Day three RAW- Help pls.

[DaisyHair]

Hi my rawsome friends! :D

I am on day three of being as close to 100% raw as I can. (herbs and tea are so far my only cooked or toasted ingredients).

I am sort of flying by the seat of my pants. I am very new to this and am reading voraciously and learning as I go.

I wanted to know if I could get some advise.
I am feeling like I am getting the flu. I am sure this is detox and wondered how any of you remember feeling like this in the beginning?

I have good energy just feel a very bad headache and like I have the chills.. :eek: also seems like my sinus is aching.

Going to make some more hot tea.
Please send me some motivational words!

[Thick]

Much like a drunk who stays drunk in order to not feel the hangover-- now that you are cleaning up your diet your body finally is having a chance to deal with toxins.

Drink plenty of water to help flush your toxins out. Eat foods high in fiber and water content like melons and fruits. (in addition to other raw stuff, of course) Lemon juice in water seems to always help me feel better.

Take as many naps as you can, and go to sleep early and allow yourself to sleep late if possible. Your body heals most while you are sleeping. And, you don't have to feel bad while you're asleep=)

Massage intensifies and augments detox--so some mild massage or professional might help you.

Some people (not me, yet...) suggest colonics as they help you release a lot of the toxic mucoid plaque in your colon and help get rid of all that newly detoxed junk that your body is trying to get rid of--like rush hour on a street barricaded down to one lane for construction--colonics can help your downtown traffic situation=p

I hope you feel better, soon!

[DaisyHair]

Hi Thick,

Thank you for the post.
Intuitively I know I have to go thru this. I just hate giving up total days to feeling this bad. I do know that in the long run THIS will be an amazing thing for me.

I think massage sounds like a good idea! going to have to talk to hubbie tonight about that. :D

Have a nice night.

[Cynthia Z]

Hi,
I do remember this happening to me the first week I went raw. No worries though it will pass and the detox is a necessary phase in your path to true health! So, you are my neighbor as I am in Tampa! When you are feeling better I recommend treating yourself to Cafe 118. It is in Winter Park and is AMAZING!! It will be your get better gift to yourself : )

http://www.cafe118.com/

To your health....
Cynthia Z

[*RayRay*]

IMO slow transitioning is very important....yes, colonics could help (more than massage), raw food and massage are both methods of stirring up old waste from your cells for removal, but if your body is not eliminating and actually removing all of the waste that is being drawn up you get 'detox' symptoms. One of 2 things can be done to help your symptoms (or both):

1. colon cleansing (colonics)
2. slow your transition (eat something cooked)
sometimes suddenly going 100% raw can actually be worse than if you slowly transitioned....consider maybe eating some steamed veggies at dinner time, or a baked yam or something like that to help slow your 'detox' reactions.....

These are the things I would do if I were you....hope this helps

[Mamoo]

I didn't go through detox hardly at all until the second week for me. For that first week I thought 'hey this isn't so bad', well that second week I was sure I wouldn't make it. But like I knew would happen it passed and it really didn't last but a few days.

You are going to feel so much better when you get past this...I promise. If it is too much for you right now, you eat more cooked food, that will slow it down. I chose to just get it all over, but I had the time to feel bad. If you are working and can't afford the time to feel really bad for awhile you may want to slow the detox down for awhile.

However you procede, just know that 'this too shall pass'!

Smiles

[DaisyHair]

Good Morning,

Hum.. Colonics. I was studying yesterday. Will have to think more about it.

Cynthia Z Hi!
LOVE Cafe 118Deg. Patrick (husband) and I have been three times.
I really want to go back but am trying to stay away from Gourmet Raw until I am a little better... wonder maybe if it might slow detox a little to have a little more fat right now.

I have a nice batch of fresh brussel sprouts in my fridge.. maybe I will steam them with dinner if I am feeling this bad still. Thanks for the idea.. I tend to go all out when I feel something will help my health and I might need to slow it down just a bit as I have been 100% (or as close as I can with a few dried herbs and teas) going on day four now.

I am so glad I found this site.
Thank you all of you.

[jesslcochran]

I've gone through detoxes like that. They usually last about a week for me.

I also suggest drinking a lot of water to flush out your system. Also tea will help. Get a lot of fiber (which isn't hard on a raw food diet) to help cleanse your intestines.

I personally don't suggest eating cooked food to "slow it down". That will only make the detox take longer. It works for some people though. Just not for me.

*hugs*
Jess

[DaisyHair]

Good Morning!

Well I am feeling a bit better today.
I am still trying to learn what is best for me. I added more nuts and seeds yesterday (made some flax sundried tomato crackers and cashew hummus) and I am pretty sure it has slowed down my detox a bit.

I am not sure how I feel about that.. yes on one hand I feel a little better, but will this just slow down my progress in the long run?

Still waiting on Alissa's book!

[iluvmangos]

I added more nuts and seeds yesterday (made some flax sundried tomato crackers and cashew hummus) and I am pretty sure it has slowed down my detox a bit.

I am not sure how I feel about that.. yes on one hand I feel a little better, but will this just slow down my progress in the long run?

It'll slow down your detox, but I wouldn't say it would slow down your progress. If it keeps you raw then go for it. It's way better than eating cooked.

[katchmoleen]

I too, think it was better FOR ME to go 100% raw overnight. Yeah the detox was BAD, but just for the first week, and I knew it would get better. Why drag it out and why tempt yourself with cooked food. If, as Allissa says, cooked food is addictive, would we say to the alcoholic, just cut back, drink a little less each day. Yes, their alcohol detox would be less severe as far as seizure danger etc. but they probably would never get to that point because they would more than likely fall back into the addiction. That's just my opinion, but I do/did have major food issues.

[jesslcochran]

I too, think it was better FOR ME to go 100% raw overnight. Yeah the detox was BAD, but just for the first week, and I knew it would get better. Why drag it out and why tempt yourself with cooked food. If, as Allissa says, cooked food is addictive, would we say to the alcoholic, just cut back, drink a little less each day. Yes, their alcohol detox would be less severe as far as seizure danger etc. but they probably would never get to that point because they would more than likely fall back into the addiction. That's just my opinion, but I do/did have major food issues.

This so fits with my line of thinking. I recently (finally) quit smoking. I tried everything to quit over the past 10 years. Part of me just did't want to let go of cigarttes, even though I have family members who died from smoking related diseases.

In the end I had to quit cold turkey but I also had to really want to quit (was waking up in the morning unable to breathe). Every time I tried to wean myself off of cigarettes it didn't work. Oh I would cut down for a few days but eventually I was back to a pack a day.

My point in all of this is that cooked food reminds me a lot about cigarettes. If I just cut down on how much cooked food I eat then I'll never get any higher than 50% raw. AND much of the food I'll eat will be SAD (ice cream or chocolate for example).

But, if I go raw completely like I'm doing, and make transition food to help with the cravings, then it's easier to stay raw. The reason why it's been hard for me in the past is because I would "cheat" and eat something cooked. It reminds me of smoking "just one" cigarette after quitting. Soon I would be hooked on the bad stuff again!

OK..it's early in the morning...I hope I made at least a little sense.

*hugs*
Jess

[PammieTaj]

It sounds pretty normal to me. Some people recommend colonics, but it seems terribly unnatural to have something going in the direction, that far. Ick.

My recommendation is a nice warm bath with some epsom salts added. Start with maybe half a cup of salts to a full tub the first time. The water should be comfortably warm, not hot.

Fresh mint and ginger tea is a good tonic too. If you don't want anything hot, try making a watermelon smoothie with ginger and mint. Yum. The mint and ginger are good medicine for your digestive system.

And drink plenty of water. Take a walk. Get a nice hug now and then.

[Thick]

OK..it's early in the morning...I hope I made at least a little sense.


Perfect sense! I love a good analogy=)> Cigarettes are an addictive drug and I can see the same thoughts patterns arise with (to me) addictive cooked food. So much bargaining and mental b.s. --just like quitting smoking. You have to be firm with yourself and fully metamorphisize--not keep one foot in and one foot out. Thanks for this!=)

[DaisyHair]

Good Morning!

Feeling a little better this morning.
I love this site.
I can't even begin to tell you all how excited I am to be here.

[margoss]

Glad you're feeling better. I didn't have many symptoms in the beginning then a few weeks later, I had leg cramps or something like that for about 2 weeks. I just kept drinking water. Now, they've past & it seems like they've never happened.