Ok, Is it ok if i start out 50% raw then continue slowly?

[rawfoodfairy]

just wondering bec. 100% raw after being afull on meat/eater. etc is really hard for me. would it benefit me to start like as two meals of my day as raw and 1 not or 1 meal raw the rest not?

[Nimmanu]

just wondering bec. 100% raw after being afull on meat/eater. etc is really hard for me. would it benefit me to start like as two meals of my day as raw and 1 not or 1 meal raw the rest not?
I think it depends on your personality.

Do you honestly think that you can increase it? Do you have a personal pattern of being able to slowly work things up, or do you have a personal pattern of needing to "git 'er done!"?

I hate to say it, but it sounds to me like you are not genuinely ready to do this. Your desire for whatever you feel raw will give you is not very strong, but your resistance to "depriving myself" is very high.

If you want to move into raw, I think you will need to focus on how you think about raw food, and try to increase your desire for the benefit you hope to recieve from it.

Alissa says that she hasn't seen anyone do it "part way" and end up 100% and stay there without major lapses. I would tend to think that's pretty reasonable, because that's not really human nature. Most of us find it very easy to fall back into the comfort zone if we allow one foot to get there.

Again, it seems to me like maybe you're just not really ready, you're just wanting to be ready, perhaps?

[Raw Jewelrylady]

There is no Raw Food Police out there. This is Your *journey*.

The more Raw you eat will benefit you tremendously. :)

Hope that helps..
Lana

[Pierre]

That's called transitioning and there are various ways to do it. I made meals that were part cooked and part raw - raw Chinese broccoli, carrots, celery, and onions, and cooked bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Later I gave up the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

[rawfoodfairy]

well it's not that i'm not ready its just that i suffered a lot trying it and i cant afford to feel head pains and hunger pains that badly right now espec. since i am taking my gre this week etc.
i am not lying or feeling sorry for myself when i say that i was truly feeling HUNGRY and very weak. i work out everyday and im in good shape so i ont want ot stop working out and when i was doing my weights last night i was shaking. there needs to be some sort of transition especially i ate meat, cheese, cooked foods now to turn vegan and raw you're saying there is NO TRANSITION!?

[rawpriestess]

I think you should do what ever you think will work for you.

I have helped a lot of people go raw, and only the people who truly wish to go 100% and make that commitment have gone raw, all the others, who have tried to transition into raw, have gone back to cooked.

I know FOR ME, I must eat 100% raw, as that is my nature, all or nothing.

I've never been the type of person who would eat raw veggies when I was a vegan/vegetarian, I would always eat them cooked, so it was a big transition for me, when I started raw.

although I had been a vegetarian for many years.

what ever you choose to do, I support your choices

Eating some raw, is better than eating no raw.

[moonstone523]

If you aren't ready to go 100% then don't. Adding more raw fruits and vegis will only do good.

And please don't listen to the "well, my friend didn't want to go 100% raw and she wasn't committed to this lifestyle, blah, blah, blah." To **** with the friends of the friends.

This is your journey. You can do whatever you want.

[aenea]

I personally don't think I will be going 100% raw when I start. I would like to be at least 80-90%. It's not about entire cooked meals either. The only thing I want cooked is when i choose to put chicken on my salad, I am going to switch to farm raised chicken though and even then I just want to eat it a few times a week to where my body doesn't stop producing the enzymes to break down meat. We have a nice place in Wichita where the amish community sell their meat so that's where I'm going to start shopping for my meat:)

[MaeganOrtiz]

My Husband and I are planning to go 100% on March 1st. I would like to do a fruit juice fast from the 15th of Feb to March.
i do not need to lose weight but i do need to feel "better"

i am planning on learning lots of new recipes and preparing for this change so the transition is not so sever.

My husband and I are no longer drinking milk, coffee. We are not eating meat or breads. We feel so much better just with this and can now recognise the benefits and can see what will come with the ultimate transition.

We had headaches from the coffee withdrawral but now drink Dandelion espresso with almond milk instead. Not raw but a **** of alot better that cows milk and caffiene.

i love cooked food. I love food in general.
My hubby had hardly ever eaten a salad. he lived 36 years on rice, potatoes, meat, beans, milk, coffee etc...

He says he feels great and I believe him!!!

good luck and don't beat yourself up.

M

[Nenyath]

Every serving of fruits and greens will serve you! Have fun with your diet, discover new fruits, new awesome smoothie combinations, yummy ways to serve a salad, delightful deserts- you get where I'm going right? ;) Increase the intake of raw as you please and as it feels comfortable- we've got no raw police :cool: Joy with your journey!

Fly forever free..

[KatK]

Rawfoodfairy, that's the way I did it. A year ago, I started trying to clean up my diet - reduce meat, food additives, processed food. I lost about 30 lbs just doing that. At the beginning of this year, I decided to try going 100% raw. It seems to me like any addition of raw food has got to help your body! :)

[rawfigure]

I transitioned to Raw too over a period of time. As stated above it depends on your personality.

I can be 100% Raw for months then go to High Raw (which for me is about 90% Raw, for a few months now ) and then March I will go back to 100% and probably stay there thru the summer. I find this works good for me but others find the they need to eat 100% all the time as cooked food spirals them to more and more SAD over time.

Test and see how you are !

[Nimmanu]

well it's not that i'm not ready its just that i suffered a lot trying it and i cant afford to feel head pains and hunger pains that badly right now espec. since i am taking my gre this week etc.
i am not lying or feeling sorry for myself when i say that i was truly feeling HUNGRY and very weak. i work out everyday and im in good shape so i ont want ot stop working out and when i was doing my weights last night i was shaking. there needs to be some sort of transition especially i ate meat, cheese, cooked foods now to turn vegan and raw you're saying there is NO TRANSITION!?
I did not mean it in an unkind way at all. There is no insult hidden anywhere in not being ready. When I first started, I was deeply worried that my detox would negatively effect my infant, whom I am breastfeeding. I tried 3 times, but I was not ready. I was trying to do the best for my own future and hers. I was not criticising your commitment, only questioning your readiness. You don't have to do something this minute to prove that you are genuinely committed to doing it. Otherwise none of us would ever go on vacations, since you book plane tickets in advance. ;)

Of course there is a transition. But the transition doesn't last forever, and according to reports I hear, all you will do is postpone it by eating cooked food, not make it easier when it happens. If you feel you need to postpone it, then you should!

If you are having hunger pains, perhaps you are not eating enough? And head pain can definitely be associated with low blood sugar, which also indicates perhaps you were not eating enough? When I first got started, I wasn't eating enough- you need a lot more of it to feel satisfied in the beginning (still for me, though it hasn't been long).

And I was very careful to ask whether or not you're the kind of person who has a habit of being able to transition into things. If you are, then you should have no problem. Most people are not. But for every rule, there are exceptions, or life would suck, no?

[aubrey]

Rawfood Fairy:

Absolutely do what you feel is best. But remember, any difficulty we have lies more within our minds than in our bodies. You might try not entertaining the thought of cooked food. Think of it not as giving something up, but more that you are being liberated from food and its control over you.

Another thing that has helped me greatly when going raw is to make a bunch of different recipes...and when you find something you love, eat it! I ate a whole banana cream pie over the course of the weekend, and I feel amazing. The hunger might just be your body's way of telling you to feed it more raw and living food. So I would suggest that you take some time and just start making food! Fats are also key in controlling hunger. Make sure you eat lots of fats, like Alissa says in her book. If you are just doing raw to lose weight, don't worry! The weight will still come off if you eat plenty of plant fats.

If you have cravings for cooked food, I would also recommend getting a dehydrator if you don't already have one. Its one of the best ways to transition, because dehydrating foods keeps them raw, but gives them a taste and texture similar to cooked foods. If you have trouble staying away from chips, crackers, and breads...even cookies...then this is a perfect solution. Alissa's got some great "meat" recipes. I bought my dehydrator off of ebay for $30! Its not top of the line, but it does the job. Later on, you can buy a better one if dehydrating is something you are really avid about. But for trying it out, a cheap one is a great starter. Mine even came with a recipe book!

Best of luck to you...in yoga, they always say that even if beginners do nothing but sit on their mat and breathe, they are getting more benefit than if they were to do nothing at all. Its the same with faw and living foods...some is better than none, and the more, the better! :D

[PeachyMama]

Although I went straight from eating meat and a SAD diet into eating RAW, looking back, I realize that I went through a long period where my head was getting to the right place to do it.

I was considering making some dietary changes because I felt awful. An online buddy of mine with similar problems became a vegan, and she felt much better. I was researching the possibility of a mostly soy-free vegan diet. This was about 9 months ago or so.

Six months ago, I broke my ankle, and I did some research on exercise programs for people with joint injuries and fibromyalgia. I had decided then that I wanted to rebound.

About 3 months ago, I started looking for a healthy pocketbook snack, since I was always on the go with the kids. My Whole Foods had a Lara Bars demonstration/free sample table, and I bought some of those, and looked them up on line. Looking them up, I learned about RAW.

About 2 weeks after that, I suddenly could not stand the smell of the meat counters in stores. They literally nauseated me.

I was ready. Jumped in December 12th, and haven't looked back.

It does sound like you need some time to get your head into this, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with adding more fruit and fresh salads to your diet while that's happening.

This is your journey, you can make it whatever you want it to be.

[Bethanie]

:p We've found that whatever you do the most of has the most effect. If you eat mostly raw then you will see positive results, if you go the other way you will experience negative results to your body.
I don't feel deprived and i don't crave more cooked foods, many times i will opt for a raw alternative than my steamed potatoes and califlower.
So it's up to the individual how you want to live your life.
I say do what makes you feel good and live life to the fullest because when it's over it's over :D .
B.

[Revvell]

Anything you do is "o.k.". It's your life and your choice.

According to Nomi Shannon, who went from 100% to less...: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20041&highlight=Revvell+interviews

Now, Alissa feels one might wish to work up to 100% for full benefit:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20276&highlight=Revvell+interviews


Personally, I go with Alissa, reasons being, how does one compute ANY percentage? I see people here say they are eating 50%, 80%, 90%, etc. I can't figure it and wont take the time to.

Next thing, for me, I can rationalize anything. When I eat less than 100% I tell myself (and I've noticed others doing it here): "Well, I'm not 100% so, it's o.k. to have some of that." When I eat less than 100% then there's no rationalization. All I say is "Is that raw?" If not, it does not go in my mouth. Of course, I COULD say "Well, one bite wont hurt me" which, it probably wont yet then I can say "That one bite didn't hurt me so, I'll have another" and down the slippery slope I go.

For me, IF on my first day of eating raw foods I felt weak and "suffered a lot", I'd be wondering why I was doing it? Raw food to me is about feeling good, feeling alive and vibrant and FREE! It's not about suffering.

Injoy!

Revvell

[Ariannah]

There are many people who can do the "go raw slowly", but I am not one of them.

For me, drawing lines in the sand as to how much raw vs how much cooked was something I could not easily do, and I am not someone who likes to babysit my way of eating.

For instance, I'd have a meal with some cooked, but a giant salad to accompany it, and tons of fruit. Then, I'd go over to a friend's house, where she'd sweetly and politely offer some cooked treats. In my head I'd be saying, "Well, I'm not 100% raw yet, so why not? It won't make a difference!"

Well, for me, not being 100% raw ("yet") led for me to rationalize eating all manner of cooked food and leaving less and less room for the fresh produce. I was so busy being "polite" and not wanting to be in any social spotlight, and "not yet 100%" that I eventually lost sight of my objective. So, when was I ever going to get to 100% if I kept making all these excuses? Did I want to be raw or didn't I?

For me, when I find something, I either embrace it wholeheartedly or I don't. Many changes I've made in my life have been "all at once". Because that's the kind of person I am. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't need time to get used to the changes, but making the changes, well, for me, doing it is how it works for me.

[Snownoir]

Hi. I'm excited that you want to give this a go! So welcome. :D

Some of the best advice that I got about this is, "Don't tie yourself down to percantages and give yourself guilt trips." It'll just make the whole experience unenjoyable and you'll most likely have trouble sticking because you beat yourself up instead of just saying "opps." And having your next meal be raw.

I'm pretty much a meat eater (though my consumption was low. About 2-3 meat meals a week).

This might help you!
Month 1: 1 cooked meal a day
Month 2: 1 cooked meal a week or every few days
Month 3: Raw but with a few meals with 1 or two ingredients that aren't raw (like rice or steamed veggies)
Month 4: 100% raw

Slow that down or speed that up however you'd like. But I think it makes for a nice transition.

I've gotten away from meat competley by eating avocados! They fixed my meat craving very nicely. Or nut pates! They have a great texture, taste, and consistancy. I don't have a dehydrator and don't think its necessary to really benifit from this and enjoy a transition. Dehydrated food make a lot of people bloated, and they make feel crappy. So think about that one first. You body uses a lot of water to rehydrate the food and that usually makes you feel weird. But to each their own. Do whatever you think will keep you sane the longest, just remember what your ultimate goal is and don't give yourself too much slack or you'll never get there.

Good luck! And welcome again.

[rawfoodfairy]

thanks so much snownoir! you are wonderful. i will definately try this out. as for the raw foods, i am a student on a budget and on top of that i hate every raw food recipe ive tried i do like fruits and fresh veggies but icant survive on salads and fruit alone.

[theresaann]

Thanks for that interview link, Revvell!

After 17 years on and off of raw, I have to really agree with Alissa that there really IS a big difference between a little, teeny bit cooked and 100% raw, the reason again being the detox thing, and I would add, vibration.

I notice that if I do have a little cooked, maybe the first time I don't really feel it, but there isn't only a "first time" for me, cause I start gradually eating more and more. I'll tell you, it's kind of like she said in the interview, once you just make up your mind, like it's a "way of being"- I only eat raw food, then it becomes so much easier. It's just who I am now.

that being said, it took me SEVENTEEN YEARS to be psychologically ready to do this (my body was ALWAYS ready to do it!). so, go at your own pace, and love yourself along the way.

As alissa says also, do the 30 day challenge then see how you feel. I think that's brilliant because after 30 days on 100% raw the body can RADICALLY shift :)

[emily]

Rawfoodfairy, I think I'm a little different than a lot of RFT members - I respect them and learn a lot from them, but I'm not 100% raw and I don't plan to be. I'm happy with that. I believe in many of the benefits of raw food, but I have reasons for not wanting to be 100%. My husband and I do eat raw food often (making eggplant bacon and almond milk right now :)). About transitioning, though: it took me about 6 months to switch to a vegetarian diet 4 years ago, and then it was no problem. Now I am transitioning to a largely vegan diet, which has also been a many month process. Some do have an all or nothing personality, but it sounds like you don't, and I don't. As I make choices towards my goal, however, I incorporate them into my life until they become habits, and it gets easier to incorporate new habits on top of those until you are where you want to be. Small steps, kid. Bite off what you can chew, and don't beat yourself up about not doing it all at once - that will only make the process miserable and unattractive and this is about health and well-being - let the process be about that, too. You do have to want the choices you make, but don't feel like you have to make them all at once.

[trinity082482]

Do what you want to. Being 100% would make you feel on top of the world but 50% is better than not eating any raw. I don't think that much meat can be very good for our bodies. :confused: