Frequently Asked Questions About Raw and 811rv

Healing and Detox

Will I lose weight on the raw diet?

Most people report losing weight on the raw diet, if they started with excess. However, there is no set standard on how this works; results are strictly individualized. Some people start losing right away; others take several months before significant weight losses begin. It may prove useful to know that there are three types of weight that can be lost: water, which can represent significant weight loss in a relatively short time; muscle, which occurs through atrophy due to lack of use, generally not attributable to diet; and fat, which is rarely lost at a rate higher than one pound per week. If one were to lose five pounds in a week, it is likely that a maximum of one of the pounds would be fat and the other four or more would be water loss.

Will I get gas from eating raw foods?

Reports range from no gas, to mild gas, to extreme gas depending upon the individual, as he/she transitions to the raw diet. Initially, gas problems may arise from an impaired digestive tract, which holds foods in little pockets of the intestines, where they may ferment or putrefy and cause gas. Over time, this will stop, as the intestines heal. If the gas has an odor, it is generally from the putrefaction of proteins (cooked food residue); if it is odorless, then it is generally from the fermentation of sugar (overeating or high levels of fat in the blood). Long term gas problems on the raw vegan diet are generally correctable by being conscious of proper food combining, limiting fats and by not eating more in one meal than the body can quickly digest at this phase of transition.

Will I experience detox symptoms eating the raw diet?

Most people experience temporary and generally mild symptoms of detoxification from beginning the raw diet, as the body is no longer being overloaded each day with toxic residue. This is the body being allowed to cleanse and heal itself. The body is wise and will always eliminate toxins in a way that requires the least effort while doing itself the least harm. Detox symptoms that can occur range from tiredness, runny nose, digestive challenges and skin conditions to retracing phenomena, weight loss, drops in blood pressure and other signs that the body is making a healthy adjustment. Each person is unique; therefore, the duration of significant detoxification will vary, based upon health, vitality and environment and the degree of commitment to a healthy lifestyle. It can last from days to years. We must also remember that we are in a constant state of toxifying and detoxifying. We absorb environmental toxins, and the body works to eliminate them. We ingest foods, even the best sort, and the body creates metabolic toxins as a result of its cellular metabolism. Not to worry, however, because we are equipped with an entire eliminative system, composed of kidneys, a liver, lungs, bowels and the skin, to rid ourselves of these toxins.

Are some foods better for you than others (healing foods)?

It is important to understand that foods don't heal us; the body does all the healing. Foods, cooked or raw, simply supply the materials the body uses in its various functions. However, low fat raw vegan foods provide the widest range of high quality materials and are, therefore, more likely to have the perfect proportion of raw materials needed by the body for healing. Beyond that, no specific raw food is better for "healing" than any other. Each supplies a form of raw material that the body may need and use. Unlike cooked foods, raw foods do this without leaving a toxic residue that can overwhelm the body's ability to maintain a healthy, balanced state.