Today Raw Food Made Me Sick.

first sore throat I've had in over a year.

first sore throat I've had in over a year.Is it possible to get sick while eating 100% raw vegan?

I didn’t believe it. It’s been over a year since my last cold (since I went paleo) and I figured that doing a stint all-raw would elevate my immune system to Clark Kent levels of efficiency.

That is, until I woke up this morning.

I almost didn’t remember what having a sore throat felt like, but I definitely remember now. I’ve been tired all day, and it hurts to swallow.

So what happened? Why’d I get sick?

A lot of the books and speakers out there would have you believe that going raw is the end all, be all solution to every health problem under the sun.

Others, often families and friends eating S.A.D.(standard American diet) are quick to discourage you from trying something that surely must lead to malnutrition.

They tell you going raw will make you sick.

When you wake up with a sore throat after 30 days of raw, it’s easy to start listening to them.

But let’s take a look under the hood. Join me, as I pull back the curtain and we figure out what went wrong. Maybe we’ll discover an easy change you can make in your own life?

Let’s look at what was going on the last few days.

  • big trip down to Portland. First time on a train! (woo!)
  • my diet got all messed up. I probably wasn’t eating quite enough, and I was eating WAY more sweets and nuts than usual. I also overate the night before getting sick. Overate on raw cheesecake and truffles -_-.
  • the weather was COLD. For a Seattleboy, under zero C is stupidly cold. Even when I switched to warm gloves, and a nice warm military surplus Russian hat, I was still cold almost all day every day. It’s a myth that being out in the cold can make you sick, but grandma’s wisdom is easy to take to heart when things goes wrong.

The easy answer.

Maybe I overdid it. My immune system could have gotten hit with the cold and the travel, I wasn’t getting as much of my favorite superfoods, and I (probably) overdid it on the sweets, giving plenty of room for some nasties to worm their way in.

But here’s the missing piece I realized after a few hours.

See, there’s something I didn’t tell you yet, because it’s something I didn’t think about until after I got sick.

The Right Answer.

for over a week and a half now, my urine has been a really, really deep yellow. Like, I’m talking cantaloupe colored almost.

Seemed a bit strange… but I figured it was just the detox.

I mean, we all know about the ‘detox’. Eat healthy, and the body dumps all that stored up garbage as fast as it can. Nothing to worry about here, move right along.

I didn’t do much to help the detox out. More specifically, I’ve been drinking about as much water as most of you are probably drinking. That is, not enough.

So today I decided to add up how much water I’m supposed to be drinking every day. A good rule of thumb is ‘drink half your body weight in ounces’ every day. My body weight is around 160, so I should be drinking 80 oz of water every day.

Well, I measured that. You know what I’ve probably been averaging? Maybe half that. MAYBE.

Lesson of the day? If you’re off the sidelines and taking action, you might be starting to get some heavy detox signs going on. If so, take steps to give your body a helping hand. We’re not invincible here, we need to be kind to ourselves while we’re going through this whole journey.

Your Action Plan for the Day.

You’re not improving if you’re not measuring. I want you to measure how much water you’re doing in a day. If it’s under 30 oz, then make this priority. Soda, diet soda, and coffee do NOT count, since they’re all diuretics. You actually have to drink even more water to make up for them.

Also, if your urine is especially dark and you haven’t been power loading on riboflavin or beet juice, it’s time to do more water. That’s one of your body’s ways to give you a warning. Catch it now, and you won’t get sick.

That’s it. Simple, right? DRINK MORE WATER. I’ve been told this constantly for years, but I’ve never stuck with it (until now?)

Are you getting enough water? Do you want to never get sick again? Are you going to get up from your chair and do something about it? Leave your questions, comments, or amusing anecdotes below.

Now, time to get up and get something to drink: ).

much peace and love, namaste
James

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15302484 Christina Lechlitner

    I’m going to go drink some water right now! I’m thirsty!

  • http://puttylike.com/ Emilie Wapnick

    Does herbal tea count toward your daily intake?

  • Anonymous

    herbal is fine, it’s the black teas you want to be careful with. I know you don’t do those though, so you should be in the clear: ). I’m a big fan of Rooibos at the moment, so those kinds of tea are definitely okay.

  • http://theguruquest.com/ Tom

    Ah yes, I love drinking water, if I’ve had a few pints of Guinness I’ll drink up to two litres of water when I get home and I can pretty much avoid the hangover (of course there’s much to be said for not drinking, but that’s another story).

    You’re right, most people do not drink enough water and I’m enjoying a nice cold glass as I type this :)

  • http://www.adventuresintheraw.com James

    drinking water with any kind of alcohol is especially important. Back when I used to lean on the wine bottle in college, I’d always feel like I got ran over the by a street cleaner car the next day if I didn’t. Thanks for dropping by the blog Tom!

  • Brooke Hewlett

    Other reaons you may have become sick…

    Are you doing colonics or anything like that? Your body can start cleaning out it’s waste big time and you need to help it.

    I find that most people become sick when they need it. I see a big pattern of when people are running in the wrong direction in life and then thier body starts telling them no. How many people do you know have been running through life, focused on material possesions, ignoring their family (at any age), then sickness comes in and they reconnect, go home to their family, and get better.

    The most likely answer… your body and emotions are connected. You can look into the chakras to find these answers. Even doctors have documented these common patterns. For the throat.. that chakra has to do with communication. If your thoat hurts you are likely mad at somebody and want to say something but holding it in. I usually ask people “who are you so angry at?” and see the shocked look of surprise on thier face. Say what you are so angry about and you will likely find that it will go away. And you had a hard time swallowing, this also could literally mean you having a hard time accepting (swallowing) something in life. For more info on this subject look up Louise Hay “heal your body” or Dr. Mona Lisa Shultz.

    And my final thought is of course natural medicine. Lemon juice does wonders for a sore throat. If I feel it coming on I drink huge glasses of it, sometimes sipping for hours, and I always feel better.

    Hope you are feeling well now :)

  • Anonymous

    Yes, I’m feeling much better now Brooke: ). That was another interesting thing, unlike most of my friends (who eat more conventionally) the one time I got sick it only last maybe two days instead of two weeks.

    I’ve read about some of the other detox methods, from colonics to skin brushing. I haven’t explored any of those avenues yet though, one thing at a time. I’ve definitely noticed a lot of connections between emotions and health in my own life, so I’ve made a practice of daily journaling and introspection. A little illumination can go a long way towards healing other areas too.

    Thanks for the tips!
    James

  • http://ultimatefitnessbreakthrough.com/long-term-results-at-pasadena-gym/ Revend

    Good topic and i like this article. I also like to drink lot of water in a day because i think water is the only thing that can quench our thirst. It is good to drink lot of water in a day because it has lot of benefits. 

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