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Transitioning to raw

Hello! Im curious as to what approach most of you took when transitioning to raw from your previous lifestyles.

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  • I already was vegan and I did eat a lot of fruits and vegetables uncooked, still my diet for maybe 50-50% or 40% raw and 50% cooked. I just went for it. I did 6 weeks of detox in only raw fresh fruits. Then, I water-fasted in three different occasions (3 days, 5 days, 3 days) in a period of 4 weeks, if I remember correctly, and in between, I continued with only fresh raw fruits, no condiments, no herbs, no tea nothing. No processing, some juice in the morning of oranges or grapefruit. Then, I indroduced salads, uncooked and simple, without dressings, or condiments or seasalt, to my diet once a day, not everyday for a period of 2 or 3 weeks. After day, I had a salad everyday with some lightly steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauwliflower, green beans….. and than later, after 8 months or so, I did introduce steamed potatoes and rice but with no condiments, herbs, oils or nothing and not frequently. I indroduced nuts and seeds to my diet only after 6 months on been on raw in fruits and vegetables and afer the fast. So I did it. I did not feel I needed a transition diet, but some people may need it depending on how toxic they are and how mentally prepare they also are for doing this.

  • Wow jurizarry – looks like you were determined! I always thought I’d pass out after 2 days of waterfasting, so I admire those who can manage it.

    To answer your question missthomas, I took it pretty casually. Just switched to eating fruit for breakfast (instead of my usual cereal or oatmeal). I introduced lots of salads into my diet, and lots of raw ingredients, like coconut oil, agave nectar (ok, might not be raw, bite me), and raw nut butters. I also tried a few very simple recipes and tackled a more complicated one on weekends when I had plenty of time. Also, I started trying new fruits and veggies, like zuchinni, which I used to hate. You should try whatever fruit is in season in order to expand your repertoire of raw foods. I just found a new found love for grapes :D

    It took me months to go 100% raw, it was pretty tough. What did it for me is sticking to a very low fat diet until most of the cravings went away and I felt confident, only then did I start adding all the lovely nuts and seeds.

    Just remember that raw food lifestyle is different for everybody so pay attention to your intuition and how your body reacts to different foods and you will be fine. :)

  • Well, I did have almost 8 months of mental preparation since I did a course in Natural Hygiene. There I got very well informed about a lots of things including fasting. The 6 weeks detox helped me to prepare for a long fast. My husband just fasted for the first time about 2 weeks ago and he did it for 7 days. He was also less toxic than me when I fasted so he had less symptoms. I was very determine due to the promise those changes will improve my deterirating health, and they did. If it was for something else and not health, I might have not pulled it out. Thanks.

  • I was a junk food person – devoured chips and ice cream. Chili Cheese fritos and Lays chips – I’m sure they noticed a gap in sales when I switched to raw!!! – along with Breyers ice cream – always a staple. And greasy bbq chicken – ohh, I thought it was the Best!

    I switched to 100% in one day and have been so ever since (in my 4th year now). The key is to want to, and to always have something handy to eat that is raw. If you let yourself get really tired – you won’t want to fix something raw. If you let yourself get really hungry – you won’t want to fix something raw. If you let yourself get really tired And hungry – oooh, that’s a tough one. So, have food available for quick meal. For example, make a batch of marinara sauce, then it is quick to shred some zucchini for noodles – and you have a nice dinner. have snacks made up. I used to carry “trail mix” of nuts, seeds, raisens, & dates that I’d throw together for snacks. I’d carry an orange or two in my purse—to snack or to squeeze as dressing if I was out and ordered a salad for lunch.

    But the bottom line is, do what works for you. This worked for me. If I craved a certain raw food – I didn’t question it – I ate it. At one point, I was eating 5 avocados a day—couldn’t get enough of them. Now I eat them occasionally. This has happened with many different foods.

    Many folks start increasing their raw as they remove one ‘category’ of sad food at a time and progress to the level of raw that is their goal.

    Check out recipes and have fun continually trying new things. Do green smoothies every day – it helps curb the cravings. However you choose to do it—Make it fun. Enjoy the food. Your taste buds will change – just go with it. Enjoy the journey toward your goal.

    Pat yourself on the back for every day you succeed at being raw. At some point you will simply quit thinking about it, and just be doing it.

  • Thanks raw lady! I’ve been doing predominately raw and sometimes i dont feel so well (because ive never detoxed im guessing) but now my boyfriend is totally against me doing raw. He says if im not feeling well i dont need to do it and go back to eating meat cause i never felt bad when i was eating meat. That’s true but i want to do what i know is right when it comes to my health and i know being raw is it. He thinks ima be anorexic!!!! Im still not sure on how to get calcium and a couple other things from only fruits and vegetables but thats where reasearch comes into play. Im also sure that when i get a dehydrator and food processor then i will be able to make better raw meals. Sorta lost and dont know what to do about the situation now.(not when it comes to me, him) Im gonna buy victoria b’s book 12 steps to raw so i can transition safely. really dont know what else to say about the situation. any advice i could use it. thanx

  • Hi Miss Thomas! My grandmother would drink a big glass of chalky water with calcium in it every night and she died of bone cancer. Taking calcium supplements isn’t a good idea over long periods because it blocks the absorption of other vitamins and in her case didn’t help and she broke a hip and died of bone cancer. Getting enough sunlight to form vitamin D is the best thing you can do for your bones and eating enough greens. Collard greens are high in calcium. You can use them as wraps, marinate them for salads or coleslaw or dehydrate them for a kind of chip effect. You can also add a couple leaves to smoothies. At your stage of the process you may want to get b complex or nutritional yeast to add to the smoothies. B vitamins give you energy. There is also calcium in sesame seeds. The thing a lot of meat eating people don’t realize is that whne you eat a Mcdonalds burger for instance, there is sugar in their meat, there are carbs and sugar in the bun, and sugar in the ketchup, and a sugar salt mixture on the fries. WHat people love about that place is the sugar! Have your boyfriend just eat the meat and see if he feels the same! It’s scary how much sugar is out there and how addicted to it people are. The same is true for a Starbucks mocha- there is about half a cup of sugar in there and a lot of fat- there is appx 1000 calories. People think oh- it’s the coffee- but it’s not!

    You could drink a smoothie with several bananas, pineapple, greens, and some nuts and have a lot of natural sugar as a replacement. Your body won’t get as high off of it but you should feel better if you have come from a diet of unknowingly eating a lot of sugar. The other thing is to make a big blender full of some really good dressing with sunflower seeds as the base and eat really big salads. No one will think you’re anorexic if they see you eat a whole head of lettuce at one sitting!

  • thanks writeeternity for your comments, i appreciate it!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I think that book you’re going to get is really going to help you out a lot. I read it during my transitioning period and it was so supportive and informative.

    For me, it was really important in me staying raw to do my research by reading lots of raw food books, we have at least 15. Both recipe books and raw lifestyle and philosophy books.I got so inspired by reading about other people’s journeys and learned so much. And I searched and searched to find something wrong with the whole raw foods thing, but I couldn’t find anything that didn’t make me want to do it. The more I found out, the more sure I was that I made the right decision. It all helps, I think mental preparation is really great support for the whole of your raw journey. I read everything I could find and made tons of recipes until I found what I liked. Which for 6 months was just puddings, cakes and other desserts. It all evens out eventually.

    You get all the minerals, vitamins etc you need from raw vegan foods. Here’s a link to me and my husband’s website. There’s a lot of information on it about this kind of thing. And lists of websites, books etc. http://www.purelyraw.com

  • Hello missthomas86. i know exactly where you are at right now. i had the same problem. i was always fascinated by raw food and bought probably about 3 or 4 books with in the last year and read them over and over and at the time i was dating a guy who had his heart set on the SAD and i hated it. i always tried to be healthy and he always called me a tree hugger and thought i was trying to be anorexic. informing your self and research is definitely important. but at the same time it is very fun. i ordered this book on called living on live foods by Alissa Cohen and it is amazing. since that book i’ve made the transition and have been raw ever since i got the book. thankfully my new boyfriend is very supportive and is doing it with me. when you want to be healthy and you know what is right fir you, you just have to be selfish. don’t ever let anything or anyone stand in the way of your perfect health. you deserve it. they are just too afraid to do it them selves. you can go to AlissaCohen.com and read people’s inspiring stories and journeys and get a lot of questions answered. i wish you well.

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    Did any of you fight severe, debilitating sugar/junk cravings before or as you went raw? I stayed off processed sugar for 2 years and unfortunately started back this year. Recently it has been so bad that I am binging a day and then only juicing or drinking H20 for a day or 2 and then right back at it again. Literally all I can think about on the binge days is the hit of junk I’m going to get! I know I am poisoning myself and I can see the adverse changes in my skin and body but I CAN’T STOP! If anyone has any suggestions for the cravings, I’d be willing to try. I drink at least 1 green smoothie a day-usually breakfast. I haven’t eaten meat since sometime in June and I eat (usually) A lot of veggies although probably 50% are cooked. Thanks in advance.

  • Thanks you guys for the support and info. Deborahann i have the same problem. I love sweets and salty snacks. We can overcome it though but it is a little harder for some than others. I have not quite overcome it but i read on other forums where people had the same binging problems and one day they just put a stop to it. I know its a psychological thing but it can control you if you dont control it. All i know to do is pray and try to stop my thought process when i think of binging. Good luck and let me know what you come up with!

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    Thanks, MissThomas, I have had this problem as long as I remember. Ijust always managed to maintain normal weight through a lot of exercise.Even when I was eating very healthy I would still binge on healthy alternatives. I think I am going to order a couple of the highly rec’d lifestyle books for inspiration. I have also ordered the colonix and toxinout programs in case candida or parasites are an issue. I regularly battled candida until 2 yrs ago when I did get off processed food altogether. Now it is raising its head again! Many of the testimonials mention severe sugar cravings as a symptom of parasites and since I have grown up in the country with a lot of animals and a lot of possible exposure, it’s worth a shot.And then there is the body chemistry thing. I think some physiologies just have a problem dealing with the sugar and easily become addicted to that and the other chemicals in the food.Hopefully I can stay on green juices and raw until the colonix gets here.I have also just recently started praying and trying to redirect my thoughts.When I really want those cookies I try to imagine biting into a big juicy sweet apple or that first bite of a really great salad. It helps I haven’t tried making raw sweets because I would eat the whole batch right now and that’s not good either!

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    RawLady, What gave you the inspiration to go raw overnight and how did you maintain your focus through the withdrawal period?

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