For those who are High Raw

[star]

In order to remain a raw fooder, I have decided to go from 100% raw to high raw (85%). My question is what non raw foods allows you to maintain that great feeling (almost like a natural high, calmness, etc...)? Even though I have made this decision, I know that there will be many days that I still eat 100% raw but I want to be prepared for when I choose not to for whatever reason.

Let me also so that I did 2 and 1/2 weeks of 100% raw before messing up and binging on all of the junk food that I could eat for about 4 days. I don't think it was cravings that initiated the binge but difficult things that are going on in my life right now. However, once I had that first twinky, it has been difficult to stop. I am starting again today but I need a little buffer so that this does not happen again.

[jax]

Hi Star!

Been there, done that with the crashing on a junk-food binge after being raw!
When I went raw before, about 2 yrs. ago, I wasn't 100% because I still had natural Peanut Butter, some roasted nuts, coffee and coffee-mate and hummus sometimes. The natural high you speak of wasn't the same for me then as it is now at 100% raw, however, I did feel pretty darn good most days! When I added other cooked foods beyond the ones I mentioned above, I lost my desire to stay raw (also there were family pressures!) Eventually I went back to a totally SAD diet. You will find what works for you. Good Luck!

Jax :)

[star]

Jax, I can not thank you enough for that post. You never know how your words can affect a person's life. Just reading that has at least caused me to consider if I really want to do high raw and if so to choose my foods very very carefully if I do not wish to fall back into the SAD. Also, it's just good to know that this has happened to someone else and you were able to overcome it.

Thanks again.

[Sharon in Colorado]

You do have to be careful, because when I chose to try and be high raw, at first it was healthy choices, then it ended up being junk food along with my fruit smoothies & salads. That's probably why so many of us work it better at all raw instead of high raw.

[Rawkinlocs]

I agree with the previous posts. For ME, I can't dabble in the slightest amount of healthier cooked foods because eventually, I'll end up eating non-healthy stuff. Heck, for me, I found myself so far off the mark during one of my "it's-okay-to-eat-healthy-cooked-foods" phases that I ended up eating SALMON and let me tell you, the thoughts of pizza (and I aint talkin' vegan pizza either) and other crappy things were sounding better and better! I'm just glad that I was able to get back on track before it came to that!

But there are some who have mentioned before that they can refrain from eating cooked crap foods and fair well on high raw...Twinyoga, Askcassyfirst just to name a couple. It's really about what you know about yourself and what you can and cannot handle.

[Mishka]

I guess it depends on how much you trust yourself. Truly. If you are an emotional eater etc. I would be the first to stand in line and tell you...it is very easy to lie to yourself and rationalize away..."Well, I could have a little of this and just resume where I was with my raw food intake." I have so been there!!! I had something upsetting happen in my life, and I went back to cooked food :( . It has taken me 8 months to get back on track!! This is such a personal decision...none of us want to tell you what to do. Only you yourself really has the answer. What is best for you, and what can you manage consistently? Listen to your body... it talks :D

[Olive]

I agree that the 100% is actually easier than high raw. And be kind to yourself--it may take awhile for 100% to stick and you'll have a few lapses back into cooked foods. That's where I'm at anyway, but my cravings for cooked foods is decreasing and my lapses are getting a little further apart. That said, when I eat cooked food, I try to only have things that have been steamed, boiled or steamfried (like sauteeing but with water instead of oil). Basically, I try to avoid cooked fats (including roasted nuts), since they are pretty unhealthy. I'll have brown rice, a baked potato, steamed veggies or maybe something like lentil soup. I don't always manage to do that, but overall I'm getting better!

[twinyoga]

I'm with Olive. That's what I do and I feel great....steamed veggies, potatoes, vegetable soup. Concentrate on whole foods that are very natural.

Since being almost all raw I've noticed that I attack junk food (which I never use to do) if I cave in to cooked food. So I'm attempting 100% raw again.

Debbie

[askcassyfirst]

I've been raw since early 2003. I started at 100%, was there for 5 months or so. Then I reverted to 80%, with a brief period of eating junk like BREAD and cheese. Since then, I have been at about 85-100% raw by calorie count, not grams. I go back and forth from really picky about it, to just "normal" and calmly eating my fruit and veggies!

Currently I am at day 23 or so of a thirty day 100% raw push. If you read over my journal on this site, you will see that I am learning a lot this time around. I have had a lot of mis guided perceptions about doing 100% raw, like that I can only do it when I eat high fats...(the first time around I ate a full coconut a day.) But this time I have shattered that. I have cut my fats, and I am feeling even better than before. I will probably remain at 90% or higher after the challenge. THis makes me feel great.

When I am not on such a challenge, most of my days I eat only produce, some cooked, like tubers or steamed veggies, but most raw. I have been known to eat a bit of sprouted tortillas or yogurt, but not too often. I rarely eat wheat anymore, as that is an issue for my belly...causes IBS. Due to PCOS I have to eat low carb if I am not doing raw, since the carbs just mess with my pancreas. (PCOS is a disorder of the pancreas, although it affects your ovaries too.) GOing raw shrank the estrogen related cysts & fibroids, so I just can't quit this way of living. I am 32, and I can't imagine what it would be like to not be healthy when I turn 40. It scare me to think I would ever go back to the me that once was. (In my 20s before I learned about health and nutrition I was a mess...candida, pms, you name it.) Plus, due to all the fiber in the raw diet, I can tolerate the fruit sugars, and my estrogen levels don't climb so high.

When I eat "cheat foods," my worst offender is coffee and raw cheese. But I stand on the thought that one can maintain high raw and not fall into the pattern of eating junk if they stick to thier mental ground. This can be hard if your family and friends are not supportive. (It is even harder to remain at 100% with unsupportive people around you.) I have been lucky. Although my DH laughs a bit and says I eat rabbit food, he loves me very much, and he too eats a lot of raw and fasts too.

I think high raw is possible for me because I keep in mind the health issues I have, that will rear up if I go back to junking out. I keep in mind my mentors, like Paul Bragg who ate mostly raw with the occasional bit of raw dairy, egg or toasted whole grains. They lived through their 80s and 90s with no ill affects. They had strong constitutions, and strong mental outlook. It takes such a mentality to eat right, when surrounded by the SAD dieters.

I wish you luck on your journey....

Cassy.