QuestionI am a vegetarian, and have decided with a friend to try a raw food diet for a little while. Nothing permanent, just a detoxification thing and an excercise in discipline. Hopefully this will also give me a boost towards achieving my weight loss goal.
To give you a little background, I am a 32 year old male, 6'3", 220 lb.s. I have lost 30 pounds or so in the last six months by cutting out fatty food, eating lots of salads, and running. My goal is to lose another 15-20, but I have noticed that the rate of weight loss has slowed down a bit. Another part of the reason for the detox is that I'm a bit of a drinker, and feel that I need to take a break from that and cleanse my system.
Finally, my questions: How long should I stay on the diet to more-or-less completely detox? Also, do you think a B12 shot would be in order? How can I make sure I have enough energy for running?Any other warnings or words of advice for this diet?
AnswerDear James,
It's always a good idea to make a change in your diet if the results slowed down. Switching to a stricter form of a diet should do you good, too and the raw food diet can be considered as such comparing with your vegetarian, can it not?
You are right thinking of this as of a temporary thing, however, how temporary, is a good question. I would wait until you see first results - or all the results.
Now, about B12 shots. They are indeed more effective than any oral form but please be advised that raw food dieters' B12 levels appear to be no different than other vegans. There is evidence that probiotics - normally live yogurt or kefir, but in your case, supplements of Lactobacillus or other friendly bacteria - could somewhat improve your B12 concentrations.
Hope it helps,
TZ
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