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Symptoms to Expect When You Improve Your Diet

Chiropractor and Natural Hygienist, Dr. Stanley S. Bass lives and
practices in Brooklyn. Though semi-retired, Dr. Bass continues to consult
via telephone. A frequent contributor to alternative health publications,
Dr. Bass in the following article tells you what you can expect to
experience when you move away from the Standard American Diet (SAD) and
move towards a healthier food intake.
You can contact Dr. Bass at

Dr. Stanley S. Bass
3119 Coney Island Ave.
Corner Oceanview Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 648-1500

Symptoms to Expect When You Improve Your Diet by Dr. Stanley S. Bass

If I were asked which is the area of greatest misunderstanding and
confusion in the field of nutrition, I would immediately be forced to
reply that it is the failure to properly understand and interpret the
symptoms and changes which follow the beginning of a better nutritional
program.

What is meant by a better nutritional program? It is the introduction of
foods of higher quality in place of lower quality ones. For example, if a
person replaces a protein rich food such as pork with beef, the beef may
be considered the superior of the two due to its easier digestibility,
lower and less saturated fat content, etc.; chicken is superior to beef
and fish is superior to chicken because of its more rapid digestibility
and lower saturated fat content. Lima beans, lentils, or chick peas,
which are eaten at the same meal with vegetables are superior in all the
nutrients needed to rebuild health. As we go higher on the scale of
quality, we begin to include protein rich food which may be eaten in the
unfired state, such as cheese which is made from raw milk and unsalted.
Then we ascend to the nuts and seeds which are eaten in the natural state
(raw and unsalted). To summarize: the closer the food comes to the
natural state in which it occurs, or the closer to its raw, unfired form,
the higher its quality. In this condition, all the enzymes are found
intact. The amino acids are in their finest form. The minerals, vitamins,
trace elements, carbohydrates, and "life force" are present. The life
force, in turn, is capable of reproducing healthy tissue.

This same classification of quality which we analyzed in relation to
protein rich foods applies to the carbohydrates (the starch and
sugar-rich foods), the fats, and the mineral-rich foods.

The quality of a nutritional program is also improved by omitting toxic
substances such as coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, salt, pepper, etc.
from your diet.

What is the relation of quality of foods to recovery from illness? It is
this in a nutshell: The higher the quality of food we eat, the quicker we
recover from disease, provided we are able to digest and assimilate
properly.

To this must be added the knowledge of (a) proper food combining; (b)
proper order of eating the different kinds of food at a meal, e.g., the
most easily digested food should be eaten first, the more complex one
second, and the most concentrated item last; (c) the correct quantity of
food to be consumed (of each type) in the meal; and (d) the correct time
for eating (when hungry and not by the clock).

Now, what happens when a person follows these rules and makes a decided
improvement in the quality of food consumed? Remarkable things begin to
happen to the body as well as the mind. The amazing intelligence present
in every cell of the body and the wisdom of the body in its operation
immediately becomes manifest. The rule may be stated thusly: When the
quality of the food coming into the body is of higher quality than the
tissues which the body is made of, the body begins to discard the lower
grade materials and tissues to make room for the superior materials which
it uses to make new and healthier tissue.

This is the plan of Nature-the body is very selective and always tries to
produce health and always will, unless our interference is too great.
Only then do we fail to recover and degenerate further into disease. The
self-curing nature of many conditions such as colds, fevers, cuts,
swellings, injuries, etc., furnishes endless examples of how the body
tends towards health--always--unless we do something to stop the process.

What are the symptoms or signs which become evident when we first begin
to omit the lower grade foods and instead introduce superior foods--those
which are most alive, more natural than we are accustomed to? When the
use of toxic stimulants such as coffee, tea, chocolate, or cocoa is
suddenly stopped, headaches are common and a letdown occurs. This is due
to the discard by the body of the toxins called caffeine and theobromine
which are removed from the tissues and transported through the
bloodstream during its many bodily rounds. Before the noxious agents
reach their final destination for elimination, these irritants register
in our consciousness as pain--in other words, headache. The letdown is
due to the slower action of the heart--the resting phase which follows
the stimulation of more rapid heart beat forced upon the body by certain
poisons called stimulants. The more rapid heart beat (or pulse) produces
a feeling of exhilaration, and the slower action produces a depressed
state of mind. Usually, within three days, the symptoms vanish and we
feel stronger due to the recuperation which follows.

To a lesser extent, the same process occurs when we abandon lower quality
foods and replace them with better foods. Lower quality foods have
undergone more preparation. Spices, salt, and other ingredients have been
added, as they tend to be more stimulating than less prepared and more
natural foods. Animal foods such as meat, fowl, fish, etc. are more
stimulating than cheese, nuts, and vegetable proteins. Consequently, the
withdrawal of stimulation which follows the abandonment of animal food
produces a slower heart action--a resting phase--which registers in the
mind as relaxation or a decrease of energy. This initial letdown lasts
about ten days or slightly longer and is followed by an increase of
strength, a feeling of diminishing stress and greater well-being.

Now let us return to the symptoms which occur in the process of
regeneration. The person who starts a better diet, stays on it for three
days to a week, and then quits will say, "Oh, I felt better on the old
diet--the new one makes me feel weak." He failed because he didn't give
his body a chance to adjust and complete its first phase of
action--recuperation. If he had waited a while longer, he would have
begun to feel better than before he started.

During the initial stage (lasting about ten days on the average to
several weeks in others), the vital energies which are usually in the
periphery or external part of the body such as the muscles and skin,
begin to move to the vital internal organs and start reconstruction. This
shunting of much of the power to the internal region produces a feeling
of less energy in the muscles, which the mind interprets as some
weakness. Actually, the power is increased, but most of it is being used
for rebuilding the more important organs and less of it is available for
muscular work. Any weakness which is felt here is not true weakness, but
merely a redeploying of forces to the more important internal parts. Here
it is important for the person to stop wasting energy, and to rest and
sleep more. This is a crucial phase, and if the person resorts to
stimulants of any kind, he will abort and defeat the regenerative intent
of the body. It is important that he have patience and faith and just
wait it out, and after a while he will get increasing strength which will
exceed by far what he felt before he began the new program. Success in
recovery or improvement of health hinges upon the correct understanding
of this point--realizing that the body is using its main energies in more
important internal work and not wasting it in external work involving
muscle movements. Be wise, take it easy here, and relax. Just coast in
your work and social obligations until you're out of the woods.

Retracing
As one continues on the improvaed diet and gradually raises the food
quality, interesting symptoms being to appear. The body begins a process
called retracing. It says to itself, "Now we have a chance to get rid of
this old garbage and build a beautiful new house. Let's get started
immediately. Let's get this excess bile out of the liver and gall bladder
and send it to the intestines for elimination. Let's get the sludge
moving out of the arteries, veins, and capillaries. These smelly, gassy,
brain-stupefying masses have been here too long--out with them! These
arthritic deposits in the joints need cleaning up. Let's get these
irritating food preservatives, aspirins, sleeping pills, and drugs out of
the way, along with these other masses of fat which have made life so
burdensome for us for so long. Let's get going till the job is down--till
we have a beautiful house--and from there on we'll keep it a beautiful
ideal model house."

During the first phase (called catabolism), the accent is on elimination,
or breaking down of tissue. The body begins to clean house--in short, to
remove the garbage deposited in all the tissues--everywhere. During this
period, the body removes the ashes from the furnace preparatorya to
getting a better fire. Here the accentuation is on removal of the gross
and immediate body obstructions. Wastes are discarded more rapidly than
new tissue is made from the new food. This becomes evident as weight
loss. This persists for a while and is then followed by the second
phase--called stabilization.

Here, the weight remains more or less stable. During this phase, the
amount of waste material being discarded daily is equal to the amount of
tissue which is being formed and replaced by the newer, more vital food.
This occurs after the excess of obstructing material in the tissues has
been removed. This state persists for a while and is then followed by a
third phase--a build-up period called anabolism, wherein weight starts to
go up, even though the diet is lower in calories than it was before. At
this point, much or more of the interfering wastes have already been
discarded--the tissues which have been formed since the diet was raised
in quality are more durable and do not break down easily. Also, new
tissues are now being formed faster. This is due to the improved
assimilation made possible by the ceasing of wrong food combining. The
body's need for the usual amounts of food decreases, and we are able to
maintain our weight and increased energies with less food. Many are able
to function very efficiently on two meals a day. As the body
progressively increases in efficiency and decreases in tissue breakdown
under exercise, so do we gradually need less and less food to maintain
life. The higher the percentage of raw food one lives on, the slower the
rate of tissue deterioration which one evolves into. A sick body requires
a gradual, carefully worked-out entry into this stage, where one is able
to live on a 100% unfired (raw) diet, if desired.

Returning to the symptoms which occur on a superior nutritional program,
people who have had tendencies in the past to recurring skin rashes or
eruptions will frequently tend to eliminate poisons and harmful drugs
through the skin with new rashes or eruptions. If they go to a doctor now
who is not familiar with this aspect of nutrition, he will diagnose it as
an allergy.

They ask, "How come? I'm eating better now than I ever did before, and
instead I'm getting worse." They don't understand that the body is
retracing.

The skin is getting more alive and active. It's throwing out more poisons
more rapidly now that the body is building more power which is saved from
those hard-to-ingest meals which have been discontinued. These toxins
being discarded are saving you from more serious disease which will
result if you keep them in your body too much longer--possibly hepatitis,
kidney disorders, blood disease, heart disease, arthritis, nerve
degenerations or even cancer--depending upon your hereditary or
structural weaknesses. Be happy you're paying your bills now in an
easy-payment plan.

With some, colds which haven't appeared for a long time may occur, or
even fevers. This is nature's way of housecleaning. Understand that these
actions are constructive, even though unpleasant at the moment. Don't,
but don't, try to stop these symptoms by the use of certain drugs, or
even massive doses of vitamins which will act as drugs in huge
concentrations. These symptoms are part of a curing process, and don't
try to cure a cure. These are not deficiency conditions or allergic
manifestations--not if you're eating properly in quality, quantity,
combination and sequence. Here is where experienced advice is a great
value. Unfortunately, there are few good books present today which give
full guidance to the average reader. Try to find guidance through a
doctor or teacher who has the requisite experience in this most confusing
of all subjects--nutrition in relation to health and disease.

You may be eating perfectly in regard to quantity, quality, and observing
all the correct rules, and still symptoms will occur. Those who have
lived better lives in the past--who have eaten better foods and who have
abused their bodies less with over-eating will have reactions ranging
from almost none at all or very mild symptoms which may be uncomfortable
or acute. Those who have lived worse lives and poisoned themselves more
will experience more severe symptoms if their liver, kidneys, or other
important eliminating organs have been damaged. When they have been
renovated to the point of fair working order, they will no longer produce
symptoms.

Headaches may occur at the beginning; fever and/or colds may also appear;
the skin may break out; there may be a short interval of bowel
sluggishness, occasional diarrhea, feelings of tiredness and weakness,
disinclination to exercise, nervousness, irritability, negativity or
mental depression, frequent urination, etc. However, the great majority
of people find their reactions tolerable and are encouraged to bear with
them because of the many improvements which have already occurred and are
becoming more evident with each day. This acts as an inspirational force
to them.

The symptoms will vary according to the materials being discarded, the
conditions of the organs involved in the elimination, and the amount of
energy you have available. The more you rest and sleep when symptoms are
present, the milder they are and the more quickly they are terminated. Be
happy you are having symptoms. Realize deeply that your body is becoming
younger and healthier every day because you are throwing off more and
more wastes which would eventually have brought pain, disease, and much
suffering. Those who have the worst symptom-reactions and follow through
to their successful termination are thus avoiding some of the worst
diseases which would eventually have developed had they continued their
careless eating habits.

Don't expect to go on an ascending scale of quality, that improving your
diet will make you feel better and better each day until you reach
perfection. The body is cyclical in nature, and health returns in a
series of gradually-diminishing cycles. For example, you start a better
diet and for a while you feel much better. After some time, a symptom
occurs--you feel nauseous for a day and have diarrhea with a
foul-smelling stool. After a day, you feel even better than before and
all goes fine for awhile. Then you suddenly develop a cold, feel chills
and lose your appetite. After about two or three days (assuming you don't
take drugs or do anything else about it), you suddenly recover and feel
better than you did for years.

Let us say this well-being continues for two months, when you suddenly
develop an itch or rash. You don't take anything special for it. This
rash flares up, gets worse and continues for ten days, and suddenly
subsides, immediately after this you find that your hepatitis is gone and
your energy has increased more than ever before. The rash became an
outlet for the poisons in the liver which produced the hepatitis. This is
how recovery occurs--like the cycles in the Dow-Jones Average at the
beginning of a bull market recovery. You feel better, a reaction occurs
and you don't feel as well for a short while. You recover and go even
higher. Then another reaction occurs, milder than the last. You recover
and go even higher. And so it goes, each reaction milder than the last as
the body becomes pure--each becoming shorter in duration and being
followed by a longer period of feeling better than ever before, until you
reach a level plateau of vibrant health. Here you become relatively
disease-free.

We must learn to obey the laws of Nature. We must learn to eat simple,
pure, and natural foods, properly prepared and combined, and our bodies
in return will cast off all the poisons we have taken in during our
lives. The mysteries of the body, the operations of nature, the vital
forces working in nature are far beyond what our minds are prepared to
understand at present. Every great physician or scientist who ever lived
marvelled in awe and humility at the wonders of nature. Yes--we are
"fearfully and wonderfully made!"

Please reprint and/or freely distribute this article. Only by taking
charge of our own health can we lessen the threat of the "health care"
monster that would take our money, our peace of mind, and our chances for
a healthy, happy, productive old age. For more information about Health &
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