Still Dreading a Raw Food Diet Detox

This past Thursday, I talked about the dreaded diet detox and how the length and detoxification symptoms from eliminating cooked foods and beginning a raw food diet are really not so scary.

You should expect a headache or two, some achy joints, and low energy for a few days.

That's really it!

With that said, I do realize that there are some people - like those coming from cases of chronic disease or who consume severely nutrient-deficient and toxic foods (i.e. fast food) - who are worried about experiencing a more severe detox.

As I mentioned last time, the more toxic load you regularly place on your body, the more long-lasting and uncomfortable your detox symptoms will be when you reduce the load and go raw.

But no worries!  There is a way - a super simple way, of course - to adopt a healthy raw food diet without fear of yucky detox symptoms.

Transition Slowly

Adopting a raw food diet does not mean that you have to go 100% raw right away.

In fact, this usually is not the best plan.  It is much easier and much less stressful on your physiology and psyche to gradually replace the cooked foods you already eat with tasty raw fruits and veggies.

And you can do this at whatever pace you want!

For instance, an easy way to get started is simply by replacing your breakfast meal with fruit.  Eat as much fruit as you want so that you are satiated for 3-5 hours after eating.  This is completely doable for most people because

a) most people do not experience cravings until later in the day

b) most people do not eat breakfast anyway

So this is a plus for most people because they now get to start their day with a healthy and delicious meal!

And, of course, there's more than one way to transition.

There's the 75% raw method (sweet fruit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, ending with a cooked dish).  There's the "as much fruit as you want before each meal" method.

There's also Tonya Kay's No-Willpower Approach to transitioning to raw.

She's such a cutie! :)

By transitioning to a raw food diet slowly, your body will gradually be able to release waste and adjust to the lower toxicity level.  This way, you will bypass most or even all of the detox symptoms.

Want to Up the Ante?

For those of you brave souls wanting to blast through your detox as quickly as possible, there's no better option than fasting.  A short 1-2 day fast (that means nothing but water and lots of rest) followed by completely clean eating will allow the body the opportunity it needs for some serious repair work.

I only recommend a short fast of no more than 2 days (which is not technically a fast) because long-term fasting requires extensive knowledge, experience, and often outside care.  If you are interested in a long-term fast, be sure to check out Dr. Graham's Costa Rica Fasting Retreat.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze