Is Raw Food Detox An Effective Dieting Option ?
More people than ever are interested in improving their health and in reversing the aging process, in losing weight, in having more energy and improving their overall vitality. One way of accomplishing many of those things is by detoxifying the body, also known as cleansing. A raw food detox is one option for cleansing and those who are advocates of raw food diets say there is no better way to cleanse and purify the system.
A commonly used example about why a raw food detoxification is beneficial can be better understood by looking at a baked potato. A plain baked potato is often recommended with some of the “mainstream” detox programs.
But, when the potato is baked it ends up containing more than 400 chemical components that it did not have when in its raw form. It doesn’t take much to see that this diet detox approach might not be best, since the desired outcome is to eliminate chemicals and toxins from the body as much as possible.
A raw food detox can also be more beneficial than traditional diet detox programs because of how the body responds to cooked foods. Few people understand that when you ingest foods that have been cooked, your body interprets the cooked food as poison and reacts accordingly. White blood cell production is increased and moved into your system to defend your body.
This response is trigged by the immune system and is called leukosytosis. By eating a raw food diet, or by making sure that a minimum of 50% of your meal is comprised of raw foods, you can stop this reaction. This is another strong reason why a detox comprised of raw foods will be more beneficial overall than a detox diet that is based on cooked foods.
A true raw food detox means that 100% of the foods you eat are in their raw and uncooked state. Many people find this difficult to maintain for long periods of time, because of social situations, family and peer pressure, or simply the inconvenience. However, most people can successfully get through a detox period of anywhere from one to three weeks and stick to the 100% living raw diet.
After a few weeks, some people decide that they love the way the feel and decide they are able to go raw 100% for good. Others will take a more moderate approach at the end of their diet detox period and scale back somewhat, eating 70% to 95% of their food raw and making allowances for some deviations. Advocates of the living foods lifestyle say that keeping your intake of raw foods at 50% or above can still deliver significant health benefits.
Some of the common benefits of the raw food detox and subsequent raw food lifestyle are lowered cholesterol, lowered blood pressure, improved sleep patterns, more energy, weight loss and a reduction in the percentage of body fat. In addition, some people report that allergies cleared up and symptoms of depression were alleviated, as well as many other health and mental improvements.
Mike Selvon has some great raw food articles for the hobbist, where you can find out more tips on raw food detox. We appreciate your feedback at our nutrition/a> blog.
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Feeling Sluggish? What’s The Best Natural Method To Detox Or Cleanse The Body For A Real Pick–Me-Up?
I would hazard to guess that the majority of the population feels somewhat sluggish on a regular basis. If one goes through this condition for a long time, it may begin to feel like this has become a normal situation for you and you become used to it. But not finding the underlying cause and treatment can be a hazard to your health.
If you are feeling sluggish then it is a warning sign that something is not right and an immediate investigation as to the cause is in order. There can be many different reasons for this condition.
Here are some of the causes of sluggishness:
1) Diet is of great importance. With all the pesticides and chemicals in our food today and nutrient deficient soil, it can be difficult to get the nutrients we need to live a healthy life. It is possible to regain good health by changing your diet to eating organic foods that include eating more raw fruits and vegetables and less cooked food and sugar products. You may want to consider good supplements to obtain nutrients you might not otherwise get. You may argue that organic food is so expensive, but consider this; you may save a few bucks on cheaper packaged food that may be loaded with preservatives, nitrates etc., but what is your health worth? How long do you expect your body to function correctly if you put degraded fuel into it? You’ve seen what it can do to a car. It is also so with your body. If you take a close look at healthy looking celebrities that are trim and fit, they have a secret you don’t. Being that their income is dependent on their personality and good looks they are forced to forgo the usual diets of the average American. They work out, eat smaller portions and include a lot more raw foods, plus they drink a lot of water and this brings up the next subject.
2) Dehydration! About 80% of Americans are semi dehydrated and don’t even know it. Without this precious liquid, our bodies (which are 2/3rds water) cannot function right. Dehydration alone can make you sluggish. If you are dehydrated, that means that the water level in your body is below normal for proper function. The handling for this is to increase your fluid intake. The best is just pure water, about 8 cups per day. If drinking that much water seems too difficult you can up your water intake with green or herbal teas. These teas have a beneficial effect in that as well as increased water in-take, they also provide anti-oxidents which help your immune system. So drink up and feel better.
3) Through poor diet, lack of exercise, viruses, bacteria and parasites, digestive problems can occur. Here we have a whole host of problems to deal with. If your body is toxic then your liver and kidneys may be on overload. You can handle a lot of this with a liver and kidney cleanse.
Parasites are generally not talked about but may be a bigger problem then previously realized. Parasites can reside in any major organ of the body and cause more problems than just sluggishness. Handle parasite infestation first, possibly using a herbal solution found at your local health food store, followed by a kidney cleanse, and then a liver and colon cleanse. This is a course recommended by Dr Hulda Clark. There are many different cleanses you can do and to find the one that is right for you, go online and type in liver or kidney cleanse and carefully check out what is right for you.
4) Other ways to detoxify are fasting and ******. Fasting is a centuries old natural healing technique that works very well when done properly. Coffee or lemon ****** are great for cleaning out the colon from old and impacted *****. Certain herbs can also be helpful in cleansing the colon such as cascara sagrada (in moderation), aloe vera, flaxseed and red raspberry. Get plenty of fiber (with lots of water). This helps to keep you regular. An over toxic colon can eventually put impurities into the bloodstream and this will definitely make you feel sluggish.
5) There has been a lot of controversy over the years about too much mercury in your teeth. A dentist once told me that if you look inside your mouth, the fillings that you have may look smooth on the outside but if you could look on the underside of the filling it is quite a different story. It looks very jagged and the metals may be leaking into your system. Mercury in the system is the most toxic non-radioactive metal in the body and about half of the silver fillings are mercury. A variety of heath problems can occur such as brain, kidney and lung damage and has even been linked to autism. You can be tested for metal toxicity through hair and urine analysis. If you test positive, you may want to consider having them removed and replaced with gold fillings. Even after replacement though it can take the body months to excrete these toxins. Do your research and find a dentist with an excellent reputation who has done replacement fillings. (For an interesting tidbit, a friend told me his mother had suffered headaches for 20 years and after having all the fillings replaced, she no longer had headaches).
6) A relatively new technology has come out for detoxing the body and that is with an ionic footbath. You place your feet into a tub of warm water with a bit of sea salt in it. The ionic footbaths work by sending a small current that goes in a circuit through the body and generates positively charged ions. The high concentration of the ion field attaches to the negatively charged toxins neutralizing them and the body is then able to discard them through the approximate 2000 pores that are on the bottom of your feet. You can then experience the correct acid-alkaline ph balance as nature intended. It’s painless and takes about 30 minutes. The water will change color according to the toxicity of the body and also by how hard or soft the water is where ever you are geographically. Black or brown water is the liver detoxing, Orange; the joints, Dark green; the gallbladder, Yellowy green; kidneys, urinary tract, White foam; Lymph nodes draining Red flecks; blood clot material, Black flecks; heavy metals. Independent studies have been done that show the levels of mucus, heavy metals and fat in the water after 30 minutes.
As you can see there are many things you can do to help take away that sluggish and fatigued feeling. But as always, consult your health care practitioner before doing any detoxification program.
“Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
Willie is a freelance writer, researcher and artist who is dedicated to placing health related issues into the hands of the public. www.Detox4Vitality.com
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