hello-hello!

while i've been a vegetarian for over 11 years and i was vegan for 3-4 of those years, i am very new to this entire concept of eating all (or even "mostly" raw foods. i have to do something, though.

the past couple of years, i've been the kind of vegetarian who eats more cheetos than anything that occurs in nature. see..i have to do something. and i have been. i enjoy eating right, i feel good about it.

question for you all!

i'm poor. i'm the type of poor-person who doesn't know where there rent is coming from every month. BUT i need some kind of detox. some clensing.
do you know of a good detox for, say, a 10 day period (spring break, w00t)?

i've never even attempted a detoxification and i honestly don't even know where to begin. any suggestions are welcomed and aprreciated. :-)

Can you try a short water fast? Say one or two days, maybe three? No more than three unless you can get some close supervision from someone who has experience taking others through it. That's probably the cheapest detox there is! Another idea is to drink juices, fresh juices. Either fruit or vegetable juices. If you do only vegetable juices, you won't get a lot of calories. If you choose a water fast or drinking only juices for a few days, it's a good idea to get a bunch of rest. As much as your sixth sense whispers for.

For more information about such things do an online search for 3 day water fast, or fruit juice cleanse / fast, or vegetable juice cleanse / fast. But others on this board can give you a few more pertinent tips.

These things really aren't hard to do. It's just getting over the initial resistance and feelings of awkwardness and the "What do I do now?"! Relax. Listen to yourself. Spring break might be the perfect time for you. Enjoy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

noelle. there is alot of good advice here about 'going raw' and all the methods and reasonable expectations one might impose on ones lifestyle.

I think people would consistantly agree that adding more fresh raw fruits and vegetables will get you on your way.

I disagree with troy about jumping into fasting. your not going to dent a lifetime of habits by adding that level of stress first in. you've established for yourself already that some of the things you eat are less than ideal, even toxic. learn more about which foods are toxic (non - fruits and veggies) but also the levels of such that are appropriate right now for you. "some kind of detox" might be giving up all processed starches, or all soy products, or simply preparing all your meals.

it would be great to dedicate 10 days (or more) to a water fast or more likely - juice fasting. But in my opinion you probably want some knowledge, values, motivations and practices under your belt before that becomes a real ally.

don't ever put yourself in a place where you are uncomfortable with your level of healing.

A detox is not needed to start the diet. If you are eating more fresh whole raw fruits and vegetables, you will be getting a lot of detoxification in the process of eating a larger percentage of your diet of fruits and vegetables.

If you want a simple cleanse, try this: for the 10 days, eat only fresh produce from the market. Nothing cooked, and nothing processed. Just whole foods - fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, no spices or condiments or sauces (unless you make them from fresh whole foods). This will cleanse your body out quite well.

thanks so much, troy. :-)

i think the water fast is what i'm going to do and i'm going to wait until spring break so i won't be burning tons of calories all day (i make quite the commute to school and my days are 14+hours) and i can relax.

in the mean time, i've been looking up as much information as i can-- so i don't end up doing something ridiculous and hurting myself. the main reason that is a concern for me, at the moment, is that i'm just getting over mono. however, i've found a lot of people online (even people who aren't raw) saying that a brief fast would probably HELP.

so..yeah, thanks!

bryan and anaken:

thanks for the helpful tips. i think the cheetos comment may have made me seem even less in-the-know than i am. i mean, cheetos were pretty "last semester."

during that time and over spring break, i put on a little weight. i'm not one to cry over a little fat, i think fat has it's place and i would usually say that i look my best with a soft layer over some substance, anyway. ;-)

however, this was unlike any weight i've gained in my LIFE. there wasn't any substance (muscle) behind it and i felt really terrible. then, to top off horrible food i was eating and the fact i wasn't exercising, i was drinking with my friends quite a bit.

so, in the beginning of january was when i started watching what i was putting into my body. i've kind of "stumbled into" the idea of raw food, because it was logical for me to start eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.

sooooo-- it's been a somewhat gradual process, and i've lost the weight i gained around november. it isn't about the weight now, it's about paying attention to what i feed myself. and i really am enjoying it. i totally don't agree with depriving myself of anything. i'm a sucker for indulgence., but how can one WANT things that are making them feel so terrible? i'm fairly sure i'm ready to spend the next week preparing, then do a fast during break so i can head back to school feeling my best (that's the aim, at least).

wow..this was long. and what i meant was: thanks. :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2007 03:56AM by noelle.

I don't think a short fast is anything dramatic. They haven't been for me anyway. Of course I realize that one person's experience isn't the same for eveyrone else. If you feel comfortable with the idea then sure try it out. If you feel horrible and feel it's not something you should continue, don't. Realize that many people feel rotten the first day or two then feel better. But not everyone reacts that way. Honestly I've never felt ragged on a fast when I've gotten enough sleep. Recently I did a water only fast (except I was taking about a teaspoon of bamboo salt per day). But I was waking up early early in the morning. I was completely exhausted most of the day. It was awful. I lasted only two days then started sleeping more. Felt much better.

Realize that it's probably a good idea to ease into it and to ease back into eating. Eat lightly before and eat very lightly afterwards for a few days.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

A detox is how I started raw!

As a rabid carnivore I never ever in a million years ever intended to become a vegan, which to me was synonymous with hippies. But after 3 illnesses in one year I knew I needed a detox. I had done them in the past when I partied alot - I'd grab a big green juice Monday morning and just eat veggies & seaweeds for a week or two.... so I figured I'd try something new, a raw food detox, since for 2 weeks I could handle any diet.... I picked up Gabriel Cousens' book and 4 days into the diet I knew I'd never look back, I was a raw vegan for life. Crazy!!

And that was an incredible day, that book really changed my life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2007 12:36AM by sunshine79.

dam hippy

Hahahaha!!!! Anaken - you are hilareous!

anaken Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dam hippy


teehee

let the sun SHIIINEEE!!


u dang hipster!, U

Any of you out there who have managed to last a month and longer being 80 or more % raw have my admiration.

I began attempting raw at the New Year. By now I thought I would be into my fourth month 95% raw but it's a little harder than anticipated. After browsing this board I've come to a thought...I've been on the SAD diet for, let's see, all my life. I haven't yet made it to my goal and that's been getting me down. But it's fair to say I'm 50 percent. That's a vast improvement on SAD!

More power to those who are succeeding and the comments on this site are very helpful.

Kit

Hey man.... if ya broke nothing beats a water fast for a couple of days!!!

Kit:

I made this post almost exactly a month ago and it's been working great. I'm not 100% yet, but my lifestyle is a 180 since the previous months. Now, my "unhealthy" foods are usually brown rice and beans, which I JUST stopped eating together because I realized how difficult it is to digest. I'm sure I still have lots to learn, but I feel really good.

I eat cooked food when I go out to eat with my friends. Social conditioning. Grrr.

What works for me, and might help you, is to focus on including lots of raw foods, rather than excluding anything. I loathe restriction. I can pull it off, but I think it's negative and harmful in the long run. And 50% is good, in comparison to SAD!! So...actually, you should be congratulating yourself!

A whole life of habits will take a while to change.

Just keep reminding yourself how good the good foods are juices are, and let it be exciting to have them, rather than a chore that you feel like you're not doing well. Try and keep it all positive because there isn't any need to get down--- I'm sure your body is loving you for the 50% raw food that you're giving it. :-)


Good luck!

Noelle,

Bless your heart. I posted on this thread by accident. It's the first time I posted and once I did I concidered it missplaced only because my post didnt directly respond to yours. Now I think it's a happy accident because I'm fond of your response back.

I much agree on your including lots of raw foods rather than excluding anything.

It's nice to hear you seem to be doing well. If rice and beans are your usual unhealthy foods,well that doesn't sound real bad. Better than cheetos, huh.

I started my diet improvements by reading Alissa Cohen's Living On Live Foods. It's a great book. I just am not quite ready to jump to 100% and that's what she strongly advocates.

Thank You so much for the support and may you continue progressing.

Kit

Hello I'm new to this site but I have the best detox smoothy ever. Well i drink it every day but it really works.

Well I use half or maybe a 3rd or a quarter of a cucumber, a few leaves of lettuce, a and whatever green veggies I have around and 1 at the least or 2 cloves of garlic. Blend it all together with a little water. Remember to add the garlic and the water first and blend to make sure the garlic is completely blended before adding the rest. It makes about 1 to 2 glasses. I drink it all in one shot coz it's very strong. Its feels a little uncomfortable for a few minutes after you drank it but then u feel clean and new. hehe

You will obviously make the amount u are comfortable with. I do not recommend dense vegetables like carrots because it makes it think and hard to swallow.