fast or go raw

[Infusion]

hello again all,
I am on day 6 of a juice fast and all has been going very well. i have been doing some research on going raw for my mother whom is a diabetic. she is willing to go raw after her 62nd birthday on June 3rd.
I have noticed that the effects of going raw are the same as the 30day juice fast. if i am mistaken please let me know. I'm thinking about dropping the fast and going raw after tomorrow to round out a 7 day fast. now don't get me wrong i believe i can go the 30 days no problem. but if not necessary i would like to get back on solid food and get my mom ready before her b-day .

Please let me know what you all think.

[contreda]

Has Alissa said anything about doing a colon cleanse before beginning the raw diet?

Does the diet itself cleanse the colon?

I am just now learning the importance of a clean colon, and I wanted to know which way to go. Do I just start the raw diet, or do a colon cleanse.

thanx in advance

[Infusion]

to be honest. i just did the swf since day one, but my GF had to do an enema this morning cause she had not gone for 3 days even with the Salt Water Flush
but we have not done the herb tea laxative in the evening before bed which is recommended to loosen things up a bit. ( we bought some today thou so i can let you know how that goes in the morning :).

have you started the raw diet yet?

[shashibala]

From what I understand and have experienced, a raw diet cleanses the colon very well. Perhaps it takes longer than a colon cleanse, but it works. As far as fasting vs raw diet, in my opinion, a raw diet is a long term plan. It is a lifestyle rather than a quick intervention. It provides a clean, pure way of living that will allow the body to rebuild itself over time. I think that being raw long term is more healing than fasting and then returning to a cooked food diet. A fast is excellent for intense cleansing or healing. I have been raw for almost six months and I'm about to embark on my first fast. It made sense for me to do it this way. It is really just a matter of what works for you. Best wishes on your journey!
Gabriel Cousins has a book called "There is a cure for Diabetes" (type 2 diabetes) Have you seen it? He uses fasting and raw foods.

[Rawmommie]

Raw, raw, raw! Fasting is great, but raw is sustainable and far more long term. Starting off with fasting is a dangerous choice, in my opinion (not b/c fasting is dangerous) b/c it can be too extreme and cause a person to head right back to SAD foods. You could also detox faster and get discouraged.

A week of fasting is a great accomplishment, but eating raw for a longer period is also! Your body will love raw and gain so much from it. My suggestion, obviously, is to switch over to raw now and reap the benefits!! :)

[Veganforlife]

I agree. Raw! Raw! Raw!
To me, now this is just my personal opinion and you know they are like belly-buttons, everyone's got one, but I think fasts are TOO radical. And the effects are NOT the same.
Alissa does not promote fasting or cleanses, but raw.
Raw all the way baby!!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

well i'm on the other side of the fence. i started my journey with two fasts... back to back. 9 days - a week of eating and then 8 days. really helped me get a jumpstart into a new lifestyle!

it's been almost a year for me and i've done a few fasts (well actually juice feasts each time) and honestly... my body (i believe) appreciated me starting off with my fast/feasting. but that's just me... (and yup i just checked... i got a belly button too!)

[Aleesha Sattva]

now that said... i recommend to people to choose for themselves. i NEEDED to start this way. my body was so toxic and unhealthy it needed to feel the wonderful radiant health of my juice feasts to see that raw foods is what i wanted to do. i didn't even know raw foodists existed before i started my second fast and starting looking to see if there was anyone else there who could not eat cooked food anymore.

[Eveleaf]

Ah, you know me, I'm a huge advocate for juice fasts. And I agree with Aleesha, everyone is different. Veganforlife adores green smoothies, but honestly they don't do *anything* beneficial for me. Juicing and fasting though - my body loves it.

[RawHeaven]

I'm peeking into today and felt a nudge to respond to this thread. I agree we all have different experiences and opinions about fasting. Like the raw food lifestyle is frequently misunderstood, I believe the same is true for using fasting as a healing tool. Like anything else, you also need to do your research and the benefits that are reaped vary per individual. I, similar to Aleesha, began fasting and then ventured into raw foods before I even knew that's what I was gonna do. I completed my first 30 day master cleanse one year ago. The MC is really not a true fast, but a cleanse. My system felt so pure and cleansed afterwards that I naturally gravitated to raw foods. Not only that my emotions and spirit were healed beyond words, I was a mess emotionally and fasting cured this for me. My inspiration to take better care of myself and my enthusiasm for my life returned exponentially. I fast for spiritual reasons as well which I won't get into here. I also want to emphasize there are extreme cases where someone's colon, liver, pancreas and other organs are severely damaged or impaired. I was on narcotic pain medication for close to 2 years and had already experienced pushing my body to extreme limits with my healing process and multiple operations. Fasting was actually a piece of cake to me and not difficult or extreme at all after that experience. It also provided an effective way to reverse a lot of damage that had been done to my liver specifically in a relatively short period of time.

I have never been one to follow another's guidance blindly. I very much appreciate someone who is considered an expert's approach and experience, but ultimately I make my own decisions as to what works best for my body. This included my entire experience working with medical professionals and extends to holistic medicine, the raw food lifestyle and healing overall. Essentially I'm an advocate for fasting, juicing and eating raw foods this is true. However, I do notice the longer I sustain myself eating only raw foods, I'm seeing tremendous results to support the point of others who choose not to fast. Before I say this, I'm not speaking of anyone who has responded against fasting on this thread because I don't know if it's true for them or not. But I do take issue with others who've never fasted speaking against it, just like anything else in life. In the general sense of using the word "you", you really don't know how it is to walk in someone else's shoes unless you've worn them you know? It is the reason I try to not speak about things I've never tried or experienced. But we're all human and we're all learning and sharing our experience. I'm not hear to judge or try to persuade, just sharing my personal and direct experience with fasting and why I do it.

It's a personal choice. Just listen to your body and trust your own intuition...they'll both tell you which direction to go. Either approach will work I think - either fasting or simply eating raw foods to cleanse the colon and overall body.

Best wishes with your healing process whichever path you decide to take.

Crystal

[Percy]

Raw!!!!

Raw heals for good. A fast enhances the healing... but after the fast, a raw lifestyle is a must... so by that way you keep the benefits and you will be healing constantly.

[Aleesha Sattva]

crystal, truly beautiful post!

[Jenifae]

What an enlightening thread. I would like to try to fast at some point. Right now I don't feel strong enough to actually do it.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. :D

[Infusion]

I would like to thank you all. i am happy i went 7 days fasting but still sad that i did not complete 30 but i will not beat myself up over it. i know with raw i will still get the benefits. My juicer burned up yesterday and i took that as a sign.
The first little bit of apple i put in my mouth was scary. i made a few dressings out of Alissa's book yesterday and loved every bite.
I have just finished making Lemon pudding, Chocolate turtles (still in low oven dehydrating), and Pecan pie (in the fridge chilling) i will eat in 30 min :D.
And i plan on becoming a Certified Raw Chef. really looking forward to it. i have started writing a new menu to add raw to the cafe and i know 90% of the desserts will be.
Once again i am very thankful for finding this forum and everyone here has been so helpful for me

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeff