If This Diet Is So Healthy, Why Do I Feel So Sick?

If a person truly wants to improve health and rid himself or herself of chronic
complaints, it is necessary to recuperate and detoxify. To heal and detoxify, a
natural-food, plant-based diet must be followed because natural plant foods not
only supply the body with essential nutritive elements needed for optimal
function, but also are easy on our organs of digestion and elimination. This diet
often does not make a person feel better immediately. Sometimes people
initially feel worse when they make positive changes to improve their health.

Before the dietary changes, the digestive tract becomes adjusted to a drier,
low-fiber, high-salt diet. After making large changes in one's eating habits, it
can take time for the peristaltic waves to adjust themselves to the heavier,
higher-fiber, higher-water content stool, which requires less internal pressure
to move along. This may temporarily cause some increased gas and diarrhea,
which will improve with time.

Withdrawal symptoms from a prior unhealthy diet arc common. Fatigue,
headaches, diarrhea, coated tongue, or even a skin rash may occur or intensify
at first. These symptoms reflect detoxification and rarely last longer than two
weeks.

Occasionally individuals misinterpret detoxification symptoms and think the
diet is not working for them, or is lacking in some essential element.
Sometimes because they are so misinformed by other physicians, they believe
these symptoms to be hypoglycemia or a yeast overgrowth on their tongue.
Invariably, though, when they persevere, they soon report that their troubling
symptoms have resolved, they feel more energetic, have no more indigestion,
and feel and look better than ever before.