Raw Foods and Detoxification
Sometimes it is good to brush up on the basics as we pursue dietary and lifestyle changes. When you begin to eat large amounts of roughage, as on the raw food diet, the body may have difficulty handling the increase at first. It is normal to have bloating, gas and even bowel spasms during the cleansing period. This is only temporary.
Coarse, raw living vegetables contain dietary bulk, and this indigestible material with fibrous structure acts as an intestinal scraper. These cramps are an indication that an inactive and impacted colon is being forced to work, and that your flaccid and sluggish intestines are toning up.
Slow and Steady is the Key
That is why it is wise to change your diet gradually. You are internally unfit to consume a lot of fiber. Raw food does not weaken the digestive system, it is the digestive system that is too weak to handle the increased amount of fiber. Since it is the musculature of the intestinal walls that squeezes and propels the food as it moves, it takes time for it to become fit on the inside, just as time is needed to become fit on the outside.
If feeling good came instantly after starting the raw food diet, then there would be no need for presenting a convincing argument. However, some people try the raw foods diet just to lose weight and a few weeks later begin to experience uncomfortable reactions. These are cleansing symptoms and they are usually used as arguments against this lifestyle.
Every change in your habits should be made gradually. My ebook "100 Days to 100% Raw" has a step by step program to guide you through this. Don’t expect to become a raw food eater in a day, a week, not even a month. Sudden changes can become immediately destructive to the body, even if the change is from bad to good. Give time for each new practice to get your body accustomed to it.
100 Days to 100% Raw
A Step By Step Guide
Keep in mind the extreme example of a drug addict. The use of poisonous drugs destroys the body inch by inch, day by day. But sudden deprivation causes suffering, violent withdrawal reactions and sometimes even death.
Although there are no hard and fast rules about improving your eating habits, I would offer you one caution: think small. One of the worst mistakes most beginning raw food eaters make is thinking big, trying to go cold turkey. Keep your steps small and focused.
Raw Food Can't Hurt You
The important thing to remember is that raw food cannot hurt you. The raw food diet will initiate elimination of toxic waste at the cellular level. This process will happen even faster if you perform juice fasts, so be gradual. The body will purge everything it has no use for and work on dissolving tumors, ulcers, abnormal growths, cancers, abscesses and fibrous masses. Deep seated diseases you did not suspect you had might surface. Fevers, skin eruptions, and nausea can occur. Do not let this distress you. Try to rejoice in the midst of these cleansing reactions.
You've Got to Get Down to Get Up
If your body is full of toxins, the only way to get better is to feel worse first. If cleansing is done too fast, you will experience the symptoms of your former ills again. Sometimes several at a time so you will not feel good. All these symptoms will be less pronounced or absent entirely if you make the change gradually.
Consider Colonics
These are detoxification symptoms that have therapeutic benefits. They are not adverse side effects. Do not be fearful of these changes. What is going on in the body is too marvelous to expect results without paying the small price of temporary discomfort. If you are not feeling well after going 100% raw, it would be a good idea to resort to colon hydrotherapy. It will make a big difference in easing your cleansing reactions. The best thing to do is to continue with the raw food diet, and you will soon be rewarded with greatly improved appearance and health.
Watch Your Thoughts
During your transitioning to raw foods, watch your thoughts! Since raw foods change the body dramatically, try to be in a state of continuing admiration. Appreciate what is happening in your body, even if this includes some of the temporary negative side effects of the transition such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, or other detox symptoms. Be grateful for the experience of cleansing and purification that your body is going through.
One of the most important things to remember when transitioning to the raw foods diet, is that persistence pays big dividends. Slow and steady wins the race.
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