Sunday, July 27, 2008

Raw Food Diet : Detox Symptoms Part 1

Detox symptoms are one of the most talked-about things in any raw food diet. Regardless of the respective school of philosophy, most raw food gurus have much to comment on the topic of detox symptoms.

Based on experiences about myself, newbies and veteran raw foodists whom I know, most had at some point of time in their raw lifehoods, went through detox periods. These can range from mild fatigue to full-blown colds/fevers.

The key to remember here is that no 2 people are alike, and there is no standard benchmark you should measure yourself against. Your body speaks to you! Always follow your instincts if you feel you are not well enough to carry on, and seek professional treatment if you feel the need to.

Of course if you have been eating totally raw and still experience detox synptoms after a year, it is not normal! You may be following the diet wrongly, or you could be eating the wrong foods.

For myself, even though I was eating mostly raw for 2 years, my detox synptoms came only 3 weeks after I turned 100% raw. The first 3 days of going 100% was already amazing for me with the following changes:

1) My mental fog lifted and I started to see the world as it is, not as what we have been conditioned to.

2) I felt so full of love for the nature, the eco-life, the animals and fellow human beings I see everywhere.

3) My skin glowed and my eyes cleared.

4) I was eating buckets of food everyday! And gained a little weight ;)

5) My energy level increased by about 50%.

These continued for the next 3 weeks. And then the big detox synptoms came. I felt really lethargic, tired, and suffered an intense cold which lasted a full week. I slept most of the time, drinking only blended soups because no food could make it through the mountain of ulcers in my mouth! I had fever too, and it was simply miserable!

But guess what - after that week, I had been flying till now! I dropped some weight during that sick period (for good!), and had an even more amazing list of experiences:

1) My energy levels shot through the roof! I was literally over the moon with joy because I could run & swim with almost double my speed and not feel tired. I'm usually back to shape the next day without aches or pains.

2) My mental focus sharpened greatly.

3) Intuition improved.

4) My hair started turning black after 4 months!

5) I'm constantly happy for no reason. And when I do get stressed at work, it does not get into me!

6) I need lesser sleep hours and get more work done!

You know what - I could go on for ages. To me, I got these experiences after my detox period and so I thought you may wish to hear about them too! Until today I'm still over the moon, or maybe even beyond the milky way :)

To read more, please refer to Raw Food Diet : Detox Synptoms Part 2



Join me and jump for joy today, because nothing beats being alive!
Love from Linda

(C) Copyright 2008, Linda Loo

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Linda,

You mentioned that if detox symptoms last after a year, the person could be following the diet wrongly. I was wondering if you could clarify what are the right and wrong ways of following the raw food diet?

Thanks!!

Linda Loo said...

Hey Cyn,

Actually, there is no "right" diet which is the same for everyone. Based on lifestyle differences, body fitness levels, occupations etc... a "right" diet can vary greatly from person to person. Although I have studied the various forms of foodism, and each of them has their acclaimed benefits, I still figure for myself out what is best for my own body. In fact, some of the very wrong diets could originate from over following a certain school and neglecting what your body is telling you. It may be that we are eating insufficient calories, too much fats, not enough greens, eating too much dried fruits, not enough water intake, deficient in minerals either because of shortage of the nutrient or inability to absorb, etc. Any of these causes may lead us feeling tired, listless, or simply not feeling at our best. I'm no medical professional or nutritionist, but I can tell you that moderation is the key to everything, and a healthy body makes a happy soul. If you are feeling fine (like after downing a huge green smoothie), energetic, happy, strong and peaceful, nothing could be that wrong isn't it? ;)

Cheers to your Best Health!
Linda