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The process of cleansing your body of old waste and toxins, by whatever means, is the detoxification process. Using a diet rich in raw or 100% foods to achieve this is probably the most sustainable and beneficial way to go about it. The detox period will vary depending on how dirty your diet has been and how long you have been eating it. Detox signs range from a mild headache to spotting and a period of tiredness. The benefits can be profound and life changing.
The concept of not eating cooked foods during a detox is not new. The many strict, brief, and in some cases celebrity-endorsed detox programs often involve only one type of fruit (raw) or one type of juice (raw) or only fruit or vegetable (raw). So it’s not a huge leap to understand the relevance of a raw food diet to the concept of detoxifying your system. The difference here is that the raw food diet can be approached from two different angles. When someone chooses to try a raw food diet, there is always a natural (necessary and healthy) detoxification period, but the raw food diet can also be used when your health condition calls for a detoxification period and you want to achieve this without ‘fading or lack of sustainability.
The symptoms that occur during a raw food detox are as varied as people are. But in general there are six general types of symptoms. These are headaches, tiredness/lethargy, spots, bad breath, wind, and cold-like symptoms. Sounds intense right? Don’t worry, not everyone gets all or even most of these. They are the main experiences of those who undergo a detoxification. In general many will only have a few of these symptoms and in varying degrees of intensity. Intense detox symptoms usually only last a few hours to a few days.
The detoxification process is your process! Never let the system dictate how you should proceed with these symptoms. It is often true that if you can bear these symptoms at their most intense, the period during which you will experience them will be shorter. For many, however, the requirements of family, work and home life mean that these symptoms interrupt our daily tasks and cause unnecessary stress. Each of us must stay in tune and in touch with ourselves during the process and only allow detoxification as much as is practical in our lives. The way we manage these symptoms is the key.
There are three very practical things we can do to control the symptoms. The first is to drink more clean water. Two (for women) to three (for men) liters a day is a good amount to remove toxins from the body. The second, if possible, is sleep. Take a nap. If you can only get 10 minutes, that’s better than nothing. If you have commitments later, set an alarm. It can be hard for busy people to give themselves permission to do this, but practice, as they say, does…and finally, if it’s all too much, adding some clean, cooked food to your raw meal. Food detoxification will slow down the process and usually decrease symptoms noticeably. By clean I mean some boiled brown rice or some lightly steamed vegetables. It’s important to listen to your body when starting a raw food diet, or indeed any detox. It’s your body and your process, so take it at a pace you’re comfortable with. By taking control of the rate of your detox, you empower yourself.
The benefits of detoxification are also different for each person. The raw food detox diet has provided many amazing benefits to those who have tried it. From better energy levels, better skin, hair and nails to better vision and reduced health problems. The list is as long as the people who have tried it. In general, you can expect more energy, warmer feet and hands, a ‘glow’ look to your skin, better memory and of course some improvements in weight and body shape issues. The result is in your hands, take your time and empower yourself with the information before you start and as you go. Enjoy the journey as much as arriving. Welcome to the new you.