I've been raw 3 months now and in my first month, I "slipped" and ate some cooked food. I had 3 corn chips with hummus & about 1/2 cup of some baked corn casserole with cheese in it. I had stuffy sinuses, sore throat, and a mild headache for a week. I also felt extremely run-down... I've had a similar reaction eating salad with oil dressing on it at a potluck (trying to be polite). I think the oil was toasted or rancid.

Does anyone know why this happens? My mother is newly raw too (although she has been a very pure vegan for the last 15 years) and she doesn't get these symptoms. Are they because I am so toxic? I have been a junk food vegetarian for years who used to eat dairy and gluten-free goodies as a "treat." My sinuses have been a weak point.

So...can you share your ideas on why this happens? Or your own symptoms when you venture back into the world of cooked? And finally, do you think raw is a one-way street for some of us?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2007 02:25AM by Starglider.

SG, The symptoms you felt are from eating mucus-causing foods which cooked is. The symptoms could also be detox associated with ridding the body of the mucus, i.e. cold/flu. The worst offender on your list was the dairy. Your mother was vegan so she wouldn't have touched the dairy. I was sick for 2 weeks with a severe cold when I initially cheated from 100% raw vegan. After that, everytime I cheated I had some sort of mucus related symptom. It was usually not as long as 2 weeks but the colds and mucus expelling still came.

Regarding your question of raw being a "one-way" street. Those that are committed to their health and have evidenced the negative effects of cooked will likely not return to 100% cooked. It is a personal choice. You have to decide what level is acceptable to you based on your body's reactions. There are stories of people being raw for years and then returned to cooked in some percentage. There are some that keep only a miniscule portion of their diet cooked throughout in the way of teas, etc. And, there are those that find 100% raw vegan is the only solution for them. Other more strict forms are Fruitarianism. Some mention Breatharianism but that isn't really eating so I don't count that. There is no one fit-all answer. Each person's make-up is unique based on values, habits, lifestyle, and resources.

Good luck. Therese