For those of you who are not 100% yet...

[wtng4amiracle]

Do you eat ANY breads or dairy of any kind? I thought I would be able to do this 100%, but I have already failed. I think I am going to try to transition slower. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cheri

[sport]

I went 100% cold turkey and bread was the thing that I missed until I got me dehydrator and started to make crackers.
Then I got over the bread thing and now I have gotten over the cracker thing and only make them if I want to use some food up.
Do you make crackers.

[Shirleyh]

Hello! I am about 85% raw. I am not perfect with my nuts being raw. I get my nuts that are in the health food stores, raw and unsalted but dont know if they are raw. I also get sauerkraut from the health food store that isnt raw. For me, I dont eat bread. I just do it raw imperfectly.

If you can do it with bread, and you are discipline, then it would be how much you add bread to your day to continue to be raw.

[amarryth]

trying and failing shouldn't frustrate you.. i was introduced to this diet by a friend almost a year ago, and since then i have been obsessively educating myself on it.. i'll go a week here, a few days there... back in march i went almost 2 weeks.. it's the breads and other carby things i crave as well.. so right now i'm giving myself the month of june to be totally vegan with a high raw but not strict 100% focus, and i'll eat bread if i really have to, but most of the time i'm trying to be gluten free, as i know it irritates my system. saturday nights are the worst for me.. but last night i overcame so many impulses when having friends over. i didn't open any chips and scarf down the whole bag, no munchy foods that are so easy to eat when socializing.. i ended up having a slice of cheeseless veggie pizza.. and if i consider THAT junk food now, i must be doing well.. just going low-gluten (low wheat) vegan has helped me tremendously, i'm so incredibly excited to see what raw will do! i've realized that i'm not one of the people that can just jump into it 100%.. i crave things and then go back to eating everything again.. so i've told most of my friends and family that i am no longer consuming animal products, and they notice a difference in my health and attitude and mood after a short while, and know that i'm doing something right.. keep at it! try doing one meal of solid raw each day.. breakfast is the easiest, and the best since it's easing your body into the day.. :D

i'm hoping to try 100% in july.. we'll see if i'm ready in a few weeks!

[ThnkYouJesus!!!]

I was a HUGE bread/carb fan...so I started out thinking I would take it slow and assumed I would have a hard time. What I tried to focus on what replacing one thing for another and that has been really helpful to me.

Example...I try to keep soaked barley and other grains on hand, because when I crave carby kind of things I eat those, or I incorporate them into other meals like salads, etc. It really helps cut the craving for breads and pasta. I am hoping to get a dehydrator and make crackers like sport said because I think that would really help too.

[Craig]

Do you eat ANY breads or dairy of any kind? I thought I would be able to do this 100%, but I have already failed. I think I am going to try to transition slower. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cheri

Make your own nut milk and some flax seed crackers.

Failing is a part of 100% Raw Food journey.

[eatyourbroccoli]

im not 100% yet but over the past almost 2 years ive been able to cut down that last 10-20% to strictly air-popper popcorn drizzled with raw agave syrup.

i dropped grains and dairy about 3 months ago. and dropped junk foods about 6 months ago. and dropped restaurant food about a year ago.

its been a slow, at some time hard, transition for me..but i was also coming out of an eating disorder.

just stick with raw to the best of your ability. if you slip, you slip. we're human. every day is a new day and a new chance to give it your all..but i personally think stressing yourself out over 100% if youre not mentally ready for it could be potentially as harmful to your health as eating SAD. :shrug:

just do your best. its all you can ever do, right? :)

ETA: what about looking into Ezekiel bread in the frozen section of your health food store..it isnt raw, persay, BUT its raw-er than other breads and its made from sprouted grains and cooked at a very low temp...its a good transition food, IMO. and alissa has a ton of recipes in her book that mimick dairy that you could take a look at..milks and cheeses that are raw vegan but taste like the real thing (or pretty close)

[LightLover]

Do you eat ANY breads or dairy of any kind? I thought I would be able to do this 100%, but I have already failed. I think I am going to try to transition slower. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cheri
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Quinoa! Hummus! (Both; cooked, but not fried/baked)

LL
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[solarliving]

I find it easier when I have flax crackers, tortillas, and some raw bread around to satisfy the cravings. If you don't have a dehydrator there are sprouted breads out there. As far as I know they have other ingredients which aren't raw.

[lori ann]

Do not give up. I know Alissa's book says it is best to go 100 % raw, which is super advise, but I can not. Eating healthy has been a journey for me. I have fallen off the wagon and I just get right back on. I am getting better over time and everyone is different. As of right now I am about 85% (appoximate) raw, but I am still eating sprouted bread and whole grain bread. So for right now concentrate on not the bread, but going raw with the rest of your diet. Good luck!

[garden granny]

It took me many months before I could stay raw. I allowed myself many cooked things that I loved in the beginning but slowly but surely cut them out. Now I don't want them, which I thought would never happen. Do what best suits you, and if you really want to eat completly raw, you will find a way to do it. :)

[Mialsse]

If you fall off every now and then, try not to get frustrated and discouraged. Slip-ups happen ... don't plan for it, but expect it. Most of us have been trained for so long to eat sad foods. They are addicting (and made to be so). You've already taken the biggest step by commiting to raw foods - now take it at a speed in which you feel most comfortable, so you'll have the least amount of slip-ups possible.

I had intentions of going 100% right off the bat, but I had troubles, too. I knew I was close to quitting, so I incorporated some non-raw foods back. I cannot find/make a raw salad dressing that I like (other then just oil and vinegar, but that gets old quick when it's ALL I use), so I still use store bought (vegan) salad dressings. Also about 1/2 of our nut & seed supply is not raw either. Cost and availability play a role there. I'm not a big nut person anyway, so the nuts are mostly my husband and kids non-rawness, lol. Other then those two things, though, everything else is all raw.

Be proud of yourself!! You're doing a GREAT thing for your body, mind, and spirit. You're doing a lot better then the majority of America. Be pleased with the progress you have made, and patient with the work you still have to do. You'll get there - in your own time.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Do you eat ANY breads or dairy of any kind? I thought I would be able to do this 100%, but I have already failed. I think I am going to try to transition slower. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cheri


I would not do animal products as they aren't good for weight loss (if that's your goal) or health (the 'other' goal and the reason most of us are here).

You can ween yourself on to raw. Not because 100% is impossible but because for some people, going cold turkey is not possible to them, so it's better to go 80% raw at first than zero percent (the flipside). It seems to have worked for garden granny, who's clearly very wise.

Do steamed stuff. And yes, quinoa, ezekial bread, organic hummus... natural whole food organic vegan foods.

Sergei Boutenko has the wisest advice ever: It is easier to ADD to your diet than to subtract. What you restrict persists. So, keep adding more and more raw and focus on that, not on the stuff you're giving up.

Hope that helps! Remember, you are not a failure, you are NORMAL and to be applauded for changing your habits. If it was EASY, wouldn't everyone be zooming around with perfect health??

[wtng4amiracle]

Thank you, all--such great advice. I haven't been doing too bad. I LOVE bread and have been limiting myself to a slice a day-or every other day. It is all natural--not gluten-free though.

I really wanted to go at this 100% as Alissa recommends, but I feel much better going slower into the transition. I feel it is something I can accomplish if I take it slower.

Thanks again for all your advice. I am so grateful for this forum!

Cheri

[Bethanie]

For those that are less than 100% raw have you experience any noticeable benefits such as sicknesses reversed, weightloss, etc.
I'm also going back and forth but this week i'm working toward doing much better and staying the course:)
Beth

[littleangelbear]

I don't do any dairy or any gluten...I'm 90-100 percent raw depending on the time of year :) I'm about 99 percent vegan. I do have organic eggs (only 2) in an omellette about every 4-5 months :) And, well, my thyroid medicine is made from pork.

I have enjoyed the many health benefits. I didn't have weight loss as a goal, but my body composition did change quite a bit :) Also, I have been feeling more energy, despite lots of detox here and there. I notice more mental and spiritual clarity as well :)

Hugs and enjoy!,
Lisa