First week of going raw

[sputnikjunkie]

A few months ago I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem and many other ailments related to body sensitivity. My doctor advised five different medications which I am militantly against and refuse to take as they mess up the body even more. He then just shrugged me off, as have my family for being - in their words - stubborn about it. I've known for a while that diet is the only cure as nature has always intended and so last week I decided to remove all food that was making me more ill like bread and pasta and all meat products - basically anything heavy. It's been the worst, longest week of my life. I feel like my lover of twenty years has just died. Being raw is so hard and I feel even worse....is this par for the change?

[BlackKat]

You are experiencing some strong detox from the foods you were "in love with" for many years. You need to keep finding new ways of motivation (a good one being this website) to keep you focused especially during the first ROUGH couple of weeks. Not everyone detoxes the same way but the first week for me I experienced boughts of flu-like symptoms, lots of mucus coming up and exhaustion. I took several naps during the day to let my body rest. Then eventually I started feeling the energy coming back and it was a new amazing feeling.

Just make sure you are getting enough raw food, and experiment with a variety when you first start out. Lots of greens, fruit, good fats.. and different amounts of each work differently for everyone.. some people say high fat works better and some people eat mostly fruit. Or tons of greens.. so find what works best for your body. Rest when you need rest, eat when you feel hungry, and move when your body tells you to move. Good luck and if this is something that feels right in your heart, body and mind then you are in the right place.

Cheers to health!

[devil's angel]

i agree with blackkat ... u just need to help urself relax too . find soothing music , rest , plenty of fresh fruits , veggies and some good ole favorite recipes to replace the ones ur missing . look through the recipes on this site and i promise it will make u feel better when u are having the raw version of whatever u are missing . most of the time it tastes just like the cooked version so , this will help ur new love replace the old . good luck and i really think u should do a daily green smoothie and fresh juice daily . it helps my mood stay very happy and calm .

[belleadonna]

Yeah, for those of you switching from a SAD diet to a raw diet, you really need to ease into it if you don't want to suffer strong detox symptoms. Like maybe cut out meat for the first week, and then pastas, and then bread, etc... It's really a shock to your body to just go cold turkey on everything. This is almost a must for those of you that have to work everyday. The first time that I did a raw diet I went into it with both barrels blazing and I was sick in bed for a week. I felt great when it was all over but oh the agony!!

You may even want to do a colon cleanse to get all of that impacted old food out and start fresh.

[Bessie the Cow]

I'm going from a vegan diet to a raw diet and even I'm getting a bad case of tiredness, cold shivers and "fuzzy brain" :) Hate to think what it must be like to go cold turkey from the SAD diet.

I've been reflecting on how my transition to raw foods is proving to be similar to my transition to vegan foods. People often underestimate the profound psychological grief that one experiences after moving away from certain favourite foods. Food is such an important part of all our lives and it is so totally understandable that you are struggling to say "goodbye" to some of your most cherished meals. For me, the hard thing was moving away from cheese. I went from being vegetarian to being vegan, and I just loved all types of cheese. I felt like I was severely depriving myself by not having it, and even had several false starts, where I had to "start again" at being vegan. I kept my eye on the prize and I eventually got there. I haven't looked back.

The funny thing was that after 2-3 months, I no longer missed it at all. In fact, the idea of consuming the coagulated milk of another mammal really freaked me out. To this day, I cringe when I see people eating dairy products and especially drinking milk. These products are addictive and once you start thinking about them as addictive, then you can be mentally prepared for the transition process.

My advice to you would be to pick a few really good raw recipes and "master" them, ones that are really delicious. Instead of focusing on what you cannot eat, focus instead on the world of exciting flavours that have opened up to you through embracing this lifestyle. Think about all the amazingly delicious, juicy mangoes you can eat...crispy salad greens with tangy lemon juice dressing, yummy banana and almond milk smoothies with nutritious kale blended in with it...carrot, celery, apple & beetroot juice mixed together....

Eat until you are full and do not allow yourself to feel hungry at any point. It will just excaberate the feeling of being "deprived".

I feel confident that you will get there if you keep your eye on your goals.

I will need to focus on mine also. :)

mmmmmmm. :)

[jevans]

What convinced me change was the many movies out there about the SAD diet. If you have Netflix streaming watch the "Food" movies and that will not only motivate you, but convince you that SAD is just not good.
Here are some of the movies:
Food Matters
Forks over Knives
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Food, Inc
What's on Your Plate

Stick with it and good luck.

[belleadonna]

So much of what we eat is habit. Fasting, I am finding out removes alot of these cravings. I was in particular a carb junkie. Rice and pasta are my true food loves but the more I go without, the less I miss it. Hang in there. It takes a long time to overcome years of bad eating.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Sweet heart, hang in there. This is healing crissis. You are doing the right thing. Add sea weed in your diet such dulse. You so need them. Try also to do green smoothie, they will heal craving add help you to transition better.

Consider also colon hydro therapy (gravity), it will rinse your gut and help to reduce dramatically your detox symptom.

You will feel so wonderful soon, don't give up.

Visit also dr. Morse (morsend youtube)

Fruits rejuvenate your body and help to heal.

In the mid time study water fasting, don't do that just yet, just study about it.

All the best!