I’ll be honest with you, I was swayed by the Raw Food Diet thing for ages. All you need to do is watch David Wolfe talk about how fabulous he feels and how much energy he has and it draws you in. Though I always felt eating a salad on a cold day was a push for me, I still followed what I had heard from others and stuck with eating what others had told me was right for me, instead of course… listening to my own body.
Yesterday I went to visit my Chinese doctor as I have been feeling a little under the weather the last few weeks. See, it has gotten quite cold here in New Zealand and I think I was feeling this change. The weather has been cold and damp which is probably the worst thing for our constitution. Let me explain…
For most of us with Endometriosis, the condition is described as having caught the damp or cold inside the body. This means we feel the cold easily, we get sinus, diarrhea and anything indicating a mucous layer—the white tongue layer is a good indicator. The Chinese describe diseases as imbalances like the weather. They describe Endometriosis as having cold/damp symptoms and that we require warming and drying out. This all makes sense when you look at many of the other conditions we often suffer from, like candida, leaky gut syndrome, allergies, sore muscles and arthritis.
So, what happened to me: I was living in a cold/damp environment, which just aggravated my already cold/damp constitution. Then I topped this up with some cold foods and no wonder I was feeling a little lousy!
What does this have to do with raw food?
Well, 100% raw foods are considered cold and damp on the body, which will make us feel worse. That is why the ginger drink and warming foods like soup will make you feel better in damp, cold environments. It does depend on the season and this is where it is important to listen to your body and what it really wants. Eating 100% raw is great if you have a hot constitution but if you are cold and damp, it will only aggravate you.
I am not saying to not eat fruits and vegetables, not at all. What I am saying is that we should have enough warming foods in our diet, especially over winter and when we feel particularly sore. Warm those fruits and vegetables up or add ginger to them. My morning juice now contains a massive lump of zingy ginger.
The fact is, we are all different and it is important to learn to listen to your own body and what it needs to heal. Allow yourself to open yourself up to your ability to heal and you will be guided by your own intuition. Now I just have to follow my own advice!
Check out these articles:
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/Raw_Foods.htm
This Post Has 13 Comments
Too true!
It would be great if the “want that” for what is good for it would be a lot louder than the brains “want that for sugar high” yelling is. 🙂
Wish our bodies “want that” mechanism was a little louder sometimes! 🙂
Yep. That’s me. I will pretty much try any food once! Live and learn, I guess. 🙂
That is so funny! You are a classic! I wouldn’t even consider broccoli as a juice! I am sure it must be good for you but wow! Oh well at least you know you are prepared to try anything!
Yep, pretty much. I also had green leaf lettuce, peppers, onions, carrot juice, cilantro, tomatoes, and a splash of fresh squeezed lemon. It was disgusting, the broccoli was all you could taste. Icky. And I drank an entire 12 oz glass of the stuff. I figured if it was good for me, then it was worth it. Not so much. I won’t do that again! LOL. 🙂 I do like Broccoli raw in a salad, with a bit of dressing (vinaigrette), but I can’t even look at it now. My husband says I am taste deficient, and should try simpler smoothie recipes, instead of saying, “well, I wonder what this will taste like”. When I do that, it is usually bad…
Hey Wend. Yeah definitely feel worse when its cold. I think you are onto something there with the sun. When I read about Candida, it suggested that we should expose ourselves more to the sun. This kinda makes sense as when things are cold and damp, we put them in the sun to dry. Same with our bodies I guess. It may help dry out that dampness in the body – as suggested for Candida which is also cold/damp in the body. Check out the article I did on Candida here. http://endoempowered.com/candida-and-endometriosis/
This goes w/ one of your other articles that really stood out for me- Eating healthy is different from eating for endo.
http://endoempowered.com/why-is-eating-healthynot-enough/
I felt guilty ‘cos I couldn’t do raw veggies ‘cos all the info out there is Cooked kills nutrients. Well, raw hurts! LOL I too am constantly cold. Ever since I was a child, my joints ache more w/ the cold.
Anybody notice also that their moods are worse w/ the damp & cold? I thought it had to do w/ lack of Vitamin D (aka the sun) but I think there could be more to it.
That makes me feel really good to hear that! It is hard to know sometimes if everyone is getting enough out of this blog 🙂 I know it gives me heaps but I am happy it has given you heaps too 🙂
No probs. I would’ve never thought to try Broccoli raw – didn’t that taste disgusting? 🙂
Very interesting! It makes total sense. I crave hot food and drink….and have stage IV endo. I read your blog daily and everything I’ve read has comforted me. I am constantly saying “yes” out loud. Finally, I feel like someone understands me. Thank you!
This makes sense. It also explains why my recent exploits with green veggie smoothies ended up with me being in more pain and sicker then I have ever been! Yesterday was an absolute disaster. I have learned that broccoli is best eaten steamed, not raw. Well, at least now I know what my body likes, and raw isn’t it. I thought it might have been veggie overload and indigestion, but that didn’t explain why my endo. pain acted way up too! This does. Thanks Melissa! 🙂