My wife and I have been raw for 2 months now and we were also raw all of January. We don't have any plans on returning to a cooked vegan/veggie diet. I've got some raw friends who have told me of mass cleanses where they feel very cold/vomit/can't sleep/muscle aches etc. This lasts for about 2 days and then, once cleared, they feel much better then before. I have heard from many that these events occur every 6 months or so, and I am well aware that everyone will be different, so please; if you have any experience with events like this would you please describe them and their frequency? I've even heard of people vomiting up black mucus! Frankly, I can't wait, it would be awesome to vomit up some tar!

Thanks for the posts and help, greatly appreciated!

Also, could you please comment on the need for less sleep. When have you begun to experience this?

brucet,

I bet if you post these questions on the Living and Raw Foods Discussion (Vegan) forum on this site you will get a lot of responses. I have noticed that general questions like these don't get many responses on this Raw Diary forum.

Having said that, let me give you my response. Yes, many people go through healing crises while on a raw diet - which, as you seem to realize, is a good thing and very cleansing. They can last longer than 2 days. Everybody is different as to how often they occur and how long they last. I have not had one, I just experience minor cleansing symptoms like more mucus drainage.

I, personally, believe regular colonics (every 2 to 3 weeks) help immensely with the cleansing also. Norman Walker was a fan of them and required them of all his clients. Matt Monarch and Fred Bisci also believe in them. I also think it is possible that regular colonics would help to prevent some healing crises, as you can get rid of the toxins that way instead of throwing them up.

Everybody seems to be different on the sleep issue too. Some seem to require more and some less. Maybe the ones that require more are going through a healing time also. I am not getting enough sleep right now, 5 - 6 hours of sleep a night and am taking a power nap on occasion to help. Then I catch up on the weekends. I am functioning okay and think I am less tired than I would have been on a cooked food diet with this amount of sleep.

Anyway, congrats on finding health through a raw diet!