Hand Cramps

[Miriam Proefrock]

Just to get started, I will say that I am 100% raw,but, am having a bit a problem and am hoping I can get some insight on this issue. I am not a huge fruit fan but eat loads of vegetables. After reading all the info on the 80-10-10 program I thought maybe I should start eating more fruit. So, I dig right in to fresh mango off the tree, papaya, banana, and pineapple. Not at one sitting mind you, LOL, but none the less, I am  incorporating more fruit. Very shortly after ingesting the fruit, I get severe hand cramps! This isn't the first time this has happened either. Last year when I was trying to do smoothies with greens and fruit the same thing would happen. I wasn't totally raw back then but am now. Is this all in my head or what? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Jane W Smith]

Hmmmm, no clue, but magnesium is good for cramps.  Maybe something is a little off balance when you eat fruit.  Good luck!

[Wendy Geesey]

I was thinking the same as Jane- magnesium and calcium. I think this is strange tho. I hate that every weird thing people call a detox reaction. I don't think this is detox per-say but fruit is detoxifying and if you are decreasing your fat and salt intake I wonder if something might be releasing from your body that is interfering with the absorption/utilization of these 2 minerals??? You might consider posting this question on 30bananasaday also- that is a forum totally dedicated to this way of eating... maybe someone there has experienced something similar or knows the answer. If you find out, please post it here- I am baffled. 

[michelle Johnson torchin]

I find it interesting that you've never really been a fruit person in the first place ...  I'm hoping someone w/ more knowledge and insight can/will be able to address this ~ sounds like for your body the 80% is the greens & veggies w/ 10/10 the fruit, etc. I'm sure Gabriel Cousens has something re this in his Rainbow diet book ~ Susan has all this info and will probably give you a link ~

[Miriam Proefrock]

Thanks for the input. Will be doing some more snooping around to see if I can get to the crux of the problem.

[Chef Annette St-Pierre]

I also get weird hand cramps. The muscles contort my hands into claw-like positions I'm not able to voluntarily put them. I haven't been able to pin down a specific time these happen. Usually the longer I'm totally raw. The first time I noticed it was several years ago during the second week of a juice fast. Someone gave it a name at the time. I haven't been able to remember the name or find anything about it on the Internet -- so far.

This morning I just began a new protocol (again!) to clean up my diet and go back to being as high raw as possible. I will pay more attention this time and see if I can find a correlation with the cramps.

[Wendy Geesey]

I wasn't thinking! My husband gets these too!! We never really called it anything tho, but he gets them around his thumbs and they pull his thumbs inward. He takes calcium and magnesium and within minutes the "cramps" are gone and the muscles are relaxed. Wondering if there is not enough in the diet you guys are eating or if you are taking something that blocks or prevents absorption or utilization??? My hubby is a cooked/junk foodaholic... very high fat diet, type 2 diabetic! But the supplements still help him like magic.

[Miriam Proefrock]

Well, I can see I'm not a weirdo like I originally thought! Chef Annette, so glad this has a name but sure wish I knew what it was. Wendy, as a rule I do eat a bit of fat but only in the olive oil dept. Am incorporating coconut oil as well but I love olive oil. I do not eat hardly any seeds or nuts. My diet consists of mostly green salads and I do eat a lot of salt, but I live in a VERY hot climate, South Florida, and I sweat profusely so I don't believe this is necessarily a bad thing. All I really know is that this ALWAYS happens after I eat any kind of fruit. Sweet especially. This morning I had  a pineapple and fresh aloe smoothie and wham my hands contorted like you can't believe. And the pain is horrible. Will try the calcium and magnesium. Thanks all for the info. 

[Wendy Geesey]

I wonder if this is a candida thing? My husband has candida pretty badly. If you are insulin resistant at all the sugar could pool in your blood which causes candida to grow (not sure how fast tho). The best form of calcium is coral calcium- you might find some with magnesium added. I'm not sure why calcium and mag would help something that would have it's cause in candida tho.... so maybe there is no connection there... just thinking in type, lol.