To better understand what follows, I suggest you read beforehand: ” Eating Live?” and ” What is Hygienism?“.

In our current society, there is no one who eats 100% plant-based and live because we are all led, even if only occasionally and in small quantities, to consume cooked or heated foods at some point or another. This is inevitable because live food is not yet widespread enough for us to nourish ourselves as we wish whenever we are away from home. Even without that, some foods sold as “raw” are not. However, when I am questioned on the subject, I take the shortcut of claiming that I eat exclusively plant-based and live because my exceptions in this matter are rare and in small quantities.

That said,  it is possible for some people to reach a balance where they do not crave anything other than raw fruits and vegetables.  Mental strength does not come into play here; it becomes natural because it corresponds to an optimum of pleasure and well-being. This may seem surprising at first, but the best proof of this assertion is to observe that  once the body is accustomed to eating live in large proportions: cooked food, and even more so industrial food, becomes significantly less appealing when it does not provoke disgust. To achieve this result,  we have two decisive tools: naturopathic detox techniques and the CRUsine  (which is done with a blender, a food processor, and a dehydrator) that allows us to recreate all the flavors and textures of traditional cooking, making any potential frustration forgotten. These two tools can be used for several years before the body settles for raw or minimally mixed foods.

The motivations

At the starting point, there is dissatisfaction  (weight issues, fatigue, decreased sports performance, etc.),  an illness, a mystical experience  (spontaneous fasting, a vision, a dream, etc.),  or an awareness  (ethical, ecological, the suffering of a loved one, etc.).  It is this need to give meaning, without playing the victim, to the situations we live or go through that leads us to change our beliefs to adopt others that will make us happier, as they are closer to our reality. We then seek information on another way of eating: we surf the internet, read, and discuss the subject with experienced or inexperienced people. And there, we quickly realize that  existing diets are varied and often contradictory. 

To better understand these apparent contradictions between different approaches, it is important to present some notions of physiology : The human body is composed of about 40 liters of lymph  (read the definition on Wikipedia)  of which 5 liters is called “circulating” lymph because it circulates throughout the body with the role of cleaning it of toxins. Due to decades, for most of us, of traditional eating,  the lymphatic fluids in which our cells bathe are saturated with toxins and our immune system, whose role is to clean these fluids and our cells, is overwhelmed.  Animal products consumed in excess as well as all cooked foods tend to weaken the immune system and clog the body.  When we start eating plant-based and live in large proportions, the immune system is boosted and a major cleaning begins. A cleaning that, over several years, will load the circulating lymph faster than it can eliminate waste through the emunctories (liver, kidneys, intestines)  because these are most often weakened by several decades of non-physiological eating that produces waste. Hence the appearance of elimination crises and  the need to relieve the body with practices that help lymph to circulate (sports, movements, massage, etc.) and naturopathic detox techniques that will greatly facilitate evacuations.  Otherwise, cravings for non-physiological food will loop, sometimes obsessively.  

The difficulties

The difficulties in giving up cooked or animal-derived foods are mainly related to the symptoms of withdrawal and detoxification of the body. It has even been known for a short time that the lymphatic system passes through the brain, which is one reason, among others, why our food cravings and moods are influenced by the toxic load of the entire body.  The same goes for the nature of our gut microbiota composed of 10 trillion bacteria and viruses (it’s no coincidence that the intestines are nicknamed the second brain) which influences our food cravings and has a direct impact on our health.  

On the other hand, what is rarely discussed, and which I consider a major difficulty, are the energetic and emotional changes brought about by living nutrition.  Everything in LIFE is Vibration, Information, and Energy, which is why  changing (sometimes radically) one’s diet has repercussions on all levels of our being.  This plant life that we ingest strongly disrupts our energetic structure (made up of our beliefs, emotional state, thought patterns, etc.) and  it may simply be that we are not ready to experience too radical changes, or that it is not the right time!   

The subtle art of managing detox

Faced with these uncontrolled and endured detoxes (physical, emotional, and energetic), some come to think that we need cooked food or animal products to be in shape when in reality it may simply be that our bodies (physical, emotional, and energetic) are not ready to welcome and live this transformation with serenity.  Hence the necessity to reconnect with one’s feelings and assess what is right for oneself without strictly following recommendations. That said, I believe it will be beneficial in most cases to introduce (gradually) at least 50% raw plant-based food. Then, depending on the results, feelings, and cravings, it will be up to each individual to find to what extent they introduce live food into their daily life. 

For all these reasons, the transition to a plant-based and live diet allows for the evolution of our entire being: the body of course, but also the mind, the emotional, and the energetic. In addition to resolving certain dysfunctions in the body, live food can also accelerate our personal development or advance it where it was blocked, that is certainly the experience I have had. Besides the allergies to pollen and cat hair that have ceased, my eyes have recovered enough for me to do without glasses: a symbolic improvement that makes me say today that I see more clearly in my life!

The objective

This is where I wanted to go with this article: the  food transition is not an end in itself, it is only the beginning of an exciting adventure that, in many cases, leads to a better understanding of oneself… So ready for the journey?