High Raw - How Much Does Percentage Matter?

[tammay]

OK, sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm wondering...

I've read that even going high raw (70% or more) can make a big difference in health and well-being but I'm wondering how much it matters when you're talking about a small jump in percentage (say, 70% as opposed to 75% raw). I understand that 85% as opposed to 75% is a big difference in terms of health for going raw, but beyond that?

Sorry if the question sounds idiotic and absurd. I'm just trying to figure out how to balance my eating to get the maximum benefits (apart from going 100% which I'm not ready to do yet).

Tam

[dreamrawalwz]

Not a stupid question. If you're coming from a SAD diet, even 50% is good. You do the best you can for that moment. I was about 95% raw (questionable items such as dried fruits, kombucha tea, and nuts/seeds made up that 5% not raw) since February and I just finally made that switch to 100% this week and the change is DRASTIC for me. I've heard that the difference between 95% and 100% can be like night and day. It was for me. I have SO much more energy, my mood is better, etc. At the moment it's almost 11PM and I want to go run around the neighborhood for miles! However, then there are those that aren't as sensitive to foods and can do the questionable "raw" items and feel just ducky :D

Any percentage is better than none ya know? I don't know your current situation with percentage now, but if you keep adding in more, it can get easier and you'll feel a differnece.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Okay, for the sake of this board, the goal is 100%.

Overall, it is kind of stated that 80% is really considered a raw foodist and super great for you, the other 20% being steamed or cooked whole organic vegan foods.

[Pierre]

I think what matters more than the percentage is:
1. What the non-raw food is. A glass of pasteurized OJ is less bad than a roast chicken.
2. How often you eat a whole meal that isn't raw. I sometimes have a snack of processed frozen fruit pulp, but when I make a smoothie, I put fresh bananas, pineapple chunks, or oranges, and often all three.

[chilove]

Of course, any amount of fresh fruits and veggies added to any diet, is an improvement, but I've been high raw (about 90%) and I've been 100% raw and I have to say that I have noticed a big difference in terms of health, happiness and ease. It is much easier to maintain a 100% raw diet in my opinion. Either something is raw or it isn't. It's an easy choice. :-)

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[hypnocmt]

I think the raw experience naturally persuades people to do higher and higher percentages of raw. When you see the benefits of 80%, you'll start wondering how much better it can be at 90% and 95% and finally 100%.

Start wherever it feels right for you. I have an easier time when I am at the upward end of the spectrum. Once I have a raw meal, I just don't want to "taint" it with cooked stuff.

Plus, the raw food tastes so much better that cooked food disappoints me..so preference keeps me in the high raw category without any real effort.

If I start tasting too much cooked food, i notice my cooked issues resurface...I'll break out, a patch of psoriasis will surface, I wake up with morning breath. When I stick to raw my breath is fresh no matter whether I have just eaten, gotten out of bed, etc. I can sweat up a storm whil eworking out, but it is odorless. I feel like my stomach is flatter, no bloating or puffiness. I have more energy.

I would say I am probably 95% raw. I choose raw foods, but sometimes I'll have tea, or a salad dressing that isn't raw. When I tighten up on that and go truly 100% I feel inhumanly good.

Experiment and find your personal best. I would try 100% at some point just to see what your personal highest health potential is...and just for a good detox to reset your internal functions to "optimal"

[sport]

It is a jorney.
Even when you are 100% raw there will be higher levels to strive for. Better combining, better balance, less dehydrated, more wholefoods etc etc.
Just do the best that you can today and try to do a little better tomorrow.

[tammay]

Thank you for the thoughtful comments. I've been raising my percentage slowly, starting at 50% and now am at about 75%. The non-raw stuff isn't conscious (that is, I don't have a cooked meal :D) but more like dreamraw, the stuff that isn't raw is things dry fruit that I'm pretty sure isn't completely sundried (though it is organic) and nut butters. The irony is that my calories are pretty low (about 1350-1500) so even a few tbsps of roasted nut butter already puts me at 20% :mad: . I'm not trying to keep them that low (though it would be nice to lose about 10 pounds) but even with mini-meals, I just don't feel hungry for more food.

SchoolofRawk, I agree that the goal is 100%, which is why I'm asking.

Right now I'm stuck in a very small town in the Midwest where I'm lucky to get any kind of selection of organic veggies and raw nuts, so I'm doing the best I can with it. I'll be moving in a few months to a much larger town in Texas which I already know has some pretty good outlets for organic and health food, so I'm guessing it's going to be much easier to find raw and organic food and raise my percentage slowly.

I'm feeling great on 75% but I'm wondering if there will be such a huge difference for me when I hit 95%, etc. I came from a vegan diet which included a lot of raw dips and salads anyway (which also accounts for the mild detox symptoms I've had, thank goodness :D)

Tam

[punkspirit]

:) I think its kind of a personal thing how much raw you eat!:)

Some jump on 100 % instantly, some increase their raw-intake over a year or something...

I think that most people get more and more raw when they once tried it. They realize how good it is and then cant get it out of their heads... maybe that leads to 100 % for everyone sometime:p

For me its ALL OR NOTHING! I am on 100% and thats the only way that works for me! Otherwise the cravings are so strong and I am not satisfied with how I feel and look;)

[Sunshine9]

Ah it is such a personal thing!! For me, I was not ready to go 100% raw when I first heard about it. I slowly integrated the principles of raw until suddenly one day I was ready. I think the key to success with high raw is to have the cooked foods be conscious whole vegan choices. If it's 20% junk food, you will probably feel miserable. The idea is not to just eat RAW, but to eat HEALTHY, so frame your choices around that.

I think the key to deriving maximum benefit from your diet is to be where you feel COMFORTALBE and FABULOUS! If you don't feel good - change something so you do.

[Lay-Lay]

This is my new slogan "I'm some form of Raw everyday, my journey, my way"

[SchoolOfRAWk]

I think this is important to point out:

I personally have felt better 80% RAW and 20% WISE COOKED than AT TIMES of being 100% raw.

Why? Because while eating raw I was eating too many crackers, avocados and nuts (although eating green smoothies and more). I don't well that way, but my habits lead me to them.

When eating 80% raw and having some brown rice, sauteed veggies and maybe even tofu or something, I have felt better.

That is not to say that one registers better than the other. I have met healthier 80/20's than 100% raw foodists, and vice versa. It is about YOU, YOUR HABITS, and THE BALANCE. The PERSON eating raw is still the one with the magical power, not "just" raw food, because it is up to them to feed themselves right still. It makes obvious sense that you will feel better after eating a partially cooked lowfat whole food organic meal like a plate of steamed broccolies and/or cooked yams than maybe many handfuls of cashews/walnuts and raisins, etc. At least for my body type. That has been an interesting lesson to learn, despite how I wanted to feel about it. That is not to say that raw is not ideal at all. I think it is common sense. I have gotten away from percentages, though, honestly. I think over time, most do (no?) I used to care when I first got into it, now I feel the goal is great health, and I focus on that. HEY, my friend knows "raw" and "vegan" is a turnoff to hear, and she says she eats a HIGH ENZYME DIET. That always PIQUES curiosity, and it's true! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT? Nobody knows what the hell an enzyme is, and she GLOWS, so it's just a rawkin answer imho. I may switch to it. All raw and vegan are like terrorizing words to the SADing public. It was to ME too, so I don't say that with disgust. ;-) I used to be annoyed by vegetarians!! How embarassing to admit! I'm a CHICAGO girl - midwestern! - and I ate animals morning, noon and din. Loved 'em. Also loved my dog. When I made the connection, I was heartsick to give up the foods, but it was easy. This was long before raw. I do think raw is easier when you are already vegan. Note that I was a totally junky vegan... lol!

I personally enjoy being raw 100% for a long period of time (I enjoy cleansing/fasting a lot, too) but then if I want to throw some baked tofu in my salad or eat some organic Thai kettle chips sometime, OMG, I do NOT sweat it anymore. I enjoy them. Now that my candida and other parasites have been taken care of in large part by a rife machine, I don't feel as bloated, gross and horrendous after eating something slightly cooked. It was a reality check to see that not everyone probably feels like death after eating such foods. Then again, they couldn't, or they'd have CFS and more like I did and not be out being active. lol! I also thought that made me a bad instructor and more, and was always hiding it if I ate something cooked. But now I think that is absolutely ridiculous. I don't feel it's off the wagon or bad or anything, now that my body is healing. If it's organic, vegan and an exception and not the rule, I don't worry about it. I never thought I'd reach such a place. I really enjoy and like 100% raw, though, but I don't notice any more massive fireworks, personally. For me, I notice the difference when, whether 80% or 100%, I am 1) not overeating 2) eating high water content foods 3) staying hydrated. As far as the rest, whether it's 80 or 100 isn't a magical state for me. The above affects me more. We are all different. I say this because I always felt like I was "doing it wrong" for not floating at 100%. I have great, great benefits when living this way, though. I teach it, preach it, love it, live it and feel it saved my life. I would NEVER EVER play down raw, and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm doing that.

We are writing about this all in our book, because I think it's kind of overlooked a bit (what do you think?). I think there is a misnomer out there that "just go raw!" and EVERYTHING takes care of itself. That's what I thought. If you eat raw, everything rectifies itself. Well, raw is a broad term. I went raw and didn't lose weight. I went raw and felt better but certain issues persisted. You STILL have to use discipline, balance, education and wisdom. Raw absolutely makes things easier: it HELPS with cravings, energy and therefore motivation, etc., but I have met women who GAINED on raw (but also improved their health and looked great), and because they lived on almonds and avocados and knew they still didn't eat enough greens, etc (she was not underweight when starting, but the 15lbs didn't make her fat).

Would you guys agree with this, out of curiosity? I want to work on my book during this fast (it's an e-book, and it rawks) again and know I can finish it. The chapters are amazing. What are your experiences with this topic? And how great for a newbie to hear us discuss this? Wish I had that experience! :-)

I am embarrassed I typed so much! I am cleansing and also just woke up. I think it's easier to keep typing than it is to end the post and get on with my day! LOL!!!!!

Skim if necessary.

LOVE YOU ALL! *muah!*
Erica

[SchoolOfRAWk]

P.S. "broccolies"? I slay me.... lol! Can we chalk that up to just waking up!:p

[Sunshine9]

SchoolofRAWk that was an amazing and very well thought-out post. I agree 100%. It's about being healthy, not dogmatic :) I was very diligently 100% raw for a long time, even after my body was saying NO. I gained weight, became bloated and ill, I looked sick, and I ate avocados and nuts to just keep me raw. I saw that I needed to heal, and I stepped back to 90% raw where I have achieved much better balance. I feel a million times better than I was at 100% raw. Not because there is anything wrong with it, but with my state of health I was not able to thrive. Now that I am healing and getting stronger, I absolutely plan to be 100% raw again, when I am ready, and when my body wants to.

I hope this post is ok since my experience was different than Alissa's. I just think it's important for people to listen to their bodies and do what feels right as opposed to being dogmatic about staying 100% raw.

[RawVegan4Health]

I'm still new at this, but I have been doing better the closer I am to 100% raw. Perhaps someday my health will plateau and I can get no better living 100% raw. Perhaps even some cooked foods will make a difference somehow. I don't know. but I do know that any time I eat something cooked I feel like crud for a day or two wile I work it out of my system. I also know that as I eliminate processed condiments I detox and then feel even better than before. For me, 100% is the optimum right now. I say this after eating a cooked meal last night, but that was my first slip-up after 20 days at 100%. Before that my longest stretch at 100% was only 6 days. Like I said, I am still fairly new at this. These are the experiences I have had so far however.

[magglepie]

I know that I feel better, emotionally physically, etc, when I am 100%. I feel like life is great! BUT I know that 100% may not be right for some people right away. Just listen to your body and do what feels right!

[rande]

i dont really post so much here, but i'm always reading the posts and keeping up with everything, but the last post by schoolofrawk i just had to reply to! everything you said was fantastic! for me anyways, i have found the same things to be true. i've been all raw for 2 months,havent lost any weight, feel pretty good, but have been eating way too many fats, etc. decided recently that if i wanted something more filling i'd have steamed veggies, though not often. i feel that this is so much better for me now. maybe one day will go back to all raw, or maybe not! not really worried about it, glad to see someone with the same experience.

[Ariannah]

In my experience, 100% is true bliss. I am too much of a slacker to work out 'percentages' when I am otherwise. But high raw is absolutely the minimum for me.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

I gained weight, became bloated and ill, I looked sick, and I ate avocados and nuts to just keep me raw. I saw that I needed to heal, and I stepped back to 90% raw where I have achieved much better balance

That was me, Sunshine9! I agree. I love that I feel great at 100% for awhile, and that it works for so many. But I had a friend with adrenal fatigue tell me that when she asked someone why she didn't feel optimal, at 95% raw, they said it's because she's not 100%. Ridiculous! And the thing is, I don't believe ANYbody is "100%", although I understand what it means. Between sauces and cashews, etc, even though that of COURSE is acceptable. What I'm saying is, I worked at an institute and everybody was obsessed with percentages. They were generally new to it. I was, too. (Not that anybody on this board is, I'm NOT saying that! :)) But I'm glad I've gotten away from it because I work hard at balance - I am quite comfortable on one end or another end of a spectrum, so it's interesting and I think healing for me on many levels to NOT fall into my general "all or nothing" philosophy (not that I'm still not extreme, I'm on a huge fast right now, lol!)

and Rande, congratulations to you for finding what works for you. Thank you for listening to your body, that is truly the key.

[Rawkinlocs]

I agree with Erica...percentages kinda suck IMHO (in my humble opinion) - I think that if a person is eating a great deal of raw foods, then that is a GREAT thing and a good step in the right direction. Some people keep cooked foods in their diet and feel great with that; some keep them in only out of cravings and temptation around them but truly want to eat all raw. But it's really about just eating as much raw as you can and striving to eat as much of it as you can. Don't get caught up into the numbers game and percentages and all that.

It's true...not too many people can "technically" call themselves 100% anyway UNLESS they are eating strictly fruits and veggies ONLY - no recipes that may have "questionable" ingredients in them; no raw bars; etc. So, it's not even worth the headache to try and figure out what percentage of raw one is or should be unless you are eating the most pure, unadulterated, raw fresh whole fruits and veggies only diet! ;)

[LightLover]

I think I remember reading Brian Clement (Hippocrates) that 75% raw is
the bottom for being regarded as a "living food diet". More is sometimes better, depends on your individuality.

LL

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Perfect advice.

[LightLover]

Perfect advice.

We go together for "President"? :)

ll

[littleangelbear]

I really like your views, SchoolofRawk...since we can't PM any more, I have to tell you this publicly LOL, but that is not a problem for me :)

[tammay]

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies and thank you SchoolofRawk for saying what needed to be said so eloquently.

Rawkinlocs, what you said hit home for me - I tend to get caught up in numbers , but it's useless to try and be too adherent with percentages. It's all about eating as much raw as you can, doing what feels healthy, and not stressing about doing it "right". Ultimately, whatever makes us feel healthy is "right" :D.
Tam

[tweety]

Erica / SoR ~

Thank you for pointing this out on %'s.
As I progress through this new lifestyle, I absolutley abhore having to explain percentages. And going to a local Raw food potluck, I went shopping afterwards and ran into a few peeps who were at the potluck.
One of the guys picked on me for having cheese in my basket and it made me feel uncomfortable or like I had to explain myself. I dunno , maybe it was kindof rude, but maybe I was just super-sensitive at the time.
I dont feel I have to do that anymore. I've grown a lot on this journey so far.

'High Enzyme Diet' ? Oh yeah. Thank you for sharing.
Im a southern girl from Texas and grew up on all meat stuff so I know what you mean. I think this is an important topic because its where we can bridge the gap between cooked and raw eaters and where we can teach/encourage/inspire others about adding more raw foods to the diet. I never did like the Vegan term or even vegetarian before... so look at us now!

I know when i have steamed broccoli/carrots w/ fresh herbs I am in absolute heaven. I think the other thing that relates to monitering ourselves and our percentages like we have to be PERFECT Raw Foodists can be a BAD thing now this comes up.

Maybe this has something to do with the BODY-MIND connection. Not just on a pure physical level. Maybe the thoughts a person generates in something they enjoy, but at the same time they also KNOW the food they are eating is healthy for them... and technically the food IS healthy for that person (ie. steamed veggies, brown rice) has a correlation.

If youre mind is generating GUILT for eating something or for NOT eating something that perhaps youre body really needs or that you just want, those guilty feelings and emotions are toxic!!!

I know when I go home for Thanksgiving dinner with my family, I can and will parttake in the celebration with some cooked foods, but I also plan to bring some raw recipes to the table :p

thanks for disspelling this myth for me.

Tweety

[Craig]

From my experience, it was not a over night deal for me to go to totally vegan. I've cut out pork, any sea food doesn't have a fin and a tail, all dairy product. Over three week ago,I finally cut all all meat from my diet including beef and poultry and went between 75% to 100% raw from day to day.

It is far better to learn how to listen your body and try to go by the numbers.

After reading John Robbins 's The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America, I know that John was telling truth about meat industry because I am working in the one of the largest meat corporations in the world. Needless to say, I am going to get out that industry and do something more meaningful.

The company that I worked for treat animals and workers like crap.

One of better way to stick it to meat corporations and give them one-finger salute is to go vegan or at least use free range beef and poultry.

[Shoshannah]

After reading John Robbins 's The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America, I know that John was telling truth about meat industry because I am working in the one of the largest meat corporations in the world. Needless to say, I am going to get out that industry and do something more meaningful.

The company that I worked for treat animals and workers like crap.

One of better way to stick it to meat corporations and give them one-finger salute is to go vegan or at least use free range beef and poultry.

Craig, your post truly warms my heart. Glad you are getting out of the meat industry and I will join you in giving them the one-finger salute :p

[LightLover]

I wonder how many people will not do very well on a 75-100% living food diet.


I think allmost all will feel great.
There is only the social problem.

LL

[RawVegan4Health]

I am still pretty new to all this, but after what I have experienced the last few days I am going to disagree that eating SAD occasionally is OK. My cravings for SAD food have increased a LOT since doing so. I think those who are high raw or 100% raw and decide to allow a percentage of SAD back into their diet are running a potentially high risk of falling off of raw more than they planned, especially if they have not overcome SAD temptations yet.

I received the brand new version of 12 Steps to Raw Foods book yesterday and started reading it last night. This version was just released in the last week or two. I think everyone should read this second edition before deciding what level of raw is correct. They do not have to agree with it of course, but they should at least take this information into consideration.

It is very easy and tempting to want to not eat 100% raw, especially for those in their first few months of being high raw or 100% raw. I think the information given in this kind of thread could do more harm than good to these kinds of people, even if the intentions were right.