Hi all: Being a new *almost* rawist, I do have a few questions:

1. I see the acronym SAD in many posts, and am wondering if I am right in guessing it means: Standard American Diet? If this is the case, I LOVE the acronym, it's so true!

2. I have also seen the phrase "master cleanse" used, and am wondering how to go about that. I am not a wealthy person by any means - on SSDI as a matter of fact, so spending money at Nature's Outlet (yeah right! LOL) or such things for colon cleanses, etc. are not an option. Are there any natural ones I can do?

Before adopting the vegan eating lifestyle, I was on oxygen 24/7 and having to take between 8-12 breathing treatments a day for my C.O.P.D. (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - emphysema and chronic bronchitis, etc.). Now I am totally off the oxygen and haven't had a breathing treatment in ... a long time! I also added exercise, drinking lots of water, rest, sunshine, fresh air, and a lot of prayer into this new lifestyle.

I'm glad I found you guys so I can now take it to the next step and eat only living food.

Blessings,
Becky

Hi Becky! You are welcome here!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Wow Becky!
I am happy to hear of your improved health from just eating well.
Its amazing what raw foods can do.
Yea,SAD means exactly that...the stuff people eat and call it food.
I still struggle with SAD foods myself,from years of habit and the good old taste buds.
Continued success
Brian

Yes, that's exactly what SAD stands for.

The Master Cleanse is a 10 day (or more) modified juice fast that includes lots of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and saltwater flushes--it was through doing this that I learned about the raw lifestyle and detoxing. It also worked well for me at the time because I was eating SAD-like vegetarian.

Now, I wouldn't recommend it, for two reasons: it's VERY rough on the body, and if you aren't able to maintain the level of purity brought about by the cleanse, you'll gradually gain all the weight/ailments back that you had. Over the course of about 6 months, I did.

Slowly adding more raw food to your diet (even if you go from 70%... 80%... 90% with time) will not only make the changes permanent in your lifestyle: you'll accomplish the same amount, and then MORE cleansing, without the unnatural amounts of sugar and osmotic, neon-yellow, mucousy diarrhea (yikes).

Eating lots of fiber will let the body do its own thing naturally, and you'll reap countless more benefits by implementing a permanently healthy lifestyle. I've been raw for four months, now, and the changes blew away whatever I experienced on the Master Cleanse--with no suffering, and they're here to stay!

Congratulations on all the progress you're making, you sound like you found a path that's working. =)

wow becky! congratulations big time on taking radical responsibility for your health and well being. sounds like you're your own doctor, and probably a better one than you've ever had before!!! amazing about the COPD.

regarding a cleanse, the raw foods diet IS incredibly cleansing, no question. you may not need anything else. and there are some other cleansing practices within the scope of a raw foods diet that you can do, like juice feasts (where you consume only juices) and green smoothie feasts, mono-eating for a day or more (1 type of food, usually fruit) etc. these kinds of cleanses give the digestive system a bit of a rest, which heightens the cleansing effects of a standard raw foods diet. regarding the master cleanse, everyone is so different... i had a fabulous experience on it, i found it very easy to do, had increased energy and focus throughout, and the lasting benefits for me were (1) no more desire for coffee (my nemesis) (2) a desire to only eat raw fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds (3) after 11 days, 13 lbs of weight loss that i have not gained back (in fact i've lost another 40 on raw foods) (4) eliminations went from 1x every 2 days to 3+x per day (5) greatly improved digestion - no more acid reflux, no more absorbtion problems, etc.

i feel like it revolutionized my life, and catapulted me into raw foods! i plan to do it again this year in july on the anniversary of my last one.

when i was doing the MC, i did not feel that it was harsh, my body was thanking me every second. i know of lots of people who have experiences similar to mine, and lots who have had an experience similar to phantoms, so i am not in any way discounting THAT experience. but if you are drawn to it and want to check it out for yourself and see what YOUR experience is:

[healthandlight.com]

good luck to you, and welcome to the path! we'll see you around the boards...

My experience with the master cleanse (3 of them) was great. Not only did I lose weight from them (which wasn't even my goal) but I continued to drop weight when I came off it. The first time I did it I lost 10 pounds on and 10 more pounds coming off.

They key is to adopt the right psychology for coming off of it. Not just saying "I will eat better," but really getting yourself psyched about it. I spent my time on the cleanse looking up and collecting raw recipes, thinking about the GOOD food I was going to eat when I came off it. I gradually replaced the cravings for SAD food I was having with thoughts like "I can't wait to see what these lettuce wraps are like!

Also you have to reftain from drawing a hard line between "I'm on the cleanse" and "I'm off the cleanse." The cleanse doesn't "end." It just graaaadually fades into a healthier style of eating as you wake up your system.

For really great support for the MC you can go to:

[therawfoodsite.com]

-DaveK

I aimed for 75% raw after that Master Cleanse, and in practice, made it to about 50%. That's the other thing about raw foods: what you eat is just as important as what you DON'T eat! I was still addicted to fried foods, and made a lot of raw gourmet, insane combinations, etc.

I did look awesome and have a lot of energy on the MC--but I have that with 100% raw, too. And the only difference between raw/mono/juice fasting vs. the Master Cleanse is I don't wake up at 5 AM, run to the toilet, cursing the world and myself in agonizing pain until the elimination stops (but I always felt reborn right after). It completely annihilated my excesses with alcohol (a nemesis of mine).

It gave me the rowdiest wakeup call, that's for sure. But I was a heavy sleeper.

I've heard other people say that cleanses and things are able to heal you more deeply after you've already made some headway with transition--I guess because your baseline diet is stronger. Maintenance after any cleanse is important.

So, in conclusion, fasts and cleanses will be mindbending experiences you might want to experiment with, but they are not necessary to success. Although, they can set you straight and help you meet your goals. My taste for whole foods was MUCH better after the cleanse, which helped me eat better. =) I started liking grapefruits. <3

Well I think I'll skip doing a "master cleanse" since my body seems to be doing that all by itself with eating more raw foods. I have gone into a transition mode until my body gets used to being more natural. I have had over 50 years of SAD eating! I grew up on pork roast, sauerkraut, and potato dumplings. Or in the poor days, gravy bread. YUCK! Now I like my food colorful and tasty!

And to think I used to HATE fruit.....hahaha


PS: I USED to smoke (pot and cigs), drink coffee every day, drink lots of soda when I was done with the coffee, and then, of course, there was the alcohol. I do NONE of it now. yay!

YAY for you indeed! Sounds like you're doing so great!