How much Raw & questions

[Edevon]

Hello again,
I am toying more and more with going Raw but still have questions. I have read here that i don't need to be 100% Raw although i believe that is the ultimate state but how much 'Raw' is enough to actually experience the dramatic health benefits? :confused: Also are the following things acceptable:
Soy or Almond milk
Yogurt
Nutritionizer (a powdered nutrient dence suppliment, almost like a protein powder with so much more!)
Would adding these things significantly reduce the benefits of a Raw lifestyle?

I'm still scared about doing this (don't know why really) even though i believe in the benefits. Part of me doesn't want to never eat certain things again. I guess i'm scared that i will do so well on Raw that when i 'sample' cooked again i will get severely ill.:(
Any help/advice is VERY welcomed.

[Veganforlife]

Hey! Welcome! Here's some answers:

How much raw? That's up to you. Ideally? 100% for one's body to FULLY work and heal properly, BUT, if it is too difficult at first to go 100%, then do what you can.

Soy or Almond milk Soy - no, almond - yes
Yogurt No. It's dairy or soy
Nutritionizer (a powdered nutrient dence suppliment, almost like a protein powder with so much more!) Your call on this one. If it contains dairy and/or soy and you are wanting to avoid this, then no.
Would adding these things significantly reduce the benefits of a Raw lifestyle? Yes. Adding these would DEFINITELY reduce the benefits of a raw lifestyle. May I suggest getting Alissa's book and DVDs and read, read, read. And search this forum (using the search button up top). TONS of info in the book/dvd combo and here. Good luck and have fun!!!
I'm still scared about doing this (don't know why really) even though i believe in the benefits. Part of me doesn't want to never eat certain things again. I guess i'm scared that i will do so well on Raw that when i 'sample' cooked again i will get severely ill.
Any help/advice is VERY welcomed.
Being scared is okay, really. It's part of the unknown, but look at it more as exciting and healing. Our bodies are amazing machines that we need to fuel properly to function well. One wouldn't put diesel fuel into a gas engine, would they? Same w/our bodies. They need to be fueled properly to work and heal. You'll do fine.

[Eva]

I have the most dramatic benefits really close to 100% (only things that are questionable are spices that may not be, stuff like that)... For me, I've had some dramatic life changes from my improved health and general wellbeing. I find having things like soy milk, bread, anything else on occasion doesn't work for me. It's got to be 100%-ish for me to stick with it and have no cravings for other food at all.

Lucy that just posted has been raw (but without nitpicking some very small details) for awhile and has healed plenty of issues. You should read her testimony if you have a minute!

You may find that it works better for you to be "high raw" and eat a lot of raw food. Just go with what works for you and your goals...

And I second Alissa's book. It's full of helpful info. :)

[rawfoodistdavid]

By going raw you remove so many bad foods by default. Many of those foods are well wortyh getting rid of whether you go raw or not.

Nearly ten years ago I read the book Sugar Blues and have recommended it to many people over the years strugling with obesity and/or anxiety/depression. If you kick refined sugars, really kick, them you eliminate candy, processed TV dinners, sugary sodas, and eat much more unrefined food. Sugar Blues is written in a lively, emphatic style and that's why I recommend it - people tend to want to ditch sugar after reading it. Everyone who took that basic message on board lost lots of wieght and had better moods.

On raw, refined sugar goes by default. As does bleached refined flour.

Another foodstuff quite often eliminated is gluten-containing grains. Sometimes sprouted gluten grains are included in a raw diet but many people choose not to eat them. More and more people, even if they didn't feel especially wheat-sensitive feel better off gluten. Ditching gluten again seems of be a big weightloss trigger fro many people.

So why raw, not just wholefood vegetarianism, macrobiotics or avoid processed slop and eat lots of boiled veg?

For me raw food has a lifeforce and is intuitively good for you. A large percentage of what I eat if planted or the seeds collected could grow. Some stuff, like sprouts, is a plant in the process of growing. I feel amazingly good on this stuff. I can eat loads of lentil sprouts but a stodgy lentil stew would have me clutching my guts. Yes, it's accepted even by the mainstream that cooking can kill nutrients but I think it's more profound than that - a lifeforce.

Put cooked lentil stew on a compost heap and it won't really break down. It'll just go smelly and moldy and horrible. Put some droopy raw salad on the heap and it'll rot gracefully, giving nutrients for new life.

A VARIED raw diet following something like Alissa's or the Hippocrates stuff is 100% safe and you'll thrive on it. There are one or two grey areas - in the UK many people are Vitamin D deficient as the sun does not exist here, especially if they don't eat dairy. I choose to take Cod Liver oil as it's better than something synthetic and as it has a direct calming effect in my psoriasis I'm reluctant to ditch it. A good Vitamin B12 supplement is advisable as it's a key 'energy' vitamin - there's controversy over whether spirulina has useful B12.

[annavon]

Personally I have tried eating both 85% raw and 100% raw. I have had the best results eating 100% raw, but have had some improvement on 85% raw. I think that the concept behind the partially raw is more or less meant to be a transition for people who have had no or little experience with vegetarian or vegan diets. For some people 85% can yeild dramitic results because their previous diet was so bad. (Think the southerner who batters and deep fries all of their food, including the vegetables. I had a friend who was visiting family in Texas and when he returned he said that the only raw vegetable he had was the tomato on a hamburger, he was ready for a coronary bipass after that one!) ;)

Also, keep in mind that some cooked foods can produce severe cravings espicially high carb ones like potatoes and things made with flour and/or sugar. Bread seems to be an espically big problem for people.

My best advice would be to try a 30 challange to go 100% and see how you feel. If you choose to include cooked food, I would say to do so with caution and keep in vegan. When I did eat cooked foods I allowed myself only unprocessed whole grains and beans and the like and even these aren't really that great (beans can produce an acid ph).

Try 100% raw for 30 days and see how you feel. Get Alissa's book and dvd too.

[Veganforlife]

Another thought?

GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!

[Edevon]

Thanks, for the responces!
I do have Alissa's book but getting started is the hardest part i guess, just worrying all the time :o

My eating isn't terrible, I haven't eaten any 'meat' product other than fish & chicken for over 24 years - although i do eat meals with neither. I dont drink milk other than soy or Almond, eggs are once ina blue moon (about 4 a year!) Cheese &/ yogurt - a little more often. I usually boil, bake or steam my foods and try my best to keep up my fluid intake (oh, i dont do soft drinks) using water, water with crystal lite or juice. I love my veggies, except okras and brussell sprouts and adore fruit with a passion! :p

That's why i don't know why i'm so scared to start :confused:
I believe i'm closer than ive ever been. . . . just not starting tomorrow.
I don't want to set myself up for the 'all or nothing' mentality and then fail miserably and never try again. I also thought about attacking it in chunks; tell myself 15 days, then another 15 and see how i feel - maybe working up to 90 days (I get married in 102ish). What if i do so well that i can't eat at the wedding because i get sick from 'regular' food?
Sorrry to sound silly but i guess im a bit panicy.

[SuzyQ]

There may be some who disagree with this, but I think it makes sense if you are scared. Try replacing any snacks with raw food/green smoothies for a week. (or chose how many days you like). Then, add to that, raw breakfast for a week. Then add to the breakfast & snacks a raw lunch. Just ease into it. That gives you research, planning & preparation time.

[JEN]

You can transition to raw if that is easier for you. Just start adding more raw things into your diet. Experiment with some recipes to find some things you like. Find a few salad dressing recipes that you like and start adding in a more salads. Oh and like Veganforlife says.....GREEN SMOOTHIES. A green smoothie a day keeps the cravings away!! Best of luck!!

[Veganforlife]

...and like Veganforlife says.....GREEN SMOOTHIES. A green smoothie a day keeps the cravings away!! Best of luck!!

LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!