The Healing Crisis

So, you've decided to eat right and it's working! The weird thing about cleaning up your body is that the adjustment time can be uncomfortable. Hopefully you are fierce and will push through knowing that if your body is screaming then something good is happening. Here is some down and dirty info on detox.

Caffeine detox - Getting off caffeine is amazing for your body. Caffeine accelerates the growth of tumors. I have a friend who decreased the mass in her breast 80% by getting off caffeine 6 weeks before surgery to remove the tumor. That said, the detox can be rough. At best you will be sleepy and cranky, at worst you won't be able to keep your eyes open for a month. It all depends on how much caffeine you have consumed. If you are sleepy, sleep. If you are sleepy and unable to take the time to lay down, drink distilled water. It is the weirdest "high" you have ever heard of but hydrating your innards gives you an abundance of energy. There are some people who can ease themselves off caffeine gradually by limiting themselves to one cup of coffee in the morning and then after one month, take themselves off coffee/caffeine entirely. God bless'em. If you are an all or nothing person, do it once for all time and do it right! Go for it. You cannot believe the kind of deep sleep that is possible (and the resulting cleansing) when your body is rid of caffeine.

Junk Food - So you started cooking whole foods for yourself. You've even mastered the trick of making "junk food" at home: whole grain non-dairy pizza, "fried" Brussels sprouts. You are a goddess! But you might not be feeling like the champion you are. You might have headaches, diarrhea, constipation, sleeplessness, skin breakouts or even something that feels like the flu. Stay the course. That just means you are on the right track. It will take 10 days to flush your small intestine and up to 30 days to flush your large intestine. Be diligent about staying away from white flour and white sugar. This too shall pass.

Blood-Type Foods - Some of you are "eating right for your blood-type". This can be the oddest detox. When I eliminated corn, avocados, black beans and tomatoes from my daily diet (they're OK for blood type B if eaten once a week) I had a case of what appeared to be gout. I had excess uric acid in my kidneys that manifested itself in razor sharp pains in my right big toe. It was simultaneously fascinating and debilitating. I placed a raw potato in my sock and the pain numbed to a gentle throb for the next 24 hours. I was walking normally again the next day. My kidneys were spewing out uric acid stored from years of eating wrong for my blood type even though I was eating vegan.

Meat - Getting "off" meat can change your body within 3 days. Meat binds muscle. After 3 days without meat, muscles will relax due to the release of toxins and acids. No night cramps or charlie horses, no tight Achilles tendon, no TMJ, no night sweats. When you are off animal protein for 7 days, you sleep deeper and your breath is sweeter. Sweats do not contain as much salt and therefore stink - perhaps none. After a month, ground beef smells like cow dung when cooked. It is strange but, the less animal flesh you have in your system, the more offensive the smell of animal flesh becomes. You will drop weight quickly (perhaps too quickly) and your body will have better muscle tone (sans exercise). Your body will become light and lithe.

Sugar - Sugar detox comes with headaches, mind games, irritability and sleepiness. Thankfully, this is the easiest fastest substance to glean from your system due to it's fast transit time. Substitute 100% raw maple syrup, local honey and stevia. But don't get crazy with the sugar substitutes. Just use them to transition. God intended for you to have a sweet tooth - breast milk tastes sweet! But use fruit as your sugar fix - fruit is God's candy.

Bread - Getting off wheat/gluten is, in my opinion, the most important thing you can do for your health. Your body will thank you a million ways: you will lose weight fast, you will poop 3-4 times a day, you will stop having allergy symptoms, you will stop getting your "annual" cold/sinus infection, you will have spectacular energy, you will be reducing your preservative intake by 90%!!! The benefits are worth all the pain of detox. That said, the pain of abstaining from all flour products is actually not physical so much as social - it will be really difficult to find something to eat in a restaurant or at your friend's home. Therefore, start at the grocery store with a very detailed list. Try to stay away from the packaged "gluten-free" food because packaged foods contain preservatives. Learn to eat off the "side items" menu. Sweet potato fries, red pepper olive oil and steamed spinach at Cafe Express. Loads of salad and grilled veggies when at home.

"The discharges from healing reactions involve several
common types of excesses and toxins; each has specific remedies.
Chlorophyll foods and others which counteract toxins are very helpful general
remedies, especially when coupled with a grain-and-vegetable diet that includes
seaweeds and enzyme-rich products such as sprouts and miso. Sufficient
regular exercise is essential for processing and "burning up" excesses.
When reactions and discharges are especially severe or numerous, it may mean
that the pace of dietary change is too fast.
In some cases, strong reactions will be difficult to
avoid, regardless. Also, chronically ill people will often (wisely)
venture into a more healthful dietary plan, and it is their disease symptoms
rather than their healing reactions that must first be overcome."

Healing With Whole Foods
Paul Pitchford