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In a message dated 4/2/05 8:29:57 PM, Beth writes:

Hello, Rhio....

I always enjoy reading your perspectives on living foods because you come across as a balanced, level-headed enthusiast who's aware of individual differences, NOT as an agenda-driven zealot with a narrow (but financially-convenient?) POV. In short, I have unusually high regard for your opinion.

So...my question: I have tried a living foods diet many times, only to fail miserably because it left me constipated and at the mercy of an on-again, off-again eating disorder. I am a person with a high Vata quotient and, though I have some weight to lose, my propensity toward Vata vulnerabilities in marked.

Even when I include a lot of warming spices, a lot of greens and fiber-rich foods, a lot of soaked nuts, even when I include raw dairy and marinated seafood, I end up leaving the "diet" in a few days. Constipation and a noticeable drain of energy and mental acuity are pronounced, and I become very anxious and binge-prone.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thank you much....

Beth

Dear Beth,

Thank you for the supportive words.

I am not a practitioner of any kind, so please accept the following only as an exchange of ideas and information.

Since you've tried to convert to a raw diet and lifestyle many times, it seems that you still may not have gotten over the initial "hump." That first hurdle that most of us go through has been unusually difficult for you. My best suggestion is to either get some guidance from a professional healthcare practitioner knowledgeable about the raw food diet, or go for a few weeks to an institute that teaches the lifestyle, such as the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego or the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico or Hippocrates Health Institute in Palm Beach, FL.

Under individual guidance you should be able to work it out. At an institute where everyone is going through the same detox symptoms or similar ones, you will be in the midst of a team that pulls together to get through it. There are no distractions to lead you astray and the correct food is right at hand. In this setting there are other supports too, such as wheatgrass juice, exercise, colonics, fresh air, sunshine and class instruction which facilitates making the change. There is also support from the teachers and staff.

Your complaints in your words, "Constipation and a noticeable drain of energy and mental acuity are pronounced, and I become very anxious and binge-prone," are all symptoms that I have seen people go through at the various institutes that I've attended. Going through detox will bring up all kinds of things... physical, emotional and spiritual... which are not easy to get through alone. Sometimes you need help and support. It may be that when these things come up you get fearful (you said "anxious") and the easiest release at that time is to just go back to what you are used to - your old patterns.

From my own experience and others which I've observed, after that initial rocky period, things do get easier and easier. There may still be some challenges, but they are workable.

As the blood (and tissues) reacquires it's healhy, slightly alkaline condition, disease falls away and you lose your addictions to cooked and processed foods and unhealthy habits and lifestyles.

Many times we need a helping hand to stay the course, and there is nothing wrong with getting the assistance that we need.

Wishing you wisdom and abundant health and joy.

Rhio

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