One of the things I do is to focus on mineral rich foods. I usually try to get kelp and/or dulse every day along with plenty of foods rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, and zinc.

How is your mineral intake?

I think that some of my problems in the past have been associated with malabsorption due in part to a fungal overgrowth (Candida?).

grz

It's completely up to you whether or not you're ready to start a healthier lifestyle. It takes a lot of dedication to want to change your old habits for good, especially when you don't have any support around you (that's what Curezone is here for :D).

Going raw is definitely not easy and may have to be on your top list of priorities to keep. Fresh produce is a must, and it's not always available at work, school, malls, drive-thrus, etc. I always have nuts and a fruit in my purse :). Being a raw-foodist is a major part of my life, and every where I go it's going to be with me. It's not exactly COOL or anything, and not everyone understands it, but I think it's a great lifestyle and anyone who cares about their body can do it.

The best advice you can get, is from your own body. If you think it's best that you go back to eating your regular diet, you should do so. You may have adapted your body to eating a certain diet and think that it's better for you, but this may not be so. Someone can adapt their body to eating 5 HO-HO's for lunch, and eat an apple later and have indigestion. Not because apples are BAD, but because the body may be so low on nutrients to break it down and the organs aren't functioning their best due to malnutrition.

I think you said you were going for 4 days. I'd say that's a pretty good start. Maybe try introducing some steamed fish the next day for dinner with some veggies or some other lean meat. If you want to help get rid of the acids in your body from the cooked meat, try replacing some meals the next day with some lemonade. Juice 1/2 lemon, 1 1/4c water, and 2 tbls. grade b maple syrup (honey and agave nectar are good also). When your ready to try again, set a goal for 2 weeks-month.

It may help if you look into doing other cleanses to get rid of what you may have put into your body after so long, before changing your diet. Try reading the forums on Parasites, Bowel Cleanse, Master Cleanse, and Liver Flushing.

Remember that everyone is different, so what is true for someone else, may not be true for you, so keep listen to your body. Keeping a health journal would be a good idea.

Reading is also important when trying to heal your body. Go to a bookstore and browse the alternative health books and see if you find something that interests you. Here's a good health website: http://thedoctorwithin.com/
Here's a raw-foodist blog: //www.curezone.org/blogs/f.asp?f=557

As for losing muscle mass, you will probably only lose the glycogen reserves from your muscle for energy after a while on a raw food diet. I noticed this in myself after about 1 1/2 weeks on a juice fast. To keep the body and muscles strong, you could try doing yoga along with your new diet.

You can always come back and try again if you can't go through with it :)

Take care,

-B.K.P

I would have to disagree with bkrisp's post that it's a good idea to go back and eat meat. In order to heal we are trying to get rid of decaying matter - and meat is the fasted and worst decaying matter...

I tried a 60% -70% raw diet but I only started healing and having good results after I went 100% raw. (i know that if you have a slip off it here and there it would be ok, but if you consistently eat cooked foods your body will not start e valuable cleanse. what works for some people is to go 100% raw for a while and after they feel they have cleansed asmuch as they have wished, then they can reintroduce 10 or 20 or 30% chealthy ooked food.)

A good method to keep your muscle mass is to buy a couple of weights (even small ones are a good start) and train with them. I personally do pull up and push ups and I have visible muscles.

As I said earlier, I did feel tired when I started the cleanse (what is you are doing now). It is because the body needs more energy to clean the shit that has been in it for years. But this is a good sign. Don't be afraid to feel tired or in some discomfort. It would not hurt you. You are doing your body a huge favor!

Think of it as a surgery without a doctor (you are tearing away decaying diseased matter) - you need to rest more after a surgery, right?

SO, rest more, eat fruits for energy and tell us what you have decided to do with the raw diet.

We are here to support you.

I also had doubts when I started but as I kept on things that I would call miracles of cleansing happened to me that now I am a believer. Although I spent days thinking about what I had seen in the cleanses and not being able to accept it, it didn't matter that it was in front of my own eyes...

Your questuions seem a bit emotional. Perhaps you should do more research to understand things a bit better concerning the raw/living foods lifestyle. Jumping in to a RAW diet without knowledge may not be the most empowering thing ;-)

What are your goals? What are your health challenges? What kind of RAW diet are you doing? Some background is necessary to get more thorough help in this RAW forum.


~Lapis~