Hi there, my first week of raw food was the best. I feel so much energy, not tired and happy. This is my 2nd week, all the sudden, I just feel so sluggish, I am tired, want to go sleep, always feel hungry. Why is this shift? Does my body is detoxing or what? Any suggestions? Thank you

Yes, you could be detoxing and you just need more rest to get this. Or you could be doing something slightly wrong with your raw food diet.

Here are some possibilities:

1. Not eating enough calories. Calories provide energy, so if you don't eat enough of them - no energy.
2. Eating too often and therefore not giving the body a break from digestion, which requires a lot of energy. If your body needs extra energy to carry out the digestion, it will borrow it from elsewhere in your body. That's why people get tired and want to take a nap after a big meal, like a Thanksgiving dinner.

Eat only when hungry. If you are not hungry at breakfast, don't eat. Fasting until noon is good for you. All the studies about needing breakfast are done on people eating the S.A.D. and they need a stimulant at breakfast to get going.

3. Eating too much fat (like nuts) - fats require more digestive energy.

Also, here is an article that might help at [karenknowler.typepad.com].

Thank you, I think this does help. Sometimes when I feel tired so I eat hope it will give me energy then I felt more tired after eating. Perhaps I just need let my body rest.

Btw, congrats on eating raw foods and providing more nutrition for your body!

Yes. An unstressed body (unstressed by food, medications, stimulants, drugs or worry) will divert bloodflow to internal organs for cleansing. This CAN result in light-headedness.....sluggishness....etc.

-This detox is to be pursued....but consciously REGULATED by the individual by eating heavier raw foods (fats, nuts, root vegetables, mushrooms, etc.) to slow detox reactions (but not stop it!) and light fasting, fruits, juices and other techniques to speed detox if things are going too easy. Getting extra light exercise during the day......and extra undisturbed quiet time in bed in the evening is important during those times.

-Just my opinions.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Karen,

Once again I really enjoyed your responses above and thanks for the interesting link! Read every word of the article - even the comments from other readers.

I've been trying to eat raw for possibly 3 weeks now and the roller coaster ride at times is a bit trying. I had superb energy yesterday and not so spectacular today. It all comes down to what, how much, and when I'm eating. Simple but tough to regulate.

I'm also having a hard time shaking the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" rubbish. After all my dear Mom hammered that in to me and I still do the same with my kids. That's an entirely different topic in itself so let's not get me going! After I get my mental house in order and go through learning & detox, I can slowly bring my wife and kids around. Little do they know what's coming....

Suffice it to say that I really appreciate your and David's replies!!!

Regards,

David

Sounds like you are on your way, David! Keep us posted on your progress. Maybe you could start a journal on the raw diary forum, if you don't already have one.

detox is a never ending process i think
i have been raw for five months and still have these weird ups and downs
i have been vegetarian and for the most part vegan(i cant eat milk anyway, but i used to have eggs) since i was 14 and a healthful eater before then(no sad or antibiotics!!THANKS MOM!!) and didnt think i had much detoxing to do
little did i know that my drinking and drug use would come back to haunt me and in my 2nd to third month had a really harsh liver detox, then four months into it i was asleep for a week and then had this gnarly fever where i thought i was going blind and my neck was killing me for a few days and then better a week after that riding my bike miles and mile and hiking everywhere....the body is mysterious!!!!!!!
i still feel better for going through with raw foods, my emotions have never been stable and i am actually just feeling normal!
my budget is so that i am having to ad cooked foods(i am between the farm and the mountain jobs this month!) and the only thing that is suffering is my complexion...not my brain, so that is good to note
good luck and keep it up, give yourself plenty time to rest!

ferdiewen,

What you are experiencing sounds exactly like detox to me. If it were me, I would get more rest and sleep and not eat too much until I felt better.

Here is an excellent article on detoxification and the raw diet.

Bryan,

Second time I believe I've read that article on detox and it gets better each time. What's killing me right now is lack of sleep as I have to rise at 5am to get kids ready for school. It certainly makes sense why I have no energy to workout or ride and obvious that rest is the order of the day.

Again, thanks for the great link.

David

I can so relate, david. I have to get up at 5:30 to get my daughter to school. I miss summer when I slept in until 7, so nice!

After I drop my daughter off, I go park in the back of a big parking lot, read a little section of a book and then take a power nap. They say a 15 minute nap is as good as an hour of sleep. I need more sleep, but the nap does help. Sometimes I don't fall asleep but I still rest for a little bit. Then off to work! :-)