Eat More Raw Food

       Raw foods contain nutrients and enzymes that are destroyed by cooking. The human digestive tract is designed to process a diet consisting of a wide variety of foods, much of it raw and unprocessed. Juice fasting, which is a modified type of fast consisting of only freshly made juices and water or tea, lets the body rest and recuperate. Several effective therapies for not only respiratory problems but serious diseases such as cancer are based on fresh juices. A short-term juice fast, lasting a few days or a week, can bring relief from many respiratory symptoms.
     Water-only fasts are controversial for medical reasons, but juice fasting provides more nutrients and less exposure to common allergens than the normal American diet.

     Health claims made for juice therapies on late-night television may be exaggerated, but for the person fighting chronic hay fever, asthma or other respiratory problems, several days of drinking freshly made juices may bring a welcome respite from symptoms. Instead of resuming your normal diet all at once, introduce foods one at a time and monitor your reaction. Every person's response to foods and food groups is unique, and this is a simple way to test foods and their effects on the body. Experts on juice fasting recommend avoiding the juice of any fruit or vegetable you may be allergic or sensitive to, diluting juices with high sugar content, such as carrot or beet juice, with low sugar juices, such as celery; diluting fruit juices with an equal amount of water; and avoiding juice fasting if you are pregnant or lactating. Medical supervision is recommended for diabetics and others with serious illnesses.