!! Any thoughts? I definitely want to go 100% raw again as I know i'll feel a lot better but I just want to avoid the anxiety so need a good raw source of complex carb.

I also want to avoid the doctors as much as possible as agree they just treat symptoms!

I definitely notice a LOT less congestion when I eat all raw.  Sometimes after eating a cooked meal I'll have extra congestion in the morning for a few minutes, so there's definitely a relationship for me between the two.

Cheers Cherimoya, its good to know. Any chance of a quick run down of your current raw diet? Same with yourself Eveheart as would really help me get some ideas instead of me just going straight to 100% raw meat when there is so much more to eat.

 

[TylerDurden]

I only get nasal congestion if I eat non-rawpalaeo foods. If I do,  a runny nose is a very common occurrence.

[Busgrw]

I only get nasal congestion if I eat non-rawpalaeo foods. If I do,  a runny nose is a very common occurrence.

Cheers Tyler. Any thoughts from yourself on a good source of raw paleo carb that isn't fruit?

From Monday, i'm going to experiment and go 100% Raw for 1 month again. Will include raw lamb, beef, eggs and fish but need carbs too.

G

[TylerDurden]

Radishes, carrots, lettuce, seaweed? Those are the only raw carbs I eat other than raw fruit.

[eveheart]

I deliberately eat a low-carb diet, in the range of 0 - 20 carbs per day. I eat fermented vegetables, a few nuts, seaweed in "side-dish" quantities. To give a fuller picture: I eat up to 60 "available" grams of muscle and organ protein from land and sea animals, and I eat prodigious amounts of fat from butter, animal fat, egg yolk, bone marrow, etc. About 70-90% percent of my calories comes from animal fat. I also consume a moderate amount of salt.

Switching to a lower-carb intake can cause discomfort such as cravings or low energy for a few days or a week. My favorite guide books on eating low-carb are by Gary Taubes, Nora Gedgaudas, Richard Atkins, and Phinney and Volek.

[Busgrw]

Radishes, carrots, lettuce, seaweed? Those are the only raw carbs I eat other than raw fruit.

Yeah, not enough carbs for me i'm afraid. Will still try it again for a month to see how I go.

[Busgrw]

I deliberately eat a low-carb diet, in the range of 0 - 20 carbs per day. I eat fermented vegetables, a few nuts, seaweed in "side-dish" quantities. To give a fuller picture: I eat up to 60 "available" grams of muscle and organ protein from land and sea animals, and I eat prodigious amounts of fat from butter, animal fat, egg yolk, bone marrow, etc. About 70-90% percent of my calories comes from animal fat. I also consume a moderate amount of salt.

Switching to a lower-carb intake can cause discomfort such as cravings or low energy for a few days or a week. My favorite guide books on eating low-carb are by Gary Taubes, Nora Gedgaudas, Richard Atkins, and Phinney and Volek.

Would love to get to that type of diet as its what my mind tells me is ideal. My body just wont allow it due to mental health barriers but i'll break them eventually. I'm going to go 1 month again on low card raw diet and see what happens. Don't eat dairy either so will adapt to get fat elsewhere - olive oil, avocados, coconot oil, few nuts with lots of animal organ meats and animal fat.

Cheers guys.

[cherimoya_kid]

Cheers Eveheart. I'm sure its the potato and sweet potato as its the only thing I cook pretty much  but there lies my dilemma. I've been experimenting for months with different combinations (100% raw animal meats for a month, raw animal foods with veg/fruit/ cheese/eggs, cooked paleo a la Primal Blueprint etc etc) but whenever I drop my carbs I get bad anxiety and I just can't push through it.So, I needed to find a way of getting carbs back into my diet in the healthiest way possible and I decided on Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes which seemed to work.......except the congestion and its now starting to affect my joints. Problem is, what do I swap them for to get my carb fix. I can't eat fruit in any decent amounts as it also gives me anxiety and I just crave it too much!!! Any thoughts? I definitely want to go 100% raw again as I know i'll feel a lot better but I just want to avoid the anxiety so need a good raw source of complex carb.

I also want to avoid the doctors as much as possible as agree they just treat symptoms!

Cheers Cherimoya, its good to know. Any chance of a quick run down of your current raw diet? Same with yourself Eveheart as would really help me get some ideas instead of me just going straight to 100% raw meat when there is so much more to eat.

 

I mainly eat seafood and fruit.  Right now that's sea bass, scallops, tuna, and clams for seafoods, and bananas and avocadoes for fruit.  I also eat a little raw fermented cream and some raw honey, but not daily.

As far as carbs go, PaleoPhil says that fermented raw honey (from the Really Raw Honey company) has really helped him get rid of his carb sensitivity. 

In addition, I find that the anxiety that comes with eating fruit can be reduced by

1. eating fruit with a mineral supplement like Pascalite, Terramin, bone meal, azomite, dolomite, etc..

2. Eating fruit with fat (avocados are very useful for keeping people calm, and they combine well with most fruits)

3. Eating fruit with greens (like spinach...this is also good for keeping calm. )  Eat the greens afterward.  Avoid the really light and dark greens (like iceberg lettuce and kale), use with the semi-dark greens like spinach, arugula, or even wild greens like plantain.

4. eating mainly dry fruits like banana.  Its the watery fruits that really tend to cause anxiety.

[LePatron7]

Would love to get to that type of diet as its what my mind tells me is ideal. My body just wont allow it due to mental health barriers but i'll break them eventually. I'm going to go 1 month again on low card raw diet and see what happens. Don't eat dairy either so will adapt to get fat elsewhere - olive oil, avocados, coconot oil, few nuts with lots of animal organ meats and animal fat.

Cheers guys.

You could also look into suet, which is raw beef fat. it's cheap and can be used to get most of your calories.

[Busgrw]

I mainly eat seafood and fruit.  Right now that's sea bass, scallops, tuna, and clams for seafoods, and bananas and avocadoes for fruit.  I also eat a little raw fermented cream and some raw honey, but not daily.

As far as carbs go, PaleoPhil says that fermented raw honey (from the Really Raw Honey company) has really helped him get rid of his carb sensitivity. 

In addition, I find that the anxiety that comes with eating fruit can be reduced by

1. eating fruit with a mineral supplement like Pascalite, Terramin, bone meal, azomite, dolomite, etc..

2. Eating fruit with fat (avocados are very useful for keeping people calm, and they combine well with most fruits)

3. Eating fruit with greens (like spinach...this is also good for keeping calm. )  Eat the greens afterward.  Avoid the really light and dark greens (like iceberg lettuce and kale), use with the semi-dark greens like spinach, arugula, or even wild greens like plantain.

4. eating mainly dry fruits like banana.  Its the watery fruits that really tend to cause anxiety.

Cheers Cherimoya. I've just taken a delivery of some wild fish (Sea Bass (£££ ouch), Tuna and Halibut) which will form the basis of my monthly plan. Do you freeze your fish before eating or just eat it raw from fresh. I'm happy enough eating it fresh but just wondered what you thought.

Will look into the honey option but not confident it will help as i'll no doubt eat the whole tub in one after I get a taste of it

Can also try bananas as I don't seem to crave them so that in itself is a sign to me that it shouldn't affect my anxiety too much.

Has anyone ever eaten sweet potato raw? Does it have the same anti nutrients that potatoes have?

[Busgrw]

You could also look into suet, which is raw beef fat. it's cheap and can be used to get most of your calories.

Don't do too well with suet DaBoss. I find it too dry and it gets difficult to eat. Do you eat it any special way that would help?

[LePatron7]

Don't do too well with suet DaBoss. I find it too dry and it gets difficult to eat. Do you eat it any special way that would help?

I order from of farm in Pennsylvania that sends shipments every other week to Miami.

if I order over 5 pounds of suet, it comes chalky and white like you described. but when I ordered 3 pounds or less it comes smooth and creamy and very palatable.

i think its also something I think you tolerate more the longer you're on the diet.

after while I could tolerate both of them, but perferred the creamy yellow one.

[eveheart]

Don't do too well with suet DaBoss. I find it too dry and it gets difficult to eat. Do you eat it any special way that would help?

I don't enjoy suet at all, but I l-o-v-e grassfed beef backfat. I buy huge chunks when my butcher cuts up his beef. The butcher either charges me $1 pound or throws it in free. I hang it in my fridge for good air circulation and slice off a chunk to eat every day.

[cherimoya_kid]

Cheers Cherimoya. I've just taken a delivery of some wild fish (Sea Bass (£££ ouch), Tuna and Halibut) which will form the basis of my monthly plan. Do you freeze your fish before eating or just eat it raw from fresh. I'm happy enough eating it fresh but just wondered what you thought.

Will look into the honey option but not confident it will help as i'll no doubt eat the whole tub in one after I get a taste of it

Can also try bananas as I don't seem to crave them so that in itself is a sign to me that it shouldn't affect my anxiety too much.

Has anyone ever eaten sweet potato raw? Does it have the same anti nutrients that potatoes have?

I try to never freeze my fish.  I prefer it to get high instead.  Ocean fish are usually relatively free of parasites.

The key with the honey is the fermentation. at least according to PaleoPhil.  I don't know if you can easily get it in the UK, though, and Phil is the only person I know who has reported those benefits, but it's worth a shot if you can get it.

Raw sweet potato tastes great to me, but it's hard to digest.

[Busgrw]

I don't enjoy suet at all, but I l-o-v-e grassfed beef backfat. I buy huge chunks when my butcher cuts up his beef. The butcher either charges me $1 pound or throws it in free. I hang it in my fridge for good air circulation and slice off a chunk to eat every day.

Yeah, i've done that before as well so will try it again if I can get any of the good back fat. Suet seems to dehydrate me for some reason. Similar to cooked food which is what i'm trying to avoid completely as feel my whole body needs 'lubricating' if that makes sense!!

[Busgrw]

I try to never freeze my fish.  I prefer it to get high instead.  Ocean fish are usually relatively free of parasites.

The key with the honey is the fermentation. at least according to PaleoPhil.  I don't know if you can easily get it in the UK, though, and Phil is the only person I know who has reported those benefits, but it's worth a shot if you can get it.

Raw sweet potato tastes great to me, but it's hard to digest.

I managed to get the honey on a site called Red23. Should get delivered soon. Boom! Worth a shot as you say.

Tried raw sweet potato last night and it was really nice so will have no probs using that as one of y carb sources bearing in mind that it may be hard to digest.

Actually cant wait to get started.

[TylerDurden]

Red23 isn't an ideal site. for really raw honey, I would suggest buying honeycomb from farmers' markets. As long as it's not in a jar, one can be sure it's raw.

[Busgrw]

Red23 isn't an ideal site. for really raw honey, I would suggest buying honeycomb from farmers' markets. As long as it's not in a jar, one can be sure it's raw.

Interesting. I used to get all my raw dairy from them before I decided they were far too expensive so sourced my own. I only use them for dried coconut shavings now and this raw honey product. Also mighty pricey. Will check out the farmers market on the way home today and see what they got. Cheers Tyler.

[TylerDurden]

Interesting. I used to get all my raw dairy from them before I decided they were far too expensive so sourced my own. I only use them for dried coconut shavings now and this raw honey product. Also mighty pricey. Will check out the farmers market on the way home today and see what they got. Cheers Tyler.

If you're in London, I strongly suggest that you search among the various farmers' markets affiliated with the LFM:-

http://www.lfm.org.uk/

It even shows if there are stalls selling certain foods like honey. Only catch is that some stalls only appear occasionally. You may have to ask the market-stall guy/gal in charge re such matters.

In my raw-dairy-phase ages ago, I would buy raw milk at 2 pounds sterling a pint at an LFM farmer's market, which was not at all bad.

[Busgrw]

If you're in London, I strongly suggest that you search among the various farmers' markets affiliated with the LFM:-

http://www.lfm.org.uk/

It even shows if there are stalls selling certain foods like honey. Only catch is that some stalls only appear occasionally. You may have to ask the market-stall guy/gal in charge re such matters.

In my raw-dairy-phase ages ago, I would buy raw milk at 2 pounds sterling a pint at an LFM farmer's market, which was not at all bad.

Cheers Tyler. In Edinburgh myself but it has a good market on a Saturday. Walked through today but the honey stall wasn't there today. Will find out when they are there tomorrow.

In my dairy days, i'd order approx 10 litres per week of Goat and Cows milk from farms down in England for about the same price as yourself. You cant buy raw milk in scotland.

[PaleoPhil]

As far as carbs go, PaleoPhil says that fermented raw honey (from the Really Raw Honey company) has really helped him get rid of his carb sensitivity. 

It does seem to have reduced my carb sensitivity, but not gotten rid of it. Others have reported benefits from it at the Really Raw website, and the WAPF claims that fermented honey is a "better aid to digestion" than unfermented (http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/fermented-honey), though not many people have tried it and reported results. It is relatively expensive, but then I try not to eat more than 2 tbsps at a time anyway, as going above that still tends to spike my BG. Early on I did find myself eating large amounts of honey at times, but I've gotten better control of that. One trick I use is to keep most of the honey in a closet out of sight and only take it out one jar at a time (I buy it by the case to get a bit of a price discount, as honey doesn't spoil), and also to keep the 1-2 TBSP limit in mind when eating it. I also don't eat it every day and if I find myself eating too much or too regularly, I put the open jar in a cupboard, out of sight.

Problem is, what do I swap them for to get my carb fix. I can't eat fruit in any decent amounts as it also gives me anxiety and I just crave it too much!!! Any thoughts?

What I did is try various carby foods one at a time to see which I tolerated best.

Has anyone ever eaten sweet potato raw? Does it have the same anti nutrients that potatoes have?

Yes, I've tried it. It was OK, not great. It does contain antinutrients, as do all plant foods, but they are likely somewhat different, though similar, to those in potatoes. I haven't analyzed it in detail and I haven't bothered much with it since testing it both raw and boiled. I don't currently seem to fare great on sweet potatoes or white potatoes, though I'll occasionally have them when eating at other peoples' homes our at restaurants. These are the current foods that contain significant carbs that I seem to tolerate well, though many other people report very different foods, so it's best if you test various foods yourself--

Roughly from best tolerated at top, to least tolerated
eggs, liver, shellfish (animal starch)
carrots, radishes, horseradish, raw fermented sauerkraut, greens, celery, garlic
wild Maine blueberries, raw fermented honey (1-2 TBSP)
coconut (though too much can give me nausea, likely from overload of MC triglycerides), blackberries
other blueberries, raspberries
fresh figs
super-ripe bananas
raw sheep cheese (expensive)
occasionally when eating away from home: cooked tubers or small amounts of steamed/boiled white rice

FWIW, your experience with suet is quite different than mine. I have found suet to be one of my most hydrating foods. That plus fermented honey and topical cocoa butter have been my most effective tools against dry skin. I sometimes use suet topically as well. It's amazing how different peoples' experiences can be, which once again goes to show how important personal experimentation is.

[Busgrw]

It does seem to have reduced my carb sensitivity, but not gotten rid of it. Others have reported benefits from it at the Really Raw website, and the WAPF claims that fermented honey is a "better aid to digestion" than unfermented (http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/fermented-honey), though not many people have tried it and reported results. It is relatively expensive, but then I try not to eat more than 2 tbsps at a time anyway, as going above that still tends to spike my BG. Early on I did find myself eating large amounts of honey at times, but I've gotten better control of that. One trick I use is to keep most of the honey in a closet out of sight and only take it out one jar at a time (I buy it by the case to get a bit of a price discount, as honey doesn't spoil), and also to keep the 1-2 TBSP limit in mind when eating it. I also don't eat it every day and if I find myself eating too much or too regularly, I put the open jar in a cupboard, out of sight.
What I did is try various carby foods one at a time to see which I tolerated best.
Yes, I've tried it. It was OK, not great. It does contain antinutrients, as do all plant foods, but they are likely somewhat different, though similar, to those in potatoes. I haven't analyzed it in detail and I haven't bothered much with it since testing it both raw and boiled. I don't currently seem to fare great on sweet potatoes or white potatoes, though I'll occasionally have them when eating at other peoples' homes our at restaurants. These are the current foods that contain significant carbs that I seem to tolerate well, though many other people report very different foods, so it's best if you test various foods yourself--

Roughly from best tolerated at top, to least tolerated
eggs, liver, shellfish (animal starch)
carrots, radishes, horseradish, raw fermented sauerkraut, greens, celery, garlic
wild Maine blueberries, raw fermented honey (1-2 TBSP)
coconut (though too much can give me nausea, likely from overload of MC triglycerides), blackberries
other blueberries, raspberries
fresh figs
super-ripe bananas
raw sheep cheese (expensive)
occasionally when eating away from home: cooked tubers or small amounts of steamed/boiled white rice

FWIW, your experience with suet is quite different than mine. I have found suet to be one of my most hydrating foods. That plus fermented honey and topical cocoa butter have been my most effective tools against dry skin. I sometimes use suet topically as well. It's amazing how different peoples' experiences can be, which once again goes to show how important personal experimentation is.

Cheers for all the info PaleoPhil. Some good advice there. To comment:

- I've got the honey on order so will see how I get on with it. May need to find that dark cupboard for storage as the craving gremlins will no doubt raise their head!!! Gotta try it though.
- Going to do exactly that and try different carb foods and see what works best. I'm assuming that i'll handle raw sweet potato well and also going to try bananas as I don't crave those for some reason so should be a good carb source. Might also try a few berries although i've a tendency to open the flood gates with these so need to be careful.
- Spoke to my grass fed butcher today while at the farmers market and he's going to throw in a big chunk of flank fat with my next order. May also get him to put in some suet as well so I can compare. Its been a while so will see what it does.
- Completely agree with the personal experimentation as we are all different. I've spent too long trying to copy other peoples diets and then get frustrated when it doesn't work. Gotta nail it for myself. I'm getting close but still no cigar!!!

Think the diet will consist of:

Ocean fish
Steak tartare
Lamb steak
Beef and Lamb organ meats
Eggs
Olive and Coconut oil
A few nuts
Salads including sweet potato, green leaves, avocado, carrots
Bananas (prefer the very ripe ones too)
Flank and suet fat

Lets see how it goes!

 

Cheers again.