Regard,

Jan P. Lopez

First of all thank you for sharing your story and your wife’s. I have done quite a bit of reading regarding leaky gut, rheumatoid arthritis and the avoidance of ALL sugars. I went through your comment above and put the items that she can’t eat in bold… just to help me sort this out. As you both have been enduring this journey, have you compiled a list of foods that she can and can’t eat? I know you gave me a basic outline but just wondering if you have anything more detailed that I could “chew” over. :) This would help me tremendously so I don’t end up spending time on foods that she can’t have in the end.

I have to admit this will be a great challenge and one that will require some thought and time. Ideas for “sweet tasting non-sweet desserts” causes my head to spin. hehe You can either continue to comment here or you can email me at amiesue@nouveauraw.com. I would like to know if and what nuts, seeds, fresh fruits, etc that she can eat and foods that she clearly voids.

I would love to help. I look forward in hearing back from you… many blessings to you both, amie sue

I just have a general comment and then at the end a question. First the comment. My wife has Rheumatoid Arthritis and she has had it now for over 6 years. This past year we made a concerted decision to try and cure her naturally and in the least get her off the hard core medications given to nearly all people suffering from an autoimmune disease. She is 6 months into this natural cure and about 3 months without her powerful meds. I would like to say she’s perfectly healed, but that would be a huge exaggeration. It’s a little early yet to cry miracle, but we are both optimistic she will get better and she feels a whole lot happier energetically than before. Unfortunately, she is in a lot of pain day to day, but that too will eventually end.

The doctor and nutritionist she is working with both think much of this problem is/was exacerbated by a “leaky gut” as well as other pathogenic infections that were only encouraged by the leaky gut. We now eat a very clean plant based food diet that is mostly raw, however, we have learned through eliminating many food groups that “sugar” and this can be natural sugars form all grains and pseudo grains, to sugars found in fruit especially fructose from dried fruit and even many fresh fruits like apples that cause an arthritic reaction that first starts in her gut and then spreads to some joint or another where inflammation ensues and then pain.

The gut is the origin for these arthritic attacks or flares and supposedly the reason why is that sugar (from all sources man-made or raw) feed gram stain negative bacteria in the gut that in turn helps grow or nourish these infections. When all types of sugars are reduced or avoided, my wife does better and her arthritic flares are minimal. She can eat raw, fresh ground buckwheat (no more than a cup total each week) made into low heat pancakes, but not quinoa and not any other pseudo grains. I bring this all up because I think a natural raw plant based diet is awesome for the body, but also maybe some of your readers (like Colin) with IBS should consider reducing all sugars for awhile (not just for a week, but maybe 6 months) to see how the body responds.

Finally, my question: It is so hard to find any vegan and or raw food recipes for snacks or desserts without the additive of sugar or sweeteners (natural, dried or refined) in them. Your foods look SO good, but we can’t consume dates because there is way too much fructose sugar in even one. So too with any recipes featuring Agave, Stevia, honey and dried fruits. Our best bet so far has been nut butters like a mix of either raw walnuts, raw pecans or raw almonds mixed with raw cocoa nibs in the food processor. So, if your artist’s intuition and sensibility has any ideas for sweet tasting non-sweet desserts or snacks then we would be so deeply indebted for your help. Thank you, Shawn.

I have done a lot of reading about grains and from my collective efforts on gaining knowledge about it them, it is recommended to soak Millet, Quinoa and Buckwheat in the same manner. These are actually seeds, not grains but are often referred to as such. Donna Gates strongly requested that you soak these seeds to ease up on digestion. Have you ever read her book, Body Ecology? If nothing else you can check out her site, http://bodyecology.com/articles/millet_nutrition_benefits_uses.php.

Quinoa is suppose to be super easy on the digestive system and is a complete protein. Have you figured out what are trigger foods for you? In the past week I discovered a great article that I am studying about phytic acid. It’s a research paper called, “Phytic Acid: A Visual Summary Of The Research On Home Kitchen Remedies For Phytic Acid” She charges $11 to be able to download the paper. The gal who wrote it (Amanda Rose, Ph.D.) has a blog, here is a link to it… http://www.rebuild-from-depression.com/soaking-grains.

I hope so of this helped to answer your questions. You can always contact me at amiesue@nouveauraw.com if you want to talk further about it. Have a blessed weekend, amie sue

Colin here from Dublin. Loving your website. Been thinking very strongly about increasing raw foods. I have always soaked oats but never added the cider vinegar. I have just started the low FODMAP diet as I have been having sever upper left abdominal pain 4-6 times a year and have had all the tests and was cleared for Chrons, Celiac etc. Perfectly healthy Im told! Chronic IBS Im told, I am a bit bewildered as from what I know IBS is a daily occurrence for sufferers and I go symptom free for months then bang, out for 2–3 days following a 6-8 hour sever pain episode? I was hospitalized 2 weeks ago for 2 days due to the pain. Having tried lots of different approaches I am giving the FODMAP Diet a go. Trying to find alternative less abrasive ways to eat protein and carbs. Would I need to soak all grains, Millet, Quinoa, Buckwheat etc and if so is it standard 8-24 hours for all grains plus the lemon or ACV? Many thanks for any advice or symptoms or soaking, Blessings, Colin