to gradually prepare you for the 100 percent raw and living foods weeks. Week two of the program eliminates all cooked foods to incorporate strictly fresh fruits and vegetables. The Gentle Option is for those who wish to eat one type of steamed veggies with the evening raw meal. Keep in mind that your body will not detoxify as thoroughly when eating cooked foods. The third week moves into 100 percent living foods packed with powerful healing properties. The final week will challenge you with three days of consuming only blended foods that are easily digested and assimilated by your body. You will then gradually ease off the program with three days of living foods.
To optimize your cleanse, it is recommended you receive a series of three (or more) colonics during the program. For best results, schedule one colonic (see Colonic irrigation ) at the start of the program, one during the middle, and one at the end. During my cleanses, I always make sure to have at least two colonics every week to help eliminate mucus and toxins from my body. This can become expensive, so if it is not feasible, taking enemas (see Enemas) will suffice.
It is essential to drink plenty of pure water throughout the program to help flush out the kidneys, detoxify the tissues, purify the blood, and rehydrate the cells. Tea, juice, smoothies, and soups do not count as water!
Keep track of your progress in a journal to explore your thoughts and feelings, and to help you be aware of the changes that you’re experiencing. It is easy to forget where you have come from, and this is an excellent method of charting your progress over the course of the program.
Appendix 1 is rich with tasty and easy-to-prepare recipes to help you throughout this program. Be sure to experiment, vary your greens, and try out as many different recipes as you can!
Cleansing reactions
Cleansing reactions or “healing crises” (also known as Herxheimer reaction) occur when accumulated toxins break down and are released into the bloodstream. Toxins often leave the tissues faster than the body can eliminate them through its various systems, and this is when a cleansing reaction occurs. Detox symptoms are an indication that toxic substances are circulating in the bloodstream. The more toxins you are eliminating, the more severe the reactions are, as toxins are being released. This is a natural occurrence and essential for healing. It is important to understand that detoxification symptoms are the same as those of toxin accumulation. Toxins poison the body twice: going in as well as out!
You may feel ill; however, this will pass and you will feel much better once the toxins have been eliminated. It isn’t always a comfortable process, and detoxification doesn’t occur overnight, but if you remain on the program, cleansing reactions will become fewer and milder.
During the program (and especially during the first few days) you may experience some of the symptoms listed below. In fact, you may temporarily feel worse than you did before starting your cleanse. Try to see this as a good sign—and please be patient. Remember, we are carrying a lifetime of accumulated poisons in our bodies, and cleansing does not occur instantaneously.
As toxins are released, you may experience the following symptoms:
• headaches
• fevers and/or colds
• nausea
• coated tongue
• skin eruptions
• tiredness
• muscle aches
• lack of concentration
• weakness or dizziness
• mucus or other discharge
• short intervals of diarrhea
• constipation
• bloating
• frequent urination
• sugar cravings
• mood swings
• nervousness and irritability
• depression and negativity
• emotional upheaval
Symptoms shouldn’t be suppressed with pain killers or antibiotics as this counteracts your body’s natural cleansing process and compromises the immune system. If you regularly consume pain killers or digestive aids, stop taking them during the cleanse. These are the kinds of toxins that you want to remove from your system during a detox program, not put in. Detoxification allows healing, and this often takes time.
To help release these toxins, keep your system well-hydrated, drinking plenty of water throughout the day. To slow down severe cleansing reactions at any time during the program, you may eat a small bowl of lightly steamed mono (only one type of) vegetables.
Steamed vegetables will increase the workload required for digestion, assimilation, and elimination, and because they are cooked, the nutrient value is decreased.
Toxic emotions
Often, when toxins are being eliminated from your system, old and deeply suppressed emotions and unpleasant memories may surface. Most of us don’t want to feel these negative emotions, so we may respond to these feelings by avoiding them, ignoring them, pretending they don’t exist, or stuffing them back down with food. However, just like toxic food, negative emotions can make us ill.
When feelings are denied or suppressed, they become stored at the cellular level. This creates blockages and can often affect our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. Emotions such as anger, depression, or fear can also affect the nervous system’s chemistry and weaken the immune system. Accumulated emotions in the body can build and manifest into the physical, leading to an acidic body, anxiety, heart disease, liver or lung trouble, and sometimes even cancer.
In order for the body to detoxify at its potential, we must also detoxify our emotional toxins. If you are holding onto anger, fear, resentment, or other negative or traumatic emotions, your detox process will fall short of its potential, no matter how raw you are. Releasing old, pent-up emotions is essential for the cleansing process—and for our wellness in general. It also gives us the opportunity for personal growth and can bring more joy into our life.
Resolving past issues can be challenging, especially when the problem is a longstanding one. The results, however, are worth the effort. Use this opportunity to write in your journal. As emotions arise, try to relax, observe, and identify the feelings. Allow yourself to feel these emotions. Be patient, acknowledge and forgive, and simply let it go.
Essential elements of the SimplyRaw program
The Living Foods Lifestyle (LFL) is a natural health program developed by Dr Ann Wigmore specifically for rebuilding and maintaining health. The LFL Program promotes total rejuvenation of the body and mind. It is a holistic approach to life. Dr Wigmore believed that there are no incurable diseases if one lives in harmony with nature. Her thirty-five years of research indicates that disease is a result of toxicity and deficiency caused by excessive cooked and processed foods, drugs, pollutants, and negative attitudes.
Living foods are provided by nature, organically grown, and consumed in their original, uncooked state. They are the most nutritious of all raw plant foods. Living foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains, all prepared for optimal digestion by sprouting, blending, and fermenting. When eaten daily, these high-enzyme and oxygen-rich foods provide the body with life-giving, easy-to-digest nourishment. The chlorophyll content of Energy Soup, wheatgrass, salad greens, and sprouts helps restore and strengthen a weakened immune system. These nutrient-dense foods combat deficiencies and address problems of toxicity. When the body isn’t using all its energy to digest food, it can focus its resources on other tasks, such as releasing stored toxins and healing.
Ann Wigmore (1909–1994)
Born in Lithuania, Ann Wigmore was a holistic health practitioner, nutritionist, teacher, author, whole foods advocate, and Living Foods