Day 16: A Transition Respite

Today, day 16 of my Raw Food Challenge, feels quite the opposite of recent craving and headache-filled days. I sprung out of bed this morning and the bounce in my step has yet to fade. I was salivating at the thought of a green juice quenching every cell in my body. All is as it should be. 

Much to my raw-palate distaste, however, this pleasant state of vibrancy is most likely transient, seeing as symptoms from transitioning to a raw diet can last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks.¹ This depends, of course, on where you're coming from. Based on my relatively healthful upbringing and general avoidance of sugary or processed foods I'm guessing I'm somewhere in the middle.²

Wherever I fall on the detox spectrum, symptoms won't subside until my body is finished "cleaning house." This is the fascinating part about raw food. Since the body won't be doing the hard work of digesting cooked food³ it will turn it's resources toward cleaning up cells inside and out, replacing old or harmful cells (such as tumor cells, which we all have in varying numbers⁴) with brand new cells.⁵ 

Herein lies the crux of my motivation -- the body's awesome ability to improve, heal, and maintain itself when offered the foods for which it was built. Whenever I have doubtful thoughts that eating raw for one year is ridiculous, extreme, or impossible, I imagine a life less prone to illness, boundless energy, glowing skin, and mental clarity. Motivating, indeed.

I am doing several things to help along the cleansing process:

• Drinking teas and juices that aid the liver and kidneys in cleaning out dirty cells in the bloodstream
• Dry brushing the skin to help the release of toxins through the pores
• Practicing yoga to increase the flow of blood to the organs (any upside down pose will do)
• Taking lots of deep breaths to cleanse the lungs and deliver more oxygen to the blood (especially when those irritability symptoms arise). 
• Most important, sticking with my raw food diet, since eating any cooked food will stop the process it its tracks!

I get a great sense of satisfaction from doing just any one of these catalytic acts, knowing that I'm helping a great cause: my own well-being. 

Today is a beautiful day and I'm committing my present vibrant state to memory. If another headache or craving pops up I'll think of today and remember I'm laying down the foundation for a lifetime of days like these.

1 http://www.fitonraw.com/2009/11/beware-the-dreaded-diet-detox/

2  Natalia Rose created a survey that assesses where one falls on the detox spectrum. It's   found in her book The Raw Food Detox Diet.

3  http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/enzymes.htm

4  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQaN_7xlEA

5  http://rawglow.com/detoxification.htm