Clean up and clean out

Gosh starting to eat a high raw food diet in the height of the Norwegian winter did not seem crazy when i started, it seemed like something i just had to do and i didn't think too much about it. The fact is that i just felt i couldn't wait any longer and it just made so much sense to me, to eat things that would energise me and make me sing and zing with life and happiness. In the beginning i felt totally euphoric suddenly having more foods that had life and energy in them and my body just craved more and more and more. I was on an absolute high with the initial cleansing and empowering nature of eating these living foods as they drew out a huge amount from my cells and light seemed to be pouring into the space left behind.

I began to have a huge emotional detox almost straight away, which i actually welcomed despite the difficulties i felt with it, because i felt that i was re experiencing old emotions, illness and patterns of behaviour to finally clear them out for good and i felt so energised anything was worth that. I also felt like i was beginning to finally come into line with what i was meant to be doing in my life, things were opening up in more ways than one and it felt so good. However after about 2 months i began to feel that things were not so good physically as i began to feel heavy and stagnant,  my tummy started to feel rather sore and bloated, i had pain around the liver area and i began to feel rather jangley and as though things were not at all balanced and my skin as ever was showing the detox more than in the beginning.  I began intuitively to back off the greens a little and sought advise from a healer ( mainly for the huge emotional detox and stagnant feelings) who was amazing on every level. She also suggested that i do the same in terms of reducing the greens but to also add some cooked foods like brown rice to slow things down a little as the green and raw foods were releasing a huge amount at cellular level which was then putting a huge strain on my liver and kidneys with this toxic release from the cells, the pushing element had become too strong  My body wasn't able to pull it out of the body fast enough and i needed some support. She also crucially suggested colonics as a way to support this process and to bring my body back into balance. Funnily enough i had actually read quite a lot about this but just thought that i would do it when i had the money, but now i see it is more than nescessary to do it when you start this way of eating and as you go along, infact it is essential. However there is one thing you can do if you feel you can't afford colonics straight away which i  have just read about and that is a colon cleansing powder suggested by The Raw Food World called Colosan http://www.therawfoodworld.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=332 i think this would be good to use to start the process or until you can afford colonics. But i think ultimately that you need to have both. Here is a little of what the Raw Food World says about Colosan:  "Colosan is best taken in conjunction with colon hydrotherapy, yet it is also GREAT on its own for people who REFUSE to do colon hydrotherapy. Colosan works mainly inside the small intestine, which we can't get to with colon hydrotherapy. The acton of the oxygen helps balance fermentation & yeasts. The quick liquifying effects of old impacted matter often create energy shifts & reduction in bloating. If people do the initial suggested 5-day intensive use of Colosan, it frequently encourages them to keep going. "

One article that you might find useful about going raw is Matt Monarchs "How to go Raw?" article January 24, 2008 - http://www.therawfoodworld.com/blog/?p=518  as well as this article also by Matt which goes deeper into the reason for colonics:  "Colon Hydrotherapy 101" January 24, 2008- http://www.therawfoodworld.com/blog/?p=518. Infact if you go to the Raw Food World website http://www.therawfoodworld.com/ there are a whole host of useful and wonderful articles about the raw food lifestyle.

To deal with the emotional detox alongisde the physical i recommend Angela Stokes-Monarchs book "Raw Emotions" which "...goes beyond the physical, to examine the emotional and spiritual factors that contribute to our eating patterns...and gives you PRACTICAL, solid insights into how to create LASTING CHANGE :)


Whatever your current relationship with food looks like, RAW EMOTIONS, has something to offer you.

You'll learn ways to:

• understand YOUR emotional connections with food
• release patterns that no longer serve you
• examine your history with eating AND create your optimal vision for yourself
• re-connect authentically with your emotions
• address cravings and let go of overeating
• choose inspiring activities and resources to keep on track
• find balance in your food choices and lifestyle
• feel more connected, loving and joyful

Combining proven 'self-help' techniques with a raw lifestyle, 'Raw Emotions' contains 60 specific tools and action tips for engaging YOUR transformation.

This truly unique book, based on personal experience and extensive research, is a 'first' in the raw foods movement: an invaluable guide on how to 'dance' with and heal emotions that 'come up' when we change how we eat for our health."

So this new way of eating needs support in more ways than one, but once that is in place you really will be flying! Traditionally cleansing is easier around the spring Equinox ( march 20th 2010) when our bodies are being helped by the natural cycle of life, as new leaves and new life pushes forth and the dead wood falls away. So if you are thinking about trying more raw foods maybe now is a more natural time for it!