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How raw are you?

Hi everyone! I’m really curious to know how raw people on this forum are; 10 ? 50? 100%? What are your reasons for chosing that perticular per cent? What are the pros and cons about the level you have chosen? Please let me know!

I myself would say I’m about 50 % raw at the moment (the other 50 % vegan), but try to incorporate more raw all the time since I’ve noticed I feel great on days when I’m 100%. Don’t know if my goal is to be a 100% all the time though (Hope you won’t kick me out of this forum for admitting that :-)

Comments

  • Hi lulushka8, I really like the seasonally raw thing! I live in Sweden where it can be really cold in winter and on top of that it lasts forever! During summer it’s not hard at all when there is an abundance of fresh fruit and veg everywhere and it’s warm (well it’s still Sweden…) outside. Thanks for the tip!

  • iknikn

    It’s hard to put a percentage on this. Some weeks I am purely raw, on others I use some ingredients that are not raw. It depends on my schedule. If I travel a lot and go out for dinner with clients, than I eat a salad, but the dressing is obviously not raw. Or I eat a few pieces of bread so I wouldn’t get tipsy if I drink a glass of wine or beer. I haven’t had cooked food in months. But lately I am craving vegan stuffed grape leaves. Crazy!

  • beate64beate64 Raw Newbie

    Hi, interesting threat, looking forward to read more :)

    I am between 75 and 85% raw since over 3 months and love what it did to my body and soul :))) Lost 12 pounds, no more bloated, good digestion, great skin.

    I was vegetarian and then transitioned to vegan (mostly together with my husband), then saw in a magazine ad the cover of the book ‘The Raw Gourmet’. It looked so succulent that I ordered it and then I guess things got a life of their own and I got deeper and deeper into this topic. I am a holistic practitioner and nutrition is a big part of healing the body and soul and so things came naturally this way for me.

    Now I own 5 books :)) and read and read, and would love to go on a raw vegan retreat at the ‘Tree of Life’ Centre or somewhere else.

    Not too many like minded people around me here on the prairies and that makes you feel sometimes very alone… My husband sticks with our eating as much as he can do… but sometimes he just needs something warm and thats fine too, we do get here down to -45C in the winter, like Jan./Feb. and something hot is a good thing then. If one does it sometimes and still eats mostly raw in between I think thats perfectly fine. It’s always good to not to declare anything to a religion I think… and listen to your body’s needs too.

    I love the journey and exploring new things every day.

  • 100% but I transitioned to raw right before my 23rd birthday and it took time to get to 100%. The more I experienced the healing powers of raw, the more I wanted to keep getting closer to 100% and the easier it was on my body to adapt by doing it gradually. It takes a lot of insight to transition. One must be willing to listen to their body in conjunction with their brain. These 2 work together, as a team.

    I’ve also found that numbers of any kind can become obsessive and throw people into a loop of obsession, perfectionism, expectations and stress. I’ve found it more productive to focus on what is working for you rather than percentage (or weight/etc) goals. If things go wrong, people tend to freak. Life isn’t perfect, neither is diet. There are no failures, there are learning experiences. Life is learning and evolving. We move forward this way.

  • itouristitourist Raw Newbie

    Three days a week I am 100%

    The other other four days I am greater than 50% I avoid dairy 100% of the time though.

  • heyenglishheyenglish Raw Newbie

    I love being raw, and all the benefits I get from it! That being said, I still consume a few things on the Dead List, mostly in the form of dried herbs and spices and agave syrup. I’m also finishing up some probably un-raw nuts before I buy truly raw nuts from a respected source.

    For the mostpart, I’d say I’m 95% raw. I reserve the other 5% for special occasions concerning my loved ones, i.e. going to a Greek restaurant this weekend for my dad’s birthday, and for the occasional cooked meal out with my boyfriend. (I love getting my Indian fix!)

    I’ve spent a long time combating disordered eating, and I’ve finally reached a point where I just enjoy food for all of it’s nutritious glory. I no longer think of it in terms of “good” or “bad” for me. So, to prevent me from going back into that mindset, I use that 5% cooked vegan to keep me sane. It means I’m not completely restricting myself and viewing cooked vegan food as “bad”. This balance totally works for me!

  • 100% raw for life!!! I will never eat a bite of gross food again!! :)

    love & light,

    Ella

     

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    Same with me, Ella. I am definitely 100% raw for life.

  • I am about 90% raw. I use dried herbs, cook quinoa, and stir fry tofu once a week. I would be 100% raw but I am a poor college student and I hardly have time to fix myself lunches and snacks to take with me to school. Although I did have lunch last week for 83 cents (raw fruits from the local grocery).

    out my new raw recipe blog! http://rawlaland.blogspot.com/[QUOTE]

    I saw your blog and that pizza looks AMAZING. please let me know when the ebook is up. I really want to try that recipe.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    When I first started, I intended to go about only 50%, because I assumed of myself that I could not handle better. However, after my first meal of a raw, green salad for dinner that left me for the first time in many years NOT vomiting acids through the night, I got up the next morning to be almost 100% raw. It was just so easy for me. I still drink some tea and occassional coffee, but all of my food is raw.

  • I strive for 100% everyday but sometimes it becomes exhausting to maintain so for now I am 90-95%, occasionly having gluten free crackers or hummous made with cooked chickpeas. I make all the food myself, no processed, pre packaged garbage for me.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    me and my husband strive for 100% daily. sometimes we use things that might be on the “dead list” like bragg’s but that is getting pretty rare for us.

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    Bitt – LOVE the new avatar pic! You look GREAT!

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    moth: thanks! i feel good too! struggling with a bit of low energy due to overworking but i have plenty of raw tools to draw on to keep me well. :-)

    lulushka8, i do think there is a lot of benefit to the additive approach. i think that eating healthy food can make you crave bad food less. but there are some “foods” out there that are so addictive and nasty that they should not even be allowed to be sold. I have gone the way of just eliminating toxins (being vegan and gluten free) but it was not enough. i had to add the goodness of tons of fruits and veggies in order to recover from illness. so in my mind it is both, take out the worst and add the best stuff. also, you have to figure out what works for your body.

  • ajchanterajchanter Raw Newbie

    100%!! Because i feel best like that!! :D

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I try to be 100% but I’m more like 96%. I’m feeling really crappy right now because I had some awful food this weekend. I learned my lesson…..again. I definitely feel best at 100%. I eat about one cooked meal a week though, it never fails.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    100% when I can. Otherwise I do cooked vegan, and it’s usually low-fat indian(why I mentioned the low-fat, is that cooked fats tend to make me feel gross/dirty). But to be honest I haven’t had any bad side effects the times I have had the odd chole/channa masala. I think the spices help clear out any mucus the cooked might bring. SO..this Winter when there is little, to no, produce, hour cuts, but price inflations…I will probably have soups and Indian. I WISH I could stay 100%, but I’m being realistic. There really is NO way for me personally in Winter, to make it otherwise. :)

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    have-mersey, I’ve only been raw since May and I’m hoping that this winter I can fare the hardships. I have cut up and frozen a lot of fresh berries and fruits so that when all else fails at least I can have raw smoothies and maybe even live off them but I’m trying to be realistic and not going to beat myself up if I must eat some cooked vegan. I made the mistake this weekend of eating sugar…..soooooo bad with me.

  • heyenglishheyenglish Raw Newbie

    I’m in the same boat, troubles. I’ve only been raw for a few months, so I’m not sure how I’ll fare this winter. However, I should be getting a dehydrator for my birthday (at the end of November), so I’ll be able to play with warming my food. I think I’ll be eating a lot of warmed soups!

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    Heyenglish-I’m getting a dehydrator for my birthday too! Which also happens to be in November. I’m hoping to be able to do alot of breads and things like that so I can have something to eat beside the sparce fresh foods.

  • beate64beate64 Raw Newbie

    Hey Diana, I understand you so well!!! We cut sugar out of our house and foods since years and people never seem to understand… sometimes they even feel personally attacked if you say you dont eat sugar and pass on their cake/cookies/desserts.. strange thing that is…

    Both my husband and I made an exception a while ago at a birthday party and had just each a tiny slice, really thin… of cheesecake… so now you have dairy and sugar… it was really a tiny piece… and we’ve had each just a few sips of a glass from homemade apple wine…

    The next day which was a Sunday, we were totally wiped out as if we’ve had partied and drunken the whole night… headaches and just feeling absolutely terrible… brrrr that was definetely a lesson and we wont do it again…

    Since about 3 months on ca. 80% raw food we feel great and are even more sensitive to outside food.

    Good luck on your journey! It is always amazing to read these incredible stories from healing… thanks for sharing :))

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    beate64-I totally get that “wasted” feeling after sugar and especially sugar and dairy mixed which is what happened this weekend (yeah I made an exception with icecream for an event and seriously, it wasn’t much). I usually just tell people that I get almost an allergic reaction from sugar but when it’s family I sometimes feel bad and indulge them a bit.

    I’m also waaay more sensitive to cooked food but I think it’s because I now know what it’s like to feel good! The contrast is starker now I guess. But I love raw!

  • Wow, thanks you guys! It’s great reading about your personal reasons for chosing raw! You have inspired me to try to take the raw lifestyle a bit further, and maybe aim for 75 % raw/25 % cooked vegan during the colder months and try to go closer to 100 % raw in summer.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    troublesjustabubble:) I’m already having a hard time keeping up with budget, or I’d have frozen fruits and vegetables as well. I have been considering investing in superfoods and just eating a few raw solids for fiber. People do juice feasts for 30 days and smoothies for 90. I don’t know. I’m considering things. Last winter it was REALLY hard, especially with no work from ice storms and huge heating bills.

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    Three things kept me raw last winter:

    Cayenne pepper, Kale and Pineapple

    I’m mentally preparing myself as we speak.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    whoa Moth, you’re hardcore!

    have_mersey, I feel that ice storm crap. Killer, my work’s power even went out at one point for over a day last year. The only reason I have frozen fruit and veggies is because I have incredibly generous relatives. My aunt has a berry farm and orchard which she has far more than she can deal with and constantly begs me to come over and get all I can. because of her I have several gallons of blackberries and peaches in the freezer plus an endless supply of fresh until the season is out. My parents also have an orchard with pear and apple trees and a garden with far more than they can handle. So I’ve been incredibly blessed.

    As far as budget goes even without all the free I”m still okay because I”m not spending money on expensive meats and cheeses. I’m a simple rawbie. Not into a bunch of rich stuff:)

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    “several gallons of blackberries and peaches…”

    drools :-)

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I know!! How did I get so lucky?!

    The coolest part is earlier this season my mom bought a new freezer and I got her old upright and it works wonderfully! I could never store this stuff without it!

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    haha you can’t take this from me!!! I love having that storage!

    They aren’t terribly expensive though really and they last a lifetime

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    My family had two, a chest freezer(most efficient) and an upright but the chest freezer was really badly rusted so I picked the upright. It’s the size of a refrigerator and freezer. It’s awesome.

    What is the difference between American freezers and European?

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