Hey! I keep reading the posts and forum and everything and doing all of this research and I still can't seem to find the best way to start out with becoming all raw food. I just ordered the book "Self-healing for Crohn's and Colitis" as I have Crohns, But the second edition (the one I ordered) doesn't come out for a bit, so I've already kind of started. I only eat poultry now with two to three salads a day. Of course, I'm still eating cooked food (being a teen and still living with my mom, I kind of have to for now since she is worried about me not getting all of my nutrition). I see alot of people talking about fasting first and I've seen things about the Master Cleanse, which I'm thinking about doing, I just want to know if I'm on the right track and if I should be doing anything else to help in my journey. I know that there is no specific way to start or really participate in this life style, but I really want to feel good instead of sick, and I'm just looking for pointers.

Thank you!

I'm on my first day of all raw after the master cleanse. This is my third cleanse.

The cleanse really prepares you for it by getting you through the initial detox phases in a shorter period of time then if you just go to all raw or even gradually go into raw. After the cleanse everything tastes better too, so you dont' *need* to go eat junk in order to enjoy eating. The first piece of solid food I ate was an orange and it tasted like GOD.

When you're on the cleanse you won't be hungry but you will fantasize about and crave food mentally. To counter that, I spent some time collecting the most do-able raw recipes I could find on the internet, and put them together in a file on my computer for me to use. I basically replaced the cravings I was having with better ones.

By the time my cleanse was over, I was excited about raw food and paid little heed to my other cravings. I don't have a huge appetite and I seem to be getting a lot out of the very little food I'm eating.

You're in a tough spot living at home. I know how people are, and I know how moms are! Family and social situations are the biggest obstacles to eating the way you want. Moms are an unstoppable universal force of nature. It's very possible that you'll have to settle for some combination of raw and cooked food until you one day fly the nest. I don't know how old you are exactly, but I'd be surprised if she lets you get away with a cleanse or fast. In fact I think if I went home right now (i'm 31) and tried it, it wouldn't work. Such is the power of MOMS!

However, you can try and gradually work with your mother to change the ratio of raw to cooked over time. Show her some of the raw recipes that are out there, or better yet, offer to make dinner one night and make a good raw meal yourself. See if you can get her into it. If she has an e-mail address you might occasionally forward some raw food propaganda, i.e. "Hey, I saw this article about the wonderful benefits of a raw diet."

BTW, there is great support here: [www.therawfoodsite.com] for the master cleanse.

Good luck!

-DaveK

I would suggest following the current guidelines in the book since you stated your Crohn's. They are just guidelines remember too. Follow it, but if something irritates you, change it. Let your Mom read the book perhaps since you have a serious condition?? You can also setup up a consultation very easily with the author David Klein and let him speak to your Mother. I would NOT consider fasting or a Master Cleanse though with your condition.

My opinion/experience:

-The idea that some must do ANYTHING other than establish what level of fresh, raw plant foods that they are comfortable with right NOW.......then setting small goals to gradually increase this over the course of your lifetime.....until you reach your goals........is unnecessary. The food itself will gradually crowd out less healthy fare...and do the job. Cleanses, fasting, and other practices are, in my opinion, 'refinement' practices to be utilized AFTER one has been eating at one's personal raw food goal for a period of time (at LEAST 6 months).

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com