This is the original version of this article, from the files of a person who was a raw foodist in the 1980's.


WHAT SYMPTOMS TO EXPECT WHEN
YOU IMPROVE YOUR DIET

One of the greatest misunderstandings and confusions in the field of nutrition is the failure to properly understand and interpret the symptoms which follow the beginning of a better nutritional program.

What is meant by a better nutritional program? It is the introduction of foods of higher quality in place of lower quality ones. For example, if a person replaces a protein food such as pork with beef, the beef may be considered the superior of the two due to its easier digestibility, lower and less saturated fat content, etc.; chicken is superior to beef and fish is superior to chicken because of its more rapid digestibility and lower saturated fat content. Lima beans, lentils or chick peas, which are eaten at the same meal with vegetables, are superior in all the nutrients needed to rebuild health. As we go higher in the scale of quality, we begin to include protein-rich foods which may be eaten in the unfired state, such as cheese which is made from raw milk and is unsalted. Then we ascend to the nuts and seeds which are eaten in the natural state (raw and unsalted). To summarize: the closer the food comes to the natural state in which it occurs, or the closer we come to its raw, unfired form, the higher its quality. In this condition, all the enzymes are found intact. The amino acids are in their finest form. The minerals, vitamins, trace elements, carbohydrates and life force are present. This life force, in turn, is capable of reproducing healthy tissue.

This same classification of quality which we analyzed in relation to protein-rich foods applies to the carbohydrates (the starches and sugar-rich foods), the fats and the mineral-rich foods.

The quality of a nutritional program is also improved by OMITTING toxic substances such as coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, salt, pepper, etc.

What is the relation of quality foods to recovering from illness? It is this in a nutshell: the HIGHER the quality of food that we eat, the quicker we recover from disease, provided we are able to digest and assimilate properly. To this must be added the knowledge of: (a) proper food combining; (b) proper order of eating the different kinds of food at a meal e.g., the most easily digested food should be eaten first, the more complex food second, and the most concentrated food last; (c) the correct quantity of food to be consumed (of each type) in the meal; (d) the correct time for eating (when hungry, and not by the clock).

Now, what happens when a person follows these rules and makes a decided improvement in the quality of the food consumed? Remarkable things begin to happen to the body as well as the mind. The amazing intelligence present in every cell of the body and the wisdom of the body in its operation immediately becomes manifest. The rule may be stated thusly: when the quality of the food coming into the body is of higher quality than the tissues which the body is made of, the body begins to discard the lower grade materials and tissues to make room for the superior materials which it uses to make new and healthier tissue. This is the plan of Nature – of evolution. The body is very selective and always aims for improvement for better health. The body always tries to produce health and always will, unless our interference is too great. Only then do we fail to recover and degenerate further into disease. The self-curing nature of many conditions such as colds, fevers, cuts, swellings, injuries, etc., furnishes endless examples of how the body tends toward health – unless we do something to stop the progress.

What are the signs or symptoms which become evident when we first begin to omit the lower grade foods and instead introduce superior foods – those which are more alive, more natural than we are accustomed to? When the use of a toxic stimulant such as coffee, tea, chocolate or cocoa is suddenly stopped, headaches are common and a letdown occurs. This is due to the discarding by the body of the toxins called caffeine and theobromine which are removed from the tissues and transported through the bloodstream during its many bodily rounds. Before the noxious agents reach their final destination for elimination, these irritants register in our consciousness as pain – in other words, headaches. The letdown is due to the slower action of the heart – the resting phase which follows the stimulation of more rapid heart action forced upon the body by certain poisons called stimulants. The more rapid heart action (beat or pulse) produces a feeling of exhilaration while the slower action produces a depressed state of mind. Usually within three days, the symptoms disappear and we feel stronger due to the recuperation which follows.

To a lesser extent, the same process occurs when we abandon lower quality foods and replace them with better foods. Lower quality foods have undergone more preparation. Spices, salt and other ingredients have been added and they tend to be more stimulating than simply prepared and more natural foods. Animal foods such as meat, fowl, fish, etc., are more stimulating than cheese, nuts and vegetable proteins. Consequently, the withdrawal of stimulation which follows the abandonment of animal food produces a slower heart beat – a resting phase – which registers in the mind as relaxation or a decrease in energy. This initial letdown lasts about ten days or slightly longer and is followed by an increase in strength, a feeling of diminishing stress and greater well-being.

Now let us return to the symptoms which occur in the process of regeneration.

The person who starts a better diet, stays on it for three days to a week and then quits, will say, "Oh! I felt better on the old diet – the new one made me feel weak." They failed because they didn't give their body a chance to adjust and complete its first phase of action – recuperation. If they had waited a while longer, they would have begun to feel better than before they started.

During this initial phase (lasting about ten days on the average to several weeks in others), the vital energies which are usually in the periphery or external part of the body such as the muscles and skin, begin to move to the vital internal organs and start reconstruction. This shunting of much of the power to the internal region produces a feeling of less energy in the muscles, which the mind interprets as some weakness. Actually, the power is increased, but most of it is being used for rebuilding the more important organs and less of it is available for muscular work. Any weakness which is felt here is not true weakness, but merely a re-deploying of forces to the more important internal parts. Here it is important for the person to stop wasting energy and to rest and sleep more. THIS IS A CRUCIAL PHASE. If the person does not resort to stimulants of any kind, he will get increasing strength which will exceed by far what he felt before he began the new program. Success in recovery or improvement of health hinges upon the correct understanding of this point – REALIZING that the body is using its main energies in more important internal work and NOT wasting it in external work involving muscle movements. Be wise – take it easy here and relax. Just coast in your work and social obligations until you are out of the woods.

As one continues on the improved diet and gradually raises the food quality, interesting symptoms begin to appear. The body begins a process called "retracing." The cellular intelligence reasons something like this, "Oh! Look at all those fine materials coming in. How wonderful! Now we have a chance to get rid of this old garbage and build a beautiful new house. Let's get started immediately. Let's get this excess bile out of the liver and gallbladder and send it to the intestines for elimination. Let's get this sludge moving out of the arteries, veins and capillaries. These smelly, gassy, brain-stupefying masses have been here too long – out with them! These arthritic deposits in the joints need cleaning up. Let's get these irritating food preservatives, aspirins, sleeping pills and drugs out of the way along with these other masses of fat which made life so burdensome for us for so long. Let's get going until the job is done – until we have a beautiful ideal model house."

During the first phase (called catabolism), the accent is on elimination, or breakdown of tissue. The body begins to clean house – in short, to remove the garbage deposited in all the tissues – everywhere. During this period, the body "removes the ashes from the furnace preparatory to getting a better fire." Here the accentuation is on removal of the gross and immediate body obstructions. Wastes are discarded more rapidly than new tissue is made from the new food. This becomes evident in weight loss. This persists for a while and is then followed by a second phase – stabilization.

Here, the weight remains more or less stable. During this phase, the amount of waste material being discarded daily is equal to the amount of tissue which is being formed and replaced by the newer, more vital food. This occurs after excess of obstructing material in the tissues has been removed. This stage persists for a while and is then followed by a third phase – a build-up period (called anabolism), wherein weight starts to go up, even though the diet is lower in calories than it was before. At this point, much more of the interfering wastes have already been discarded, and the tissues which have been formed since the diet was changed in quality are more durable and do not break down easily. Also, new tissues are now being formed faster. This is due to the improved assimilation made possible by the ceasing of wrong food-combining. The body's need for the usual amounts of food decreases, and we are able to maintain our weight and increased energies with less food.

Returning to the symptoms which occur on a superior nutritional program – people who have had tendencies in the past to recurring skin rashes or eruptions will frequently tend to eliminate poisons and harmful drugs through the skin with new rashes or eruptions. If they go to a doctor who is not familiar with this aspect of nutrition, he will diagnose it as an allergy. They ask, "How come? I'm eating better now than I ever did before and instead I'm getting worse!" They don't understand that the body is "retracing." The skin is getting more alive and active. It is throwing out more poisons more rapidly now that the body is building more power which is saved from those hard-to-digest meals which have been discontinued. These toxins being discarded are saving you from more serious diseases which will result if you keep them in your body too much longer – possibly hepatitis, kidney disorders, blood disease, arthritis, nerve degenerations or even cancer – depending upon your hereditary or structural weaknesses. Be happy you're paying your bills now in an easy payment plan.

With some, colds which haven't appeared for a long time may occur, or even fevers. THIS IS NATURE'S WAY OF HOUSECLEANING. Understand that these actions are constructive even though unpleasant at the moment. DON'T – but DON'T try to stop these symptoms by the use of certain drugs, or even massive doses of vitamins which will act as drugs in huge concentrations. These symptoms are part of a curing process. Don't try to cure a cure. These are NOT deficiency conditions or allergic manifestations – NOT if you're eating properly in quality, quantity, combination and sequence.

You may be eating perfectly with regards to quantity, quality and observing all the correct rules and still symptoms will occur. Those who have lived better lives in the past – who have eaten better foods and who have abused their bodies less with overeating will have reactions ranging from almost none at all or very mild to symptoms which may be uncomfortable or acute. Those who have poisoned themselves more will experience more severe symptoms if their liver, kidneys or other important eliminating organs have been damaged. When they have been renovated to the point of fair working order, they will no longer produce symptoms.

Headaches may occur at the beginning; fever and/or colds also may occur; the skin may break out; there may be a short interval of bowel sluggishness, occasional diarrhea; feelings or tiredness and weakness; disinclination to exercise; nervousness; irritability; negativity or mental depression; frequent urination; etc. However, the great majority of people find their reaction tolerable and are encouraged to bear with them because of the many improvements which have already occurred and are becoming more evident with each day. This acts as an inspirational force to them.

The symptoms will vary according to the materials being discarded, the condition of the organs involved in the elimination, and the amount of energy you have available. The more you rest and sleep when symptoms are present, the milder they are and the more quickly they are terminated. Be happy that you are having symptoms. REALIZE DEEPLY that your body is becoming younger and healthier everyday because you are throwing off more and more wastes which would eventually have brought pain, disease and much suffering. Those who have the worst symptom-reactions and follow through to their successful termination are thus avoiding some of the worst diseases which would eventually have developed had they continued their careless eating habits.

Don't expect to go on an ascending scale of quality – that improving your diet will make you feel better and better each day until you reach perfection. The body is cyclical in nature and health returns in a series of gradually diminishing cycles. For example, you start a better diet and for a while you feel much better. After some time, a symptom occurs – you may feel nauseous for a day and have diarrhea with a foul smelling stool. After a day, you feel even better than before and all goes fine for a while. Then you suddenly develop a cold, feel chills and lose your appetite. After about two or three days (assuming you don't take drugs or do anything else about it), you suddenly recover and feel better than you did for years. Let us say this well-being continues for two months, when you suddenly develop an itch or rash. You still don't take anything special for it. The rash becomes an outlet for the poisons in the liver. It may flare up and get worse and continue for ten days, and suddenly subsides. Immediately after this you find that your hepatitis is gone and your energy has increased more than ever before. This is how recovery occurs – in cycles. You feel better, a reaction occurs and you don't feel well for a short while. You recover and go higher for a while. Then another reaction occurs – milder than the last. You recover and go even higher. And so it goes on – each reaction milder than the last as the body becomes purer, each becoming shorter in duration and being followed by a longer and longer period of feeling better than ever before, until you reach a level plateau of vibrant health. Here you become relatively disease-free and are filled with ever-increasing joy, life and happiness which comes from sheer well-being. The mind opens up and expands to ever higher horizons and your soul will shout for joy. You begin to love the world, the universe and everything in it. This is the natural state of the mind – blissful, joyful and at peace with the universe and it can only be attained by alignment with cosmic law. The mysteries of the body, the operations of nature, the vital forces working in Nature and the Cosmos are far beyond what our minds are prepared to understand at present. Let us give ourselves a chance to experience what it means to be really healthy and fully alive – to feel the joy of living by aligning ourselves to God's (Nature's) laws as intended for humanity.

Great article. Thanks, Omega.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]