Tom DeVito Colon Therapist Owner, Release NYC releasenyc.com

First, I would like to say that it is an honor to have been invited by Natalia to be a guest blogger on her website. I’ve known Natalia for many years and I’m delighted to add my two cents and share my experience with you.

I’ve been involved in the health and detoxification “world” for about fifteen years, and I’ve been a colon therapist for ten of those years. I was under the tutelage of Gil Jacobs and his partner at Chakra 17. Over those years I helped many people on their journey toward health through detoxification.

Two major symptoms prevail as people transition toward the raw-food vegan diet. The first one, which occurs when folks transition too quickly, would be a rapid weight loss and a dramatic loss of strength and energy. This also shows up as a lack of vitality in the eyes and faces of the afflicted. When this happens the person must take a step back and eat some cooked foods to slow down the loosening up of waste in the tissue and bloodstream. Of course, this would be a temporary course of action, which would be followed by more colonics, juicing, and exposure to natural sunlight. Once the person stabilizes, he or she is ready to move on and resume the raw food diet, to the degree that is applicable to the individual’s process. Our age, personal history, and lineage play major roles in how radically and quickly we can move through this transition. Medication and decades of poor diet in our lineage make us move more slowly.

The second situation is one I’ve observed in many people who have been doing this with relative success but seem to have stagnated. This is “the invisible detox wall,” when weight loss has tapered off, skin is no longer clear, etc. It’s like starting a new gym regime, seeing amazing results begin, then slow, then come to a standstill. The first thing we do is talk to our trainer or someone with more experience. The trainer explains that our bodies have become accustomed to the workout and we need to change things up a bit, such as try a different cardio workout or change up the anaerobic exercises we’re doing. The same is true with the diet.

We need to look at the foods that make up our daily meals. Are we eating whole, fresh foods or are we loading up on manmade concoctions? These foods can be very tricky and difficult to digest, depending on how they’re made and who makes them. These foods usually disregard food combining principals, which makes digestion very difficult or nearly impossible. Eating this way will use up our energy in breaking down the foods. And through inefficient digestion, the foods will rot and foul up our inner ecology, leaving us bloated, uncomfortable, and polluted. This gives the body a task that detracts it from its path: DETOXIFICATION! So, the best approach here is to eat as much whole, raw foods as possible, and maybe on the weekends allow ourselves the more indulgent, vegan treats that so many of the great vegan restaurants in Manhattan offer.

What exactly are we talking about? To start with, nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are often overused in a lot of the raw food restaurants. They quite simply slow the process of detoxification down. It’s not that these are poisonous foods, but they are just too dense. Nuts and seeds do not break down easily. As a colon therapist, I always see that nuts and seeds come out similarly to how they look after being chewed. So how does the body derive anything beneficial from them? Consider how much of your diet is composed of nuts and seeds, and if you are eating pounds of this stuff a week you will have difficulty reaching your goals. Nuts and seeds are very difficult to digest.

Let’s look at seeds. Seeds have a protective sheath around them, which is an enzyme inhibitor. Animals eat a plant with seeds and swallow the seeds. When they excrete the waste, the seeds are fertilized and grow. So keep that in mind. Soaking the seeds will remove this sheath. Still, eat small amounts.

Nuts, on the other hand, are a different story. Not only is their high density in the form of fat content problematic, but most are not in their natural state when we consume them. Many have to be heated in order to be extracted from the shells. The heating processes alone render many varieties no longer raw. Almonds exist inside the pit of a fruit and are not the hard brittle nuts we find in the store. So-called “fresh and raw almonds” are really “dried” almonds.

If you’ve hit a brick wall and cannot move on, look at the foods you are eating. If you think you need the nuts and seeds for protein, etc., I offer myself as an example. I’ve been free of nuts and seeds for eight years, and no signs of deficiency here.

Thanks for reading. I hope this provides some insight and helps you on your journey toward becoming “independently healthy.” Remember, this is about simplicity and getting back to basics so we can actually enjoy life! So have a great day and enjoy your amazing journey. Remember, there is no finish line!

Enjoy!

Peace & love,

Tom DeVito, Colon Therapist
Owner, Release NYC
releasenyc.com