Terrified of detox

[Callybop]

I've read sooo much about raw and felt so inspired by all the stories I have come across. While I am eating much more fruit and veg than I used to as well as incorporating almost daily green smoothies, I've avoided going 100% raw for fear of the detox :(

Am I best to go slowly or just jump straight into it? I have certain ailments that I truly believe would be affected for the better with raw.

[Raspberry4]

Have you done a search on the forum for detox? The search button is up above. You will get alot of information that way. Some people move slowly; others 100 percent right away. For me, I like to get detox over with, so I go 100 percent right into it and have bad headaches for a few days which I tolerate because I know I am 'healing'. Also, just so you know, toxins can be released at different times so you may detox more than once, but each time it gets easier (at least this has been my experience). Do not fear it. It is just your body's way of getting rid of the toxins and some people never even get a detox symptom at all. You have at least been preparing your body right along by incorporating more fruits, veges, and smoothies. Sounds like you are doing a great job. Good luck to you. Have faith in your body, and know that detox can be a 'good thing' in that you are getting rid of the old to make room for the new healthier you.

[Pitaya]

echoing what raspberry says.....especially the part about using the "my body is healing itself" thought to cope. very key in my experience.

my detox was not bad at all. in fact i don't think it existed until the day i cut out all my vitamins cold turkey (about 2 weeks in) and then i had headaches every night before bed.

it's actually neat to find non-medicinal ways to heal: like cold packs on my head those nights. the feeling of taking such good care of me and my body, and learning to be gentle with it, is far greater than any discomfort of detox.

is this a mind over matter thing for you? or are your ailments posing a true risk to getting on this diet? (I think most ailments will heal on this diet but your approach might need to be different, depending on the ailment, so as raspberry said research is key......maybe a naturopath too?)

best of luck either way, and remember we are all here with you!

[Callybop]

Thanks for your reply Raspberry :) I'll take a look at some detox threads. I'm mostly worried about having horrific breakouts all over my face or something like that. Maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion :o or maybe not :eek:

Thank you for your encouragement, I do feel raw is the right path

EDIT: Thank you Pitaya for your reply and encouragement too :)

[Callybop]

I think perhaps some ailments may get worse before they get better and some I would see an instant improvement. Some of them are:

eczema, PCOS symptoms, dandruff, neuralgia, severe panic attacks, bleeding gums, bad skin, dark circles under eyes, irritated eyes with worsening eyesight, extra weight, suspected candida...

I feel I would see an improvement in these things and my overall health with high raw :)

[parsnip]

I've been raw for a month (officially!) and really haven't experienced any significant detox. Different people adjust differently, so you shouldn't assume you'll have a lot of trouble with it. I went 100% raw from a pretty average SAD diet that included a lot of fast food and other junk. This is the second time that I've done this (for a month both times), and I haven't had much detox either time -- the main thing was a wicked three-day headache the first time, since I was a regular coffee drinker.

If you want to minimize detox, I'd definitely suggest you wean yourself off coffee/caffeine slowly, since that's been the worst thing for me. Other than that -- I've had some fluctuations in energy, and I still have mild skin breakouts, but nothing has been worse than what I'd periodically experience before I went raw.

It's interesting, though -- I haven't had much in the way of detox, but I also haven't noticed a huge improvement in the way I feel. I have more energy, but not tons more, and I'm still pretty irritable/anxious/depressed. I've also lost a decent amount of weight, but nothing as dramatic as other people have experienced. So my theory is that often if you detox faster, it's more uncomfortable but you see the benefits quicker. If you detox slower, it's easier, but the benefits come more slowly too. I also have quite a bit of weight to lose -- close to 100 pounds -- so that may be part of why my body's not changing super-fast.

But still, just having lost some weight and not feeling exhausted most of the time, along with the overall conviction that I'm moving in the right direction, is good enough reason for me to continue eating raw!

[GoingtoRAW]

Callybop you do have to find your own way to do this. I have been on and off raw for 2 years now. Each time I go back on raw I experience detox again and every time I have to go through it again I tell myself I will never eat another SAD thing again because it's not worth starting this process all over again. I usually get really bad headaches for about 2 to 3 days. I have also remained raw and experienced detox at different periods of time - so you do continue to experience different levels of detox though maybe not so severe at times. This time when I went back to raw foods I am about 95% and I did experience detox but it wasn't as bad this time. I only had a very mild headache part of the first day.

I usually feel a great deal of energy pretty quickly when I go back on raw. I make sure I get my smoothies in and I get plenty of fruits and veggies - not too much processed raw foods anymore. The depression lifts and my disposition is totally changed within a few days. I am still struggling to get and stay 100% raw and I'm sure once I reach the level I want I will feel even better.

Do what works best for you. Good luck!!;)

[commoncents]

I have not been Raw that long, but I got Alissa's book before starting RAW and I absolutely trusted her advice about going 100% RAW from the beginning and just getting the detox over with.

Having said that, the only detox symptoms that I've had is a pretty bad headache in the first week of going RAW, which I was surprised about because I had a pretty bad addiction to prescription drugs before this time. I did, however, do a 19 day Master Cleanse, so I'm sure that was pretty helpful too.

I'm sure I have ALOT more detox to go through, but for me, detox means I'm healing and that is always a good thing.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide and rest assured, that you are doing the best thing for your mind, body and spirit.

[shashibala]

Do not be afraid! Whatever small discomforts you may experience will be so worth it. I had almost no detox. I had an asthma problem from eating a food that I shouldn't have and one month I had intense hormonal issues, but I might have experienced these things anyway. Just nurture yourself and feed yourself plenty of raw food and you will be fine. If you have challenges, bring them here and most likely someone will have had the same experience. Best wishes!!!!!!

[Callybop]

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the encouragement in your replies. It's great to have the reassurance that I'm heading in the right direction and it will be worth any struggle. :D

xx

[avolove]

Hi!
Something that helped me with the whole detox thing was written somewhere here a while ago... So often when we are sad eaters we have days where we feel yucky, we all have had headaches, stomach aches, breakouts, sore muscles etc. etc. and we think nothing of it. We just take some remedy and chalk it up to a bad day. When we go raw we are looking to feel so much better, it being the main reason we do it, and may be super sensitive to those very same things that have happened to us all along. An upset stomach before going raw is just an upset stomach, something that usually doesn't cause us to stop and think... an upset stomach after going raw somehow feels more significant. Eating sad we are more accepting somehow :confused: of the ill effects of an unhealthy lifestyle or we just grow tolerant to them. In reality, so much of what we feel during detox is much like what we may have felt eating sad. :) For me detox was a few "bad" days but nothing compared to the chronic discomfort of sad eating. This, on top of knowing that the unpleasantness of a temporary detox is my body getting the gunk out makes it more doable. It's a positive, essential thing and going through it you feel that, yes, you are getting somewhere! :) (Much unlike the same ol', dead end sad stomach ache, head ache, sore joints, foggy head, tiredness... the list is so long... of regular sad eating.)
:)

[Callybop]

Hi!
Something that helped me with the whole detox thing was written somewhere here a while ago... So often when we are sad eaters we have days where we feel yucky, we all have had headaches, stomach aches, breakouts, sore muscles etc. etc. and we think nothing of it. We just take some remedy and chalk it up to a bad day. When we go raw we are looking to feel so much better, it being the main reason we do it, and may be super sensitive to those very same things that have happened to us all along. An upset stomach before going raw is just an upset stomach, something that usually doesn't cause us to stop and think... an upset stomach after going raw somehow feels more significant. Eating sad we are more accepting somehow :confused: of the ill effects of an unhealthy lifestyle or we just grow tolerant to them. In reality, so much of what we feel during detox is much like what we may have felt eating sad. For me detox was a few "bad" days but nothing compared to the chronic discomfort of sad eating. This, on top of knowing that the unpleasantness of a temporary detox is my body getting the gunk out makes it more doable. It's a positive, essential thing and going through it you feel that, yes, you are getting somewhere! :) (Much unlike the same ol', dead end sad stomach ache, head ache, sore joints, foggy head, tiredness... the list is so long... of regular sad eating.)


avolove, thank you :D you're right and that's a great way to look at it. I guess the journey to raw is about changing your mentality as well as your diet. :)

[Betsy]

Heck, wish I could say detox wasn't bad for me, but i guess it wasn't too pleasant, but i got through it better then before.

No headaches, and I went pretty much cold turkey.

My Journal speaks of detox on a day that I was mentally suffering emotionally from a major detox. This was right before my skin erupt episode, which is now going away. i was really upset at something, and I'm still not sure what??

Detox happens and it's natural for the healing process requires it. Just don't be afraid of it.

If I can survive mine, anybody can.

Good luck.

[Callybop]

Thanks Betsy... sorry to hear you had a tough time :(

I think I'll stick to the gradual process at the moment. I think my body will tell me if it decides it wants to go for it 100%. although I must say, since I started embarking on the raw food path, and incorporating things like green smoothies and such, I feel a big difference in the way I feel if I miss a few days of green smoothies or neglect any kind of raw for a few days. Maybe it's psychological or maybe it's real... either way, I feel better with more raw food so it must be the right way :D