Hey. First, thanks for all you do! I too have colitis. I've used lots of diff things, no drugs. I've had some good results. Anyways before i start to ramble, I would like to try the fruit and veggies. What would you recommend? Say like a simple mono meal fruit, and when you started eating this way did you get alot of nasty detox? I've tried just bananas for a few days and felt pretty nasty and bloated. Should I try to just stick it out longer? Thanks again.
Andrew's Answer:
First off, although this may seem like a cocky statement, I HAD colitis, or rather, the things I was eating causing the symptoms commonly identified as colitis are no longer in my life, so I no longer have those symptoms. It's important to realize that this isn't something you caught, or which you were born with. It's here as a consequence, and by removing the causes you can free yourself of it.
Getting out of the powerless victim mentality taught by the medical profession can be a good place to start. You can feel empowered because although you're causing it, you can also cause it to stop.
Colitis can manifest itself in different ways. Some people primarily have problems with painful, bloody, pus-filled stools. For others, either constipation or diarrhea can be the dominant issue. Some are so emaciated by lack of food intake that their low weight is a real problem.
Ditching Colitis
Although a healthy raw food diet is certainly capable of reversing colitis, if the your intestines are so irritated that no solid food can be eaten, then it might not be enough.
For some, relying on juices for awhile is a necessary option, and water fasts supervised by a trained professional have done wonders for some colitis patients who can't handle any foods.
Different Options:
I initially cured my colitis by sticking to just raw, very ripe bananas for about two weeks. Keep in mind that most people eat bananas in a very unripe state when they're mostly starch, and often end up getting constipated and feel bloated. Learn how to ripen them here.
By the end of two weeks my symptoms were starting to heal, and I gradually began including different types of raw fruits, but my symptoms were not completely gone until about two months had gone by. At that time I began including a mix of raw leafy green vegetables in my diet. Over a year went by before I could handle harder-to-digest cruciferous vegetables without issue.
If I had to do it all over again I think I would rely on easy-to-digest watermelon and cantaloupe over bananas, but most people don't have the stomach capacity to eat enough of these low-calorie fruits to meet their needs before they've adapted to a raw food diet, so I'm not sure how it would have worked out.
I would also emphasize that rest is critical when overcoming colitis, and I slept A LOT during my recovery.
The Raw Food Lifestyle is an important book for understanding the factors of health outside of diet that can really play into your recovery.
Your Situation
I know virtually nothing about your individual situation and can't really suggest a particular strategy for you. There are so many variants of colitis that it's irresponsible to give one-fit solutions.
If you're interested in working with me one on one to come up with a plan that will put your colitis behind you, consider my raw coaching service.
