I feel terrible! *TMI Warning!*

[WendyC]

I have been eating NT for 2 weeks now - for the first time. The last few days have been awful - my bowels are all messed up! I have been running to the potty every 30 minutes! I have cramps, and am alternating between diarreah and constipation. I feel like I have developed a case of IBS overnight. Otherwise, I am tired but not sick feeling at all. (ie - don't think I have caught a bug or anything) My husband who normally has IBS is complaning that this diet is making his belly hurt worse.

Here is what we switched to eating so far:

-soaked oatmeal in the morning (using whey)
-keifer
-raw milk
-cooking with raw butter and coconut oil
-grassfed beef, organic veggies and whatnot
-snacking on nuts
-bone broth

I almost wonder if I am allergic to coconut oil. Thats the newest thing we added this past week.

Is it normal to get sick after first starting this way of eating? We are not 100% NT yet - I am slowly trying to intergrate all this in, we haven't done fermented foods yet.

Its so discouraging because I thought these changes would make us feel better, not worse. What am I doing wrong?

[yitlan]

Some people do have to ease into coconut oil. I didn't have any adjustment to it, but I've heard some do have digestive "reactions" to it. Maybe ease off and see if that helps and then s.l.o.w.l.y add it back in. If you were fine until this past week, that could be it.

Also, depending on what you still do that's NOT NT, the combination of what you've changed and what you haven't could be bad?

[twins10705]

You may have a stomach bug, or your stomach may need more time to build up enough beneficial bacteria to properly digest nutrient dense whole foods. I would forego the oatmeal for awhile and switch breakfast to a raw shake made with raw milk kefir,bananas, 2 egg yolks, 1 tbs coconut oil, 1 tsp cod liver oil and some raw honey if it isn't sweet enough for you. The raw foods have their own enzymes and are less taxing on your body. I sometimes use frozen wild blueberries instead of the banana and I drink these shakes at least once per day. I would also take keifer before any snack or meal throughout the day.
I learned in NT that eating a bit of lactofermented veggies(sourkraut etc) along with meats, then ending the meal with a bit of the gelatinous bone broth is a great way to help your body digest the meal.
Also, it will take some time to normalize your body -- feeling poorly for a while can be a sign of detox.

[WendyC]

Hmmm... well my NT sins the past week have been:

-last night had 1 white flour tortillia with raw honey (was having a massive sugar craving and dh was eating this)

-DH bought a nut mix at the store that i have been munching on that has some sugar coated nuts mixed in it, and I assume that the nuts haven't been soaked or anything - I am currently soaking some raw nuts

-Tuesday night we went out to a bar on a date and drank beer and ate fried bar food. Big no-no, but it was a blast.

I am racking my brain, but I think thats about it. Other than those sins, we have been eating really well. I haven't been marinating the meats overnight - more like 3-4 hours, and we are doing lots of veggies and some fruits. All organic.

I am going to ease off on the coconut a bit and see if it helps - I have been using it pretty liberally. I always hated coconut as a kid, maybe I knew instictively that it was a bit harsh on my system.

The raw butter is crazy good though... YUM!

[WendyC]

That shake sounds great! I am going to try that for a few mornings and see if it helps.

THANK YOU!

[yitlan]

It's hard to say since you're so new to it. But the fried food could be making you suffer. I used to have no problem with such indulgences, but must watch my step now. But having a date and throwing caution to the wind also has it's benefits

I think bone broths and lacto fermented veggies will really help your digestion. Just don't give up. You're doing great. You system will figure itself out soon!

[aprilibarra]

Coconut is a natural laxative. Its also good for settling the stomach, but too much of the meat can give cramps. But I love fresh coconut. I just have to take it easy or you know what! You should too.

[toraji]

Coconut oil can also cause candida die-off. It is anti-viral as well as anti-fungal, do a Goooooogle to find more info as I'm pressed for time right now.

[gardenmommy]

Well, I didn't have extreme issues with NT eating when I started, but then I was eating pretty much a whole-foods-type diet to begin with. However, I did have trouble when I started consuming coconut oil. Pretty much the same as what you described. Once my body adjusted to the CO, however, I was fine. I think that it was cleaning out toxins or something. I trouble with raw milk when I first started drinking that again, too (I grew up drinking it, then quit when I went veg.). Between the raw milk and the CO, well, let's just say it wasn't pleasant!

I've been at this for about 15 months, and can say that I feel great, now. I think maybe the first 3 months (when I introduced pastured meats) were fine, then the middle 3 (when I introduced CO and raw milk) were kinda rough, and the last 9 have been great.

One thing that I found really helpful was to really cut back on grains, even properly prepared. That made a HUGE difference in my overall wellbeing. The other thing was to cut back on how much raw milk and CO I consumed, and gradually (I mean very gradually with the RM, not so slowly with CO) increase the amounts I was eating.

Btw, I've never had a problem with homemade yogurt or kefir. The culturing process makes them SO much easier for the body to assimilate.

[MamaTessa]

After being really religious about following NT for about a month, my family and I went on vacation and totally off NT. I had a couple meals with fried foods, and a couple more with white bread.

I had the symptoms you are describing for a week and a half afterward, so it could be that the "NT sins" are what are making you miserable.

[CluckyInAZ]

I would bet money that it's the coconut oil. It did the same exact thing to dh and I. We have to ease into it really slow, and if we don't eat it for a while, we have to ease back in.