I am doing a full body detox with herbal tablets. For best results a raw food diet is recommended. I am VERY active and my job is very physical. I started this detox and raw way of eating 8 days ago. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I am NOT experiencing exuberant energy raw foodist speak of. I have a mild form of acne and i am getting flare ups. My skin is not glowing the way people say theirs did/does. I am not even sure i feel healthier. So I must be missing SOMETHING. Or am i just not being patient? Shouldn't i feel immediate results?

The first 5 days were easy and i did feel more energized. I was eating a lot of hemp shakes (made of apple or orange juice not from concentrate...i later find out this is not raw, is that right?) bananas and frozen fruit. I ran out of my raw hemp, cold-pressed protein powder and i am waiting for my order to come in. Since I have been feeling, moody, lack of energy, and hungry. I eat a lot of fruit. But i don't feel this is good. I had been eating salads but I am tired of salads already! I don't want to lose weight. I have also been eating a lot of trail mix, and I am getting tired of it too. I am craving my trusty Frito Lay Corn Chips and some cous-cous - neither of which are raw. I love cooked and grilled veggies but this raw thing is really difficult. I committed to 40 days. If I see a huge health improvement I will continue with limited goodies like grilled veggies and corn chips. I want to eat in balance and feel and look different than my healthy quasi-vegeterian (I love seafood) and cooked diet. Any advice? Anyone? Help!

I think forcing yourself to eat more raw foods than your body is ready to eat is going to be counterproductive. Try just increasing slowly, at a rate that feels good to you, your intake of fresh fruits and salads.

Beautifuldreamer,

Bryan's advice is [always] good. Also, remember to not mix fruits with fats--this can be enervating--and to eat wholesome things, like fruits and soft veggies, until you feel "full." Not stuffed, mind you, just full. One of the fastest ways to get frustrated on Raw is to unwittingly deprive yourself of calories, which causes your brain to demand things like Fritos; high in calories and fat, but devoid of other nutrients. Good luck to you!

doing a detox along with starting raw is not the best way to make it work. you should try one or the other when you're new. then later you can add in another cleanse.

I have found the easiest time for me to change eating habbits is coming off a clean water only fast.

Hi Beautifuldreamer15!

There was a thread a long time ago with lots of people posting pictures of their food - if you are sick of salads, you might want to have a look at some of the amazing photos here - [www.rawfoodsupport.com]. I know this is old, but I found it so inspiring when I was looking for some new ideas.

There is also an extensive recipe site you can go to for lots of great ideas - I love to browse through that site just to look at the pictures and get inspired to try new things - [goneraw.com]

Hope that helps!

Hey, Sapphire! That photo thread brings back memories. We should start a new photo thread. Most of the photos in the early part of this one are broken links now, so it's not as friendly to the new people.

Sapphire, thanks for the link you gave, it is wonderful - sooooo delicious food everywhere. But , Where are all those people who used to post here in 2007? Still raw? maybe looking at this forum sometimes?

Sorry beautifuldreamer15 for this off topic answer -

What you experience is normal - the body longed for the old flavors it was used to, findind the giving choice bland, or untasty , or boring. Hold on! Soon you'll discover new tastes and the pandora box will be opened for you.

good luck!

Cynthia

Thanks! I will take all this into account.