This is a very controversial, feminine topic that needs to be discussed, as a lot of girls and women who eat a raw foods diet commonly lose their period. I lost my period eating a raw foods diet and have done the research to discover the truth on what caused this and why so many other women who have gone raw vegan also lose their period, too.
I was interviewed by Johanna Sophia, the CEO and Founder of Johanna’s Raw Foods on her Raw Food Summit, she asked me this question as I shared my testimonial about how I lost my period eating raw. You can listen to that interview here.
Period loss happens to almost every young girl or women who transitions to a raw foods diet, so it’s quite ‘normal’ to los yor period eating fully raw, as you will see this happen in the community.
Before I get into the post and share my research, let me first insert a disclaimer here: I am NOT a medical doctor nor a physician. I do not give any medical or health advise; I am simply stating the facts and sharing my experience, knowledge and research. Speak to your doctor if you feel it’s necessary.
***IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE/WARNING***
This post is NOT intended for those with an eating disorder or ladies who have lost their period via unhealthy dieting. This post is for ladies who have lost their period the healthy way, after/while adopting a plant-based lifestyle and are curious to know why it happened and what it means.
It’s crucial that I make a few things clear in this post (and right now in this disclaimer), as many may easily take what I have said in this post out of context. I am simply sharing MY OWN experiences on how I lost my period on a raw foods lifestyle and how I got it back, along with the shocking research I have found and learned along the way. Although this happens to almost every woman or young girl who goes vegan or raw, the changes you will see may vary, especially from time to time. EVERY-BODY is different, so I can’t speak for every lady who loses her period. It’s important to note that just because a women loses her period after eating plant-based, does not ALWAYS indicate ‘cleanliness’. We would have to look at other means like her fat percentage, lifestyle habits and eats, hormones and stress levels, etc…
I am NO doctor, holistic specialist, nor a medical practitioner in any way. Being that everybody is different, you may continue menstruating even after eating 100% raw. Whether your period will disappear completely is unknown. The body is amazing and knows exactly what to do.
It’s important to note that I am NOT encouraging ladies to lose their period. I just want to shed light on this very controversial, yet important topic that needs to be discussed. I do not expect everyone reading this post to believe me, let alone agree with what has been said in this post. Do your own research and decide for yourself. I know what has worked for me and many other women in this community.
I have researched this topic deeply, only to discover some really fascinating discoveries and truths the industry doesn’t want you to know about your menstrual cycle. I will link all my research sources for you below.
This post is intended for educational use ONLY. You are responsible with how you take the information herein said and explained in this post. I hold harmless indemnity. I have nothing to do with the result of your period loss if it happens after reading this post.
Before doing anything, speak with your doctor or physical beforehand.
Now, onto the research.
My Experience Losing My Period
When I first got into this lifestyle back in 2012, I transitioned as a vegan, then was inspired 4 months later to eat 100% raw. Long story short, when I ate 100% raw with absolutely NO cooked foods (and remember, this is just MY experience. You may or may not have the same results as me), I was not menstruating for about 4 to 6 months! I didn’t know exactly why this was happening to my body, but took an educated guess that it was because my body was detoxing since I was eating fully raw vegan. As I began doing further research, I found out that I was not alone and there were many other women and young girls in the community who also stopped menstruating while eating a raw foods diet.
As you will learn, period loss happens to almost every lady who transitions to a plant-based, cruelly-free lifestyle.
It’s important to note that I felt GREAT not having to worry about my period every month for 6 months. I didn’t feel any less healthy and actually felt better without my period to be honest.
I know my body and have experimented with it well many times during my vegan journey to know which foods will affect and determine whether or not my menstrual cycle will ‘flow’ that month or the next month, and so fourth. Now that I’m fully raw and don’t eat cooked foods anymore, I have been able to keep my period at bay.
When I used to eat cooked foods (cooked above 118 degrees) with raw foods, my period would often come back. I noticed a fluctuation in my cycle and it was because I was on and off of cooked vegan foods and raw living foods.
Worrying You Lost Your Period?
Should woman be menstruating monthly? Is not having your period a sign of hormone imbalance? Is not having your period a sign of deficiency or that you’re unhealthy and unclean? And is not having your period a sign that your bones are weak?
Many girls who lose their period often worry and try numerous things to get it back. It’s often advised that to get your period back, you should stop exercising and eat more calories and incorporate more plant-based fats in your diet. What if I told you that almost everything you were taught about menstrual cycles was a complete LIE?! Now I don’t expect you to believe me without doing your own research. I will link my sources below for you to see for yourself.
What Your Body is Actually Telling You When You No Longer Menstruate After Adopting a Plant-Based Lifestyle
I did a lot of research about this topic and found a lot of sources that show getting your period is important and if you don’t have one, it’s a sign of weak bones (and possible osteoporosis in the future), you can’t have kids and you’re not healthy.
Unless you have an eating disorder, then your body will stop menstruating because of malnutrition. Then in that case, as I stated in my disclaimer above, the research presented here do not apply to you.
According to Markus Rothkranz, when a women loses her period on a raw foods diet, it’s a sign her body is clean. A healthy women doesn’t need her period in order to be healthy and fertile. Markus describes menstruation as your body “doing dishes” or “cleaning up”. If there is nothing to clean, there’s no reason to menstruate. And since a raw foods diet IS clean, your period naturally becomes lighter and/or disappears altogether. Your hormones will learn to balance themselves, as raw living foods are great for balancing hormones.
Is It Healthy For A Women To Lose Her Period Altogether? Is It A Draw For Concern?
Well, the draw of concern really depends on the lifestyle. We would have to look at the various reasons as to why a women or young girl lost her period and see if it was via healthy or unhealthy means.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples.
Unhealthy Period Loss
For obvious reasons, if an anorexia or orthorexia girl or women with some kind of eating disorder unexpectedly loses her period, then this would be a great cause for concern as her reason for losing her period was due to malnutrition. When period is lost via malnutrition, this is not healthy and should be checked with a doctor.
Healthy Period Loss
If a young girl or women loses her period because she adopts a healthy, clean, plant-based lifestyle rich in organic fruits and vegetables with some nuts and seeds, exercises, feels energetic and happy – then there should be no draw for concern.
Typically, your period may come back a few months after eating a clean lifestyle. I will elaborate more on this at a later time and day.
And yes, despite contrary belief, it’s still very possible for a women or young girl who loses their period via healthy means because of a diet change (like plant-based foods), to ovulate. As long as ovulation occurs, healthy pregnancy can take place, regardless of whether the uterus lining sheds or not.
Now, which do you think is healthy? Which lifestyle would you prefer? If you could experience a lighter and shorter menstrual cycle, would you change your way of eating or would you continue to believe that heavy, long periods are healthy and normal?
Just because something is ‘normal’, doesn’t make it healthy or right.
One thing I noticed as a vegan, my period only lasts 3-4 days (or 6 days at most) with light bleeding.
How Cooked And Raw Foods Affects My Period
Cooked foods makes my period heavy and dark, whereas raw living foods makes my flow lighter (and healthier).
Markus isn’t the only one who has his truth about the menstrual cycle topic…
Below is an excerpt from a really good book called God’s Way To Ultimate Health: A Common Sense Guide for Eliminating Sickness Through Nutrition. The book is written by Michael Dye and George H. Malkmus. Below is Chapter 13 from that book, where Rhonda Malkmus talks about PMS, menopause and diet. it’s a really good read. Click on the image to enlarge it or click here to read the full passage.
Chapter 13 in God’s Way To Ultimate Health Book. Click on the image to enlarge it or click here to read the full chapter online.
Are you interested in learning the beginning of your new menstrual cycle and why adopting a vegan lifestyle makes your period go away? Download my FREE Period Report where you’ll learn why going vegan changes your hormones and the top 3 superfoods that help reduce menstrual cramps, along with a BONUS recipe you’ll love!
Ladies, you may be interested to learn that if you take Marine Phytoplankton while on your period, your flow will be lighter and healthier, with less mood swings and reduced cramps, aches and pain. Marine Phytoplankton Oceans Alive is the WORLD’S MOST POTENT AND POWERFUL SUPERFOOD you can consume and incorporate in your diet. Without this one superfood, you, I or ANYTHING would not exist! Marine phytoplankton is responsible for up to 90% of all the oxygen we breathe! If I do get my period, I notice taking Marine Phytoplankton Oceans Alive while on my period really helps me bleed less and my period is shorter. I highly recommend getting your hands on this superfood.
Remember, EVERY-BODY IS DIFFERENT! I know some raw foodists who happen to still get their periods monthly while eating fully raw due to the increase of calorie consumption. If you by any chance get your period, it should be light and not heavy. The lighter you menstruate, the cleaner you are.
Tips On Getting Your Period Back
If you’re concerned about not having a period, there are herbs you can take to help you have a flow. Vitex and raspberry leaf tea are two herbs that help balance women’s hormones and supports a healthy reproductive system. Vitex in particular, helps a women shed uterine lining, giving her a natural and healthy cycle (one that is light with no severe menstrual cramps and pains, of course). Some girls report reducing their intense workout to get their period back. Incorporating steamed, cooked and/or baked foods is a good option for those wanting to get their period back.
It would be interesting to do an interview series featuring girls/women who have gone vegan and/or raw and have lost their periods. We would learn a lot. So if you’re a plant-based lady reading this, please comment below your experience. Would love to hear.
RESEARCH RESOURCES:
- PMS, Menopause and Diet (woman’s health) explained by Rhonda Malkmus: http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/a-pms.html
- Periods May Be ‘Normal’ But Are They Healthy? A well-documented, challenging second opinion about ‘the curse’ from Debbie Took: http://debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.ca/2009/04/periods-they-may-be-normal-but-are-they.html
- A Brief History of Period and Why You Don’t Have To Have It: http://jezebel.com/5928316/a-brief-history-of-your-period-and-why-you-dont-have-to-have-it
- Chapter 13 Excerpt From God’s Way To Ultimate Health Book: http://bigchurch.me/blog/993/post_4317.html?passthru_override=1%20target
- Transcript of Markus Rothkranz Video on Epicgenetics: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/05/21/i-thought-id-seen-it-all-epigenetic-birth-control/
I’m looking to start a discussion on this topic. Please share your comments down below and your questions. Do you think menstruating is normal? Are you having trouble getting your period? Would love to hear your thoughts.
menstrual cycle, losing period going raw, raw vegan, raw vegan living, going raw, fully raw, how i lost my period going raw vegan, how i lost my period going fully raw, clean diet, clean eating, my experience on how i lost my period going raw vegan, is losing your period healthy, is losing your period a good thing, raw vegan living, vegan living diet, going raw and losing your period,
*** Like what you see and don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to RawVeganLiving’s FREE Newsletter and receive new post updates via email HERE!***
FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission on your sale which allows me to cover a portion of the cost of running site. By choosing to buy from my links below, you are supporting Raw Vegan Living Blog and myself. Thank you so much for your support.
This was very helpful for my wife and I. Arnold Ehret, the author of The Mucusless diet, has said once the body is clean it will stop menstruating. However followers of this diet say things like nuts and avacado should be avoided. This irked me and I was about ready to give up on the vegan diet for the time being, until I remember Markus had said the same thing. Clearly you’re eating nuts, seeds, and possibly avacado with good results meaning it can be done with these foods in the diet. Have you used Markus’s cookbook at all? I’m pretty sure my wife and I will be able to get her period to go away with this, or at least make it bearable.
Hi Paul,
Glad you and your wife found this post helpful! It’s crazy when people try to bring down healthy fats like nuts, seeds and avocados to be avoided. Yes, I eat these fats (they’re a must!) and I am perfectly fine. I haven’t used Markus and Cara’s uncookbook yet, but totally recommend it.
One of the best ways to make your wife’s period go away is by eating fully raw foods and staying away from cooked. It may take about a month or less for your body to adjust to no menstruation, so just be patient. And if by any chance she DOES get her period while still eating fully raw like Kristina (Fully Raw Kristina said in one of her videos that she gets her periods very lightly) it should NOT be heavy, and should be light and only last no more than 3-4 days.
Hope this helps! Best of luck to the both of you!
Thanks for the reply and recommendation. I wasn’t sure if you ate the kinds of things they list in the book, and it’s been over a year since I saw the epigenetic bc vid, but it turns out Cara’s in the vid and I for got haha. All the same your words are reassuring. My wife will like that time frame too, and I won’t let her get down no matter what happens. Namaste
You’re welcome! Yupp, I eat the foods mentioned in the book. The way Markus and Cara eat is epic. Remember, every-body is different. Tell your wife not to get discouraged by the time-frame if she doesn’t lose her period right away. How long have you guys been living this rawesome lifestyle for?
Wish you both the very best, and if you have any questions or need any inspiration, please feel free to contact me or scroll through my websites.
Namaste,
Miliany
I’ve been raw vegan for a week now, and I was a plant-based vegan for the past two months. (No grains, sweeteners, pasta etc) Just greens, fruits, and beans! And for these past two months I have completely lost my period and my fave has broken out HORRIBLY. I’m chalking it up to the fact that my hormones are off since my period is gone… But this second time I skipped my period (when I went fully raw) my acne has been the worst. I also think maybe my skin is purging? I’ve been a vegan for over a year when I used to eat bread, sweets, etc. that were vegan and even then my face was so clear! I’m pretty upset right now but in not going to give up *sigh*. Did you happen to have any outbreaks? Thanks!
Hi Renaye,
It’s a normal reaction for you to lose your period when going fully raw, as it happened to countless others. It could be (and it sounds like) your body is going through some major detox symptoms, which is why your face is breaking out so badly. How long have you been experiencing these skin breakouts? i didn’t experience this, so i’m not entirely sure. I would do some further researching as to why your face is breaking out like that.
I hope your condition improves.
All the best,
miliany
I had very bad cystic acne years ago and after seeing the dermatologist, I was told to stop eating tomatoes and tomato based products. My acne cleared up immediately. You might want to give that a try.
Hey! Thank you very much for the post, its really interesting.
I’ve been vegan(mostly raw) for only 2 months now, but already I’ve noticed some changes already.
I used to get severe period pains, to the point where I couldn’t do anything, but just sleep with a hot water bottle around my waist the whole day, but first month after going vegan- I had no period pains… NOTHING!
And now, second month, my periods are light, very light compared to before.
Hi! Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on your transition to a plant-based lifestyle! Glad to hear your changes 🙂
I’m so thankful I never had painful periods like you did. What you eat has everything to do with it. That’s why, when you change your diet around, you notice immediate, drastic changes! Eating a mostly raw diet with some cooked foods will cause light periods to occur monthly. However, when you go completely raw, you will notice your period will disappear, and this is NOTHING to be concerned about. You will begin to like the feeling of not having to ‘flow’ every month.
Feel free to share any more experiences you may have!
Miliany
Thank you for sharing your research. This is very helpful and important!
Thank you so much for your comment, Donna! I am happy to hear that this post was helpful 🙂
I’ve been eating vegan since Oct 16th. No sugar, gluten, meat, or dairy. I only eat fruits and veggies and sometimes beans, nuts, seeds or oatmeal. I do eat both cooked and raw. My periods have always been EXTREMELY heavy and painful since I was 12 years old….bleeding for 7 days every month! I started my period on Oct 18th (2 days after I changed my eating habits). Same heavy period. But I have since had NO MORE PERIODS. Yeahhhh!!! Nothing in Nov, nothing in Dec. I had very tiny twinges of slight cramping both months around the time I should have bled, but that’s all.
On Oct 15th I was eating the standard American diet…lots of junk, cookies, chocolate, chips, etc. I was around 175lbs (I am 5ft 5in). Today is Jan 10th and now I am 132lbs! I feel great!!!
On a side note, I am exclusively breastfeeding my 11 month old daughter. We wait until the 1st birthday to introduce foods. My milk supply is still going strong and has not suffered at all due to calorie reduction. In fact sometimes I feel like I have more milk than before!
Thanks for sharing your experience here, Tanya!! That’s amazing to hear the changes in your body and congrats on 43 pounds! You see what eating a vegan lifestyle does for you; keep it up if it makes you feel great! as you eat more cleaner and lighter, your periods (if when you get them) should be much lighter and maybe even last shorter!
My period report launched just yesterday. The report explains how going vegan changes your hormones and the 3 top superfoods to take to ease the menstrual cramps. If you’re interested, you can receive the report for free when you subscribe using the form above:)
Thanks!
Miliany
Im a raw vegan and haven’t had my menses in years and years. I even went to the doctor to be tested for what i thought might have been a super early menopause, but she said it was completely negative and no signs of a problem.
I work with a woman who tried to shame me for even suggesting that it was because of my raw vegan diet (i eat nuts, seeds and avocados too), saying a woman’s menses is sacred and should be honoured. I tried to tell her of my experience but she just became really angry. Not my problem. I just let it go.
I have met many other raw vegans who don’t bleed, two of them had beautiful pregnancies and gave birth to healthy babies.
Anyway thought i would comment. Not looking for a battle 🙂
Hi Braelyn!
First of all, it’s great to meet another fellow raw foodist who does not bleed 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your experience and commenting here on this post. I am creating a friendly community of comments so yours was quite helpful to all the woman.
Wow, your body must be clean if you have not menstruated in years! I am interested to know your experience and if you wouldn’t mind sharing it here in the comments, would be great!
Thank you so much!
Miliany
Hi! In researching raw food diets I came across your blog, and this article. I would just like to clarify some very important things about the correlation between diet and menstruation.
Many women who suffer from restrictive eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia , and women who do fad diets like the Atkins diet, lose their periods. This is not a matter of “cleanliness,” but it’s because they are malnourished. They are not getting the nutrients that their body needs to sustain itself, or to sustain a pregnancy. This DOES cause fertility issues. In the context of eating disorders and fad diets, things that also occur because of malnourishment are hair and nail loss, a constant feeling of being cold, sometimes yellowing of the skin.
In another vein, many women in nomadic tribes around the world have a “natural” form of birth control. There are two coinciding theories about this. The first is related to the length of time mothers breastfeed after having one child. The second is related to body fat percentage: not eating a balanced diet in combination with so much movement results in an extremely low body fat percentage, resulting in fertility issues (like the loss of a menstrual cycle).
Please be careful!!
Hi Mishayla,
Thank you for your comment on this topic and for clarifying those important things, as I think it’s important that a disclaimer is made clear here.
I completely agree with you and understand hat you said about the correlation between diet and menstruation. Of course, ladies who lose their period because of an eating disorder, or because their fat percentage is lower than normal, or by means of any unhealthy dieting is NOT what I am articulating and promoting to be healthy and a sign your body is clean. I see that if I don’t make this clear enough in my post about the unhealthy reasons why a women may lose her period, then many will be confused. This post was NOT intended for young girls/women who have lost their period via an eating disorder or any unhealthy way of dieting. This post, however, was intended for ladies who have lost their period the healthy way after they have adopted a plant-based lifestyle. I have edited my post to add that disclaimer.
Like I said in the post, EVERY-BODY is different, so I can’t speak for every lady who loses her period. It’s important to note that just because a women loses her period after eating plant-based, does not ALWAYS indicate ‘cleanliness’. We would have to look at other means like her fat percentage, hormones and stress levels, etc… And I am NO doctor, holistic specialists or medical practitioner in any way to diagnose that for anyone.
Hope my response and edited post was clear. Please don’t hesitate to add anything else that you feel needs to be addressed and/or clarified in this post.
Thanks!
Miliany
You were very clear. It’s amazing how many times you have to repeat yourself in terms of explaining the vast difference between losing periods due to healthy diet vs malnutrition. I had to repeat this many times in the discussion we are having in a diet group on FaceBook too.
I’m going to link this site to a diet discussion group where I introduced this topic. Unfortunately, the diet group doesn’t have many raw foodists and most of the people commenting have no experiential understanding. It isn’t enough to be a raw vegan if you’re male. The automatic replies are that I don’t know what I’m talking about because I’m not female. But I do know males have other reactions on a raw vegan diet that are important to consider.
hi im worried though i sometimes get cramps but no period ,and i don’t know if that means i wont be able to have a baby ever?, im really confused, im only 14 nearly 15 but i really want to no what to incorporate food wise into being vegan,or if its normal,(i ‘lost’ it the month i went vegan) ,and i went year about 4 months ago, please anwser xx
Hi Ruby!
As you already know, period loss happens to almost every young lady who goes vegan. Usually, it’s a sign the body is clean and doesn’t have much toxins to bleed out.
How long have you experienced these cramps? It could be an indication that your period is coming soon, as I know this is what happens to me and almost every women menstruating. For you, it could be since you have not menstruated in a year and 4 months, your body (uterine lining) is getting ready to menstruate again. I know this because of my OWN experience, as this is what happened to me when I was experimenting between cooked foods and raw living foods, I would get cramps (minor ones) prior to getting my period. Cramps for me are a sign my body is about to menstruate, and this is typically the same for all menstruating women. So be patient, because your period may be coming soon.
Don’t know what your lifestyle is like, but I know what works for me to get my period back is eating cooked vegan foods. Raw foods keeps my period at bay. When you eat a clean lifestyle though, you may not get your period. Every-body is different so each of our experiences will vary.
This does NOT mean you won’t be able to have a baby one day. As I said in the post, you don’t NEED your period to be fertile and being that you’re still fairly young, I wouldn’t worry about this. Hope this helps! xx
i mean only 4 months, and thank you xx
Oh, okay. Well 4 months is still fairly soon. When I first lost my period, I was not menstruating for 6-8 months. xx
I’m so glad this issue is being addressed but I wished that science would do a thorough unbiased study. I personally don’t see periods as normal. But my opinion is based on my personal experience and from my interpretation of the Bible. You should take all the personal anecdotes and present them to researchers so they can conduct a thorough investigation on this issue. I find it very fascinating and extremely important to women. But I have a sneaky suspicion that since it’s a female issue, it will just be swept undr the rug.
Thanks for your comment on this very crucial topic! I agree completely with your point of views. Rhonda Malkmus the author of the “Hallelujah Diet” speaks Biblicaly on menstrual cycles. Her points, research and knowledge are expressed here: http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/a-pms.html
I reached out to Rhonda to get her elaborate thoughts on this, and possibly bring her on here in a featured interview post, let’s see 😉
Presenting this topic to good unbiased researchers to investigate would be quite interesting! I should consider that. Thanks for the suggestion!
You people are nutjob wackadoodles.
Ever gone to medical school? Have a basic understanding of human physiology? Didn’t think so.
What a nitwit. You don’t need to go to medical school just to have a basic overstanding of common sense about human health, women anatomy and human physiology. Have you ever gone to medical school yourself? If so, how many hours of nutrition did you learn? Are you aware that medical doctors aren’t educated enough on nutrition.
The National Academy of Sciences published a landmark report in the mid 1980s highlighting the lack of adequate nutrition taught in medical schools. You can see that landmark highlight for yourself here: https://www.nap.edu/read/597/chapter/1
A vast majority of medical schools fail to meet the minimum required 25 hours of nutrition. You can read the study about that published in September 2010 here: http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Abstract/2010/09000/Nutrition_Education_in_U_S__Medical_Schools_.30.aspx
Also, The New York Times published a post about teaching doctors about nutrition and diet: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/health/16chen.html
This is absolute rubbish. How a 19 year old can know anything about this (well its obvious she doesn’t). Grow up a bit before you start predending to know about this. You are not a doctor and are dishing out shit advise to people who essentially have eating disorders.
Please don’t buy into this. Periods are healthy and part of your natural cycle.
What a nice comment you left here, Naomi. Shows the rubbish ignorance of the people who really believe that having HEAVY periods are natural, healthy and essential.
I am NOT a doctor, nor a medical practitioner of any kind. But you know what? I don’t need to be just to have a basic overstanding about human health, women anatomy and human physiology.
Dr. Llaila Afrika says that mensuration is not necessary and if it does occur, it should only be small drops, averaging about 1-3 drops! This is considered ‘classical menstrual cycle’. He states that heavy periods is the body hemorrhaging, which isn’t normal and healthy. Dr. Afrika breaks it down very comprehensive in this video, you should consider listening with an open-mind: https://youtu.be/psLM-cRGwVk?t=48m20s
You obviously didn’t read my DISCLAIMER I inserted in the beginning of my post. Or maybe you did, but missed the part where I said “this post is not intended for those with eating disorders.” I am NOT encouraging anyone to STOP menstruating. In fact, if you don’t eat a clean lifestyle, you actually WANT your period so you can release out the toxins.
Stop taking what I said out of context and start doing your own research. If you enjoy hemorrhaging every month, you enjoy. Don’t knock my flow because I’m doing great and so are many other countless women. Let’s look at this subject with an open-mind.
From being vegetarian I transitioned to a vegan diet about two years ago but I still had menstrual cramps. But when I eliminated ALL grains from my diet I didn’t have my period after a month. Felt so much better. No cramps, no pain. It’s been almost 10 months since I lost my period. I am about 70% raw right now.
Thanks for your post. This is such a well written, smart article.
Wow, what an amazing testimonial! Thanks so much for sharing, Will! So happy to hear my article was of much help to you and you appreciate the post 🙂
So, if your period is in actual fact, “toxins” leaving the body, why do men not “bleed out” their toxins from some orifice? Surely plenty of men aren’t on raw food diets? Or are only uteruses inherently unclean?
Ha, is this supposed to be a sarcastic comment?! Hahaha, women’s obviously have different body parts and organs compared to men that give each other different bodily functions and capabilities. If men had vaginas, then maybe they would shed blood from their uterine lining just like ladies. Maybe you should ask yourself why men don’t have the capabilities to get pregnant and hear children, lol…
An excellent article. I am currently a mixed cooked vegan diet and have painless periods. I am very interested to transition to raw, and in my view, if women of healthy weights with good energy levels lose periods on raw vegan, and still give birth to healthy children, then that is clear, it’s healthy!!! of course there’s intelligence in our bodies to work towards an ideal state of detox.
I would like to add one more thing that probably must be correct in order for the period to not be required: no wrong sexual partners, and, if the soul is with you, him also being a very pure, vegan healthy eater.
Wow, thank you so much for your amazing comment, Samantha!! So happy you came across my post and have the open-mind to see what I was articulating here about menstruating and plant-based eating.
I agree 100% with your views and say the exact same thing! You said it so perfectly:
Couldn’t agree more!!! 👍👍👍
Thanks so much for sharing! xx
Hi Miliany,
this article’ve left me speechless. But really, I would have never tought that not bleeding means you’re clean and healthy.
You really showed me a new way of seeing menstruation. I always wondered how women used to deal with it, when they lived in the woods, and now I think I now the answer: they didn’t have to.
I’m on a raw food diet for almost half a year now and I have been vegan for 2 years now. I have to admit, I used hormonal contraceptive, I only stopped it about 2 months ago (how could I be so stupid?). Since then I only had one menstruation, it was very light, and only lasted for 2 days, but I tought it was the effect of the hormones of the contraceptive, and that I will get back my “normal” ,more heavy bleeding. And now I don’t know, I really don’t know. Maybe my bleeding will be light, and last for just a couple of days from now on? Because that would be AMAZING.
So thank you, thank you so much for writing this article. I will show it to every girl I know! 🙂
Flora
Hi Flora!
Wow, thank you so much for your awesome comment!! It’s so great to connect and hear from yet another raw food blogger who can relate and comprehend with the points and research explained in my article 🙂 Of course, we’re not taught this in school and our mother’s are sure not teaching this to us. Doctors and dietitians don’t want this truth to be spread far and wide because if it did, imagine what it would do to their bottom line. So happy my article has helped ‘shed light’ and open your eyes and mind on menstruation even further.
You may find this interesting:
I must try your way. I have an endometriosis cyst and don’t want to undergo any operation. But I’ve researched about other woman’s testimonials on how they get rid of their endometriosis cyst and their common denominator is eating healthy. But now, I’ll try this full time raw eating. Thanks for this article.
Much kudos to you for being so open-minded to make such an awesome change towards your health! I’m so happy my article has helped inspire you to eat raw. Of course, what we eat plays a major role. Dairy does NOT do the body any good, especially when you’ve got cysts! In fact, consuming dairy can actually increase and worsen the cyst. So ditch the dairy products and go vegan! 🙂
Good luck on your journey to better health. I would suggest and encourage you to document/blog it if you feel called to, as you’ll be able to inspire others to change who are down the same road as you are.
All the best in health,
Miliany
Dear Miliany,
This article really helps me to feel at ease. I had been taking birth control throughout my entire experience as a vegan up until 3 months ago. Ever since I stopped the birth control, my periods stopped as well, but my pregnancy tests continue to show up as negative. I feel healthier then I ever have before. Veganism even put a stop to my migraines as soon as I began. I learned recently that birth control pills confuse the body and give you a cycle that is different from your natural one. Turns out my natural one is non-existent so far! Thanks so much for writing this and for providing links to important evidence. I am happy to know that I am likely healthy.
Also, please ignore these critics because you are clearly mature and your style of writing shows your intelligence. Some 15 year olds are more mature then some 40 year olds! Also, people sometimes get defensive when anything counteracts their beliefs or opens the possibility to their minds that they could be causing themselves harm. Rock on fellow vegan!
Hi Paige!
Wow, thank you so much for your wonderful comment and kinds words of encouragement :)!! It’s so great to hear from another fellow vegan who can relate to this topic. It brings me much joy to hear that my article has helped you feel at ease. My sole intention when publishing this post was for it to bring enlightenment and awareness to as many young girls and women as much as possible. And I’ve accomplished that goal 🙂
Yup, birth controls are completely foreign to your body and alters your hormones in such a big way (like you experienced). It’s good that you stopped taking them though. Now, your body can adjust to its natural state of ‘flowing’. The cleaner your lifestyle, the little to no cycle a woman may experience.
Thank you once again for your compliments 🙂 I’ve gotten more uplifting feedback/comments (luckily) than critical, hateful ones, and comments like yours make me grateful I shared this post from the start! Of course, not everyone will agree with me on this topic nor be open to this diverse truth, but I know how to handle them all 😉
All the best,
Miliany
Hello, thank you soo much for your article and sharing your wonderful story. I am just amazed by it!
I am writing from Germany.
I am vegan since 2013 but I adjusted my diet until now. Unfortunately I have PCOS. Therefore my doctor put me on a heavy Pill called Bella hexal 35, I think in the USA it’s called Diana 35. Of course my symptoms got better, but I was so frustrated that couldn’t cure the real problem. And besides that I still had big issues with food sensitivity. So I made blood allergy test and guess what I was allergic to so many things like lactose, gluten, some nuts, 3 fruits. I immediately cut out all gluten products, but I still wasn’t feeling much better. Since 2 months I am not on the pill anymore. After I stoped I had right away a period after 20 days for only 2 days and pretty light. Since that I am still waiting for my next one or shouldn’t :)?
I am not sure if I am able to stop eating warm vegan meals for my whole life, but I definitely want to start the raw vegan journey for a months, to detox my system and get back on track.
Sometimes I have light feelings of cramps, but then they go away. I am really excited how my body will transition after the raw vegan months. I have normal figure, problems with hirsutism, hair loss and blackheads on my chin. Do you think the raw vegan diet is better for me?
Many thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Vicky,
Thank YOU SO much for your wonderful comment! It brings me much joy to hear that my story and article has inspired yet another woman 🙂
Congrats on going vegan and thanks for sharing your story and experiences with me and my readers! It’s smart of you to have stopped taking the pill. Now your body has a chance to balance out your hormones naturally.
I wouldn’t say you “shouldn’t” get another period, but one thing I can say is that it should be lighter the next times you menstruate. Going raw helps you have lighter and healthier periods. I would definitely give raw a try for about 30 days and see how you like the results. I can guaranteed you will feel better than you do eating cooked foods 😉
You know, raw does not mean you have to eat cold foods all the time! You can still enjoy warm raw foods. And yes, going raw may certainly help reverse all conditions you have. According to healWithFood.org, there are many abundant ways to reverse hirsutism and it all links back to the foods you’re eating. You’ll need to ump up your magnesium and B vitamin intake. Superfoods like cacao, spinach, bananas, mangoes, buckwheat, black strap molasses, licorice root, and crimini mushrooms are all great sources for you. You can read more about reversing hirsutism with food here: http://adf.ly/5815182/hirsutism
I am excited for you to take on your raw journey 🙂 You’re more than welcome to share your experience here with me and my readers. I’m more than interested to know your transformations!
Living Libations products are amazing for clearing up my skin. Their seabuckthorn moisturizer is my favorite for glowing skin and can help remove blackheads. Another product for blackheads is their dew dab essential oil. Here are my affiliate links to the products that can help your skin:
Seabuckthorn lotion: http://adf.ly/1oBIL4
Dew dab essential oil for blackheads and acne: http://adf.ly/1oBIOu
Hope my reply was helpful!
Miliany xx
Hello. Last year in July i decided to become vegetarian and at the same time i also started avoiding dairy and gluten due to food sensitivities. I was still eating eggs sometimes, but not that often. Within a month or two I lost about 10-15 pounds. Since then i have maintained a steady weigh ~125lbs and I am about 5’7. Recently, i decided to eat fully vegan, but i still eat cooked meals. Since i became vegetarian, I have only had like 2 “normal” length periods ~5-6 days. I have had a couple super light 1-2 day periods. My last period was in July and it was super light and only lasted for about an hour and i hadnt had a period for a couple months before that. You mainly say that the fully raw diet causes some women to lose their periods but i still eat cooked foods so I’m a little concerned. Am i malnourished? How do i know? What you explained in your post makes sense and I love not having my period but I just don’t understand how to know if the way that I (somewhat) lost my period was healthy or not. Thanks!
Hi Jasmine!
Thank you so much for your comment and for sharing your period experience! Kudos to you for going vegan! Your experience sounds similar to mines.
It’s okay if you eat cooked vegan meals. As long as you eat a diet composed of mostly raw fruits and vegetables and eating an array of superfoods (or different powerful foods with nutritious benefits) I wouldn’t be too concerned about being malnourished. I notice the more superfoods like quinoa, spirulina, parsley, cilantro, black strap molasses, and buckwheat (to just name a few) I eat, the more shinier and healthier my nails and hair are. Black strap molasses is a really awesome superfood I recommend incorporating more of in your diet if you don’t consume it already. You can purchase it at your local supermarket or online here: http://amzn.to/2z2irKx
How do you feel physically? Do you feel like you’re malnourished. Do you feel tired or lethargic a lot? And do your hair and nails feel strong? All these are important to look at which can determine/say a lot about our overall health.
Hope this helps!
I’m interested to hear more about your experience so please feel free to share more! 🙂
Miliany xx
I absolutely love this article and appreciate that this topic was brought up in such a thorough way. I myself turned to a vegan/plant based lifestyle almost exactly one year ago. About a week before I made this change, I had an awful and heavy period, which was “normal” for me at the time. After a couple months went by of being vegan, I realized I have not had my period. It was not until my 8th month after adopting a plant based lifestyle that I had gotten my period. When I did, it was not at all as I remembered; as it was very light and short. Now, after 1 year of being vegan, feeling healthier, happier, and more energized than ever before, I have only gotten my period once. It is truly amazing what a plant based lifestyle can do for us. Again, this is a very enlighteneing article and thank you! Those who disagree with it or find it as ignorant, simply do not understand how the body works when it is actually healthy and thriving. Continue speaking your mind and sharing the truth!
Wow, what an amazing testimonial!! Thank you for sharing! And thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words! So happy to hear you enjoyed and appreciated my article and what I have to share. It’s always awesome and uplifting to hear from other ladies who’ve gone through similar experiences and are open-minded to this truth. Congrats on making the wise transition to veganism, by the way! 👏🙌 Comments like yours inspire me to continue to spread the truth, as there are plenty of open-minded ladies who are interested in this knowledge, too. <3 Amazing changes happen when we get out of our own way and listen to our bodies and allow for the natural occurrences to occur. Keep on doing what you're doing and feel free to share your experiences along the way! Miliany, xx
Thank you for sharing this well researched and educated information! I have been eating mostly raw/vegetarian (still do fish 1-2/week) and practicing several detox methods (infrared, colonics, cryotherapy) in attempts to detox from years of prescription medicines and birth control. I have not had a period in 18 months and was extremely concerned. I went to numerous Western medicine doctors who tried to put me back on bc (was on for 13 years) and give me artificial progesterone to simulate a period. In my gut I really felt the lack of period was due to my extremely healthy lifestyle so it’s really great to know that I am not alone in this journey! While I may start incorporating more warming foods into my diet to help heal my gut from antibiotic use, I do not want to give up the raw lifestyle which I know ultimately can prevent and heal most, if not all diseases. Heres to following our hearts and hopefully never expericning PMS again!
Laura
Hi Laura!
Wow, thank you so much for your wonderful and kind comment and for sharing your testimonial with me and my readers!! Your encouraging words mean a lot to me and I am happy to hear from another women who’s been through similar experiences with their period. The point of my post was to educate ladies why the common loss of period as hormones changes drastically when you adopt a healthier and cleaner lifestyle. Your testimonial is great, I really appreciate you for sharing!
Congrats for making the efforts to eat healthy! You can still enjoy healthy warm raw foods. I’m going to be sharing a post soon about that along with sharing more warm raw food recipes, as this is highly of interest.
The more fresh raw living fruits and vegetables you incorporate in your lifestyle, the better the results and the more optimum you’ll feel.
Much love and thank you once again for your support <3 Keep up the great work and feel free to continue to share!
Miliany x
I recently started my transition to vegan (about 3 months ago) but have only been fully vegan a few weeks now. I’m not a raw vegan, but have not had my menstrual this month, and while at first I was worried and freaking out (like I’m sure most women do), I found numerous posts online about vegan women losing they’re periods. I’m not a raw vegan however, so I guess I’m still curious whether it’s okay, or healthy. Maybe you can offer some advice on where I can find more information on this topic?
Thank you for your article! I went vegan on January 1st of this year. I did it trying to get healthy and shed some weight after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism(30+ pound weight gain over the past 2 years). I was supposed to get my period on January 26th and nothing. I started an extremely light period on February 1st(no cramps and light spotting) and was expecting to get my full blown period at any time. Well it’s now 2 days later and still nothing so I started doing some research and found your article. It puts me at ease knowing the lack of menstruation is due to me going vegan. I feel absolutely amazing eating this way and was going to continue indefinitely but now that I know I might not get my period every month(or it will be light and short) I will definitely continue eating vegan!! Thanks again for your research and well written article!!
Hi Lauren!
Thank you so much for your awesome comment! it’s comments like yours that keep me inspired to spread this message.
Congratulations on making the transition to a vegan lifestyle! Wow, already you feel a lighter period in the first month you went vegan!! That’s a great testimonial, I appreciate you for sharing! So happy you came across my article and that it gave you the ease and peace of mind to live a healthy lifestyle. My intention is to bring awareness and light to the topic, so it’s always great to hear from other vegan gals in the community who can relate and who’ve had similar experiences. May you continue to be inspired and keep up the great work! Feel free to share my article with others so the truth can spread.
Wishing you all the best in your health journey! Please continue to share as you wish. I hope to see your comments more.
Miliany x
Hi, thought I mention my experience, even though not on vegan diet.
Since going gluten free, my periods are not painful anymore and blood amount has also reduced.
Hello! I’ve also recently become vegan due to food sensitivities and chronic migraines caused by these sensitivities. I just wanted to make a comment here with a disclaimer that I do not mean to offend in anyway. You seem like a very intelligent person. I do think that this article is very dangerous. Especially for young people looking for real information on amenorrhea. As a person with a degree in health education I feel like i should just say something for future readers. Amenorrhea is a serious condition indicative of a larger issue. Your body telling you that you are not in any shape to be having children. You’re uterine lining needs to slough off. Once it thickens your chances of getting endometrial cancer rise significantly. As it sits there cancerous tumours can develop. Even if you feel energetic and great you need to go to the doctor immediately and see what could be wrong. I do also see that none of the references have any real science behind it and seem to be merely anecdotal. Please let me know if I missed something or if there is some solid scientific backing for some of the claims.
In your case it sounds like you do have periods. I think you might not be saying no periods are good but that the normal idea of what a period should be isn’t what we all experience. It sounds like you have the ideal period! Which is great. I hope I did not offend. I think veganism is a great way to eat and the evidence is overwhelmingly in its favor. I just wish I started when I was 19!
hi! I am so happy to find your blog. I just went vegan again and, after just a couple months, I lost my period again. This happened to me a couple years ago and I thought it was bad. I started eating dairy again and got my period back for a year and thought that meant i was healthy. So when it went away just recently, i thought I might have to start eating dairy again because I must be deficient! So I googled it and found your blog. I am NOT going to eat dairy again. I don’t want to – it seems wrong for me. I eat an unusually clean diet and perhaps we are not supposed to bleed so frequently, huh? 🙂
ONe of the commenters above mentioned some researchers in the 40’s and again in the 50’s that found women in indiginous tribes in africa and the amazon did not bleed and had children just fine. I really would like to read about this. The commenter said it could be found online, but I am not able to find it. Do you have any info about this or a link about this?
Also, i have been told that as a vegan, we need to supplement with taurine and other amino acids. Have you found this to be true? What supplements do you take? Thanks so much!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing – I too lost my periods about 4 months after starting the raw vegan diet, just put it down to early menopause, but 6 years later still raw vegan and still no periods and I hit 50 this year so feels like they’re not coming back now. Love to all you fellow raw vegans x
Here is what happened to me. I went raw, and also experienced what I thought at the time was an improvement. I’ve heard the stories about periods, being more about detoxing, and if a body is clean, there is a better, lighter period, or none at all. {the lining is reabsorbed}. Additionally, I’ve had friends a few of them, that didnt menstruate, but a few times a year. {and they both had children, one of them had twins!!}. Then you have athletes, like Sanya Richards Ross, who admitted to getting an abortion, saying how a lot of track runners get them because they believe and dont expect that they can get pregnant. And she doesnt know an Olympic runner that HASNT had one. Now, they are not necessarily raw foodist, but the reigning assumption is that not having periods are not healthy, and obviously, there are women that dont have periods, and they happen to be healthy, even able to get pregnant! But I think for the general population, without doing a complete medical make up, its impossible to know if raw food is causing mal nutrition, and lack of periods, or if you are healthy, and you happen not to have regular periods. For me, I honestly thought, that I was healthy when I was a rawfoodist. I felt great. My skin glowed, and I had all this energy. I thought I had found a way of life. I had very light periods, no pms at all!!! after I had debilitating PMS. And then about two years later, I didnt even realize it, but my body was starving, and bloating up, and I started to have horrible joint pain. I already had two children, but we decided to have more. I started tracking my cycles. I wasnt ovulating. Thyroid was slowing down, cycles were getting shorter.. This was very unhealthy. The way I did rawfood, unbeknown to me, I wasnt getting all my nutrients met. So here is my point, for some people, missed periods dont matter. I know women who go through their cycles, and then dont bleed, and jsut have a the pink tinge, or whatever, they go on to have children, no problems. Other women, I think are mal nourished. I was. Now, I am high raw. so if I were to give advice to raw foodists, I would say, get checked out to make sure your macronutrients are in check. Its easy on the raw food diet to be malnourished, and not know it.
Thanks for the article , it’s been 3 months that I am raw vegan and this month is the first time that I don’t get my period , I was worried at first but after searching about it and reading your research , it’s a relief to not be worry about it . Is there any Facebook page or other social network which I can follow you ?!
Thank you for your awesome comment, Neda! I’m so glad you came across my article which relieved you in knowing, losing your period after generally 3 months raw is ‘normal’ 🙂
Yes, I can be followed at these social media handles:
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawveganliving
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/rawveganliving
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawveganlivingblog/
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you!
All the best.
Miliany x
I am so happy that I found this post because I have experienced this for a second time and I know for a fact that there is nothing at all wrong with not getting your period when you adopt a plant based diet. I have been vegetarian on and off for most of my life and yes there were times that I eat meats for a few months at a time. Lets just say, I experimented with my body until I found a balance. I found that when I ate meats and processed foods, I had long periods and the blood was dark red almost brown in color. When I omitted meats, my periods were still long and dark red in color. Once I eliminated meats and processed foods my period became so light almost a pink color and to give you an idea of how much I bled, if I wore the same pad for ever day my period lasted it still wouldn’t be full. I’m vegan now (not 100% raw) it would say about 80%. I only eat fruits vegetables (raw and cooked) nuts, seeds and legumes. 97% of everything I eat is organic I wish that number can be 100% but there are some things that I can’t find from time to time. I currently have no period and haven’t for a few months. I know for a fact that not having a period when you are eating healthy is completely normal and is how my body is really supposed to function. Our bodies are not designed the handle the amount of toxicity that we are born into but since its “normal” no one ever questions it. Doctors cant tell us anything different to the same things we were taught so we have to do our own research like you said.
I know this is kind of lengthy but I just wanted to share my experience as well.
Peace Love and Light
Kali
Hi Miliany
reading most of it , very nice to hear there are many of us free spirited women thinking like this
I was wondering if you have infos on how to navigate/plan to get pregnant without the “cycle” …
thank you
monika