high raw or 100%?

[peaceandlove143]

Hello! I'd like to know if there's a big difference between eating high raw and eating 100% raw? and what differences did you notice if you went from high raw to 100%? thanks!

[Aleesha Sattva]

100% - goes to a whole different level of health and weight release for me. it also brought a different state of clarity to my mind.

100% all the way for me baby!!!

[Raw Angel Mom]

According to Victoria Butenko research is that it will play a major roll on your ability to absorb your nutriment. Even 99% raw compare to 100% raw is huge. Once you go 100%, eventually you will be able to absorb all the nutriment and therefore eat less. Her son went snowboarding and he was satisfy with two oranges during his day. His friends were always starved and needed to eat all the time.

But if you cannot make 100% raw, don't beat yourself up and be happy and feel great for making room for the good stuff. Focus always on your progress versus your imperfection because this is all good. If you feel you can give a try and go 100%, then this is so worth it. First, since you don't eat cook food, you will eventually be free from this crazy craving. I am not looking back and what works for me best is 100% raw. I find this is really freedom and way more comfortable to eat only raw food.

Congratulation on your raw journey!

[Ilse W.]

Unlike Aleesha's, my mind is too fogged to ever reach clarity, lol.
I think it's just a whole lot easier to be 100% raw than "almost" raw. When you allow yourself leeway, it's easy to end up going down hill toward 100% SAD. I find it extremely easy to not eat anything at all that's cooked. Of course, we all have different life circumstances. I am single and retired. It's just plain boring to cook for myself. I also tend to be very simple raw, juices, salads, smoothies, and my favorite - zucchini pasta with marinar.:D

[samariah]

im high raw but i find the more raw foods i eat the more i want to eat them and the less i want cooked foods just because they feel so heavy and contractive whereas raw foods are expansive for me.

everyone is different though. i have a lot of mild food intolerances so that explains partly why i enjoy eating more raw foods. i feel like im naturally reaching for raw foods because the i can sense the connection between that and how it will affect me. cooked foods are starting to appear more stale and dead and unfood like than ever.

[Green_Woman]

Right now I'm aiming for 100% but because I still use Bragg's to flavor my salads, I am technically at about 98%... so high raw, I guess.

I've increased my greens and for dehydrated foods I'm only eating the 100% larabars when I'm on the go at school and can't keep a smoothie or salad in my bag.

I'm also sprouting my nuts to make sure they really ARE raw before they go into my bellllleeeey. :D

I have noticed that just eating high raw, I tend to eat ALOT less and my food bill is REALLY LOW compared to when I was eating 75-90% raw... it's really nice!!

Also, my energy is more stable and I am stronger throughout the day.

[Raine]

Right now I'm aiming for 100% but because I still use Bragg's to flavor my salads, I am technically at about 98%... so high raw, I guess.

I've increased my greens and for dehydrated foods I'm only eating the 100% larabars when I'm on the go at school and can't keep a smoothie or salad in my bag.

I'm also sprouting my nuts to make sure they really ARE raw before they go into my bellllleeeey. :D

I have noticed that just eating high raw, I tend to eat ALOT less and my food bill is REALLY LOW compared to when I was eating 75-90% raw... it's really nice!!

Also, my energy is more stable and I am stronger throughout the day.

Green, I, too, have noticed that the cleaner I eat, the less I eat. By doing periodic 7-10 day water fasts and fasting 1 day per week, I find my body more easily absorbs nutrients so I need much less. Also, fasting 1 day a week lowers your average food bill by 15% in a year!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I also tend to be very simple raw, juices, salads, smoothies, and my favorite - zucchini pasta with marinar.:D

and when I'm being invited for dinner? I sooooooooo love keeping it simple (when I'm eating) and pasta... mmmm

[QUOTE=Raine;454729 Also, fasting 1 day a week lowers your average food bill by 15% in a year![/QUOTE]

Wow I never thought about that - 15% eh? Another great reason to fast.

[Ilse W.]

Come over any time, Aleesha!:D

[Eva]

100% all the way baby!

I've tried high raw, a few times for this reason or that. I had to learn the lessons to understand that it doesn't work for me. Now the lessons are programmed in my brain. One day, I might consider a B12 supplement if my levels are low, but my only supplements are the occasional green powder and probiotics, if you can call those supplements. One day, I might consider making a change to be high raw -- but I really doubt it at this point.

When I am high raw, cravings pop in. When I am high raw, I do not have a perfectly clear head, do not feel crazy happy, do not feel so loved and loving, start to get gas, am not able to effectively live as though I do not have ADHD, etc. I don't feel horrible, but it's just not the same.

The following statement is barring spices although I do go out of my way to try to get non-irradiated but NOT including most of the not really raw but used by many raw foodies for their personal reasons -- such as Bragg's, Nama Shoyu, nutritional yeast, maple syrup. I DO use hot herbal tea, cashews and macadamia nuts on occasion, which are also in the questionable category:

When I am 100% raw for long stretches of time, eventually my world lights up and stays that way for as long as I stay raw. My mind is clear, so clear I could not comprehend this experience before being 100% for some time; it's AMAZING. I am at peace with myself, other people, my life, the world, so at peace that I could die at any time and feel like I had lived. I am LIVING, so very alive, breathing fully and deeply, doing everything in my life to my best. I am free of the need or desire to take ADHD medications -- yet I am organized (!), both in my mind and my physical space; able to concentrate enough to listen to other people fully without sacrificing my own input; able to do my job WELL enough that I just got ANOTHER promotion yesterday (I think this makes about 4-5 promotions just since I went raw); work from home yet stay on deadline and excel at everything I am doing. I am in touch with God and able to show compassion. I fight for what I believe in and don't back down. And, of course... I don't have a lot of stress (because I am so darn alkaline), or an aggravated ulcer, digestive issues, acne, body odor (yup, NONE), or any other problem that plagues humankind.

I personally prefer the happy, clear, and troublefree "me"!

[ShelShel]

I've been 100% raw from Feb 2006 to January 2007; then high raw for all of 2007 until 6 days ago. I ended up back on coffee to combat incredible fatigue (my reason for seeking to go raw)... bummer. Acne started coming back in a major way this year. And I gained 20 pounds of my 63 pound loss...back! :confused: There is no question in my mind what is best for me.
100% raw... is a must. I sleep better, my acne clears and weight is never an issue.

PS...Today is day 6 being back to 100% and my oldest daughter told me two days ago, "Mom, I'm glad you are back to raw. You handle things so much better. I mean your moods." :p And just last night my husband was checking me out and said, "Holy cow...are you losing weight already? There is a noticeable difference, Shel...really." The proof is obvious to everyone around me. I don't have to even talk about it anymore. 100% raw is best for my body!:D (((HUGS)))

[srsarri]

HUGE differences between 100% and HIGH!! I am in my 3rd monthly challenge and yup EVA, NO BODY ODOR!, Love it, Deodorant is supposedly not good for you! so I am glad I do not have to use it any more!!

[tanishamarshall]

After a while of being High Raw, I conclude that 100% is best. Even when high raw and only eating cooked veggies I noticed brain fog, but with 100% I have more clarity, more focused also losing weight is easier. I also noticed as time went on I started feeling heavy from eating cooked veggies.

Also I totally beleive Victoria Hit it on the head when she said that we will absorb more nutrients and eat less when 100% raw, I trully believe it.

I would also say like someone above, I do believe high raw is better then no raw, but I can tell a difference.

[MOTH]

I do 100%, ripe, whole raw foods.

[petaltothemetal]

Peaceandlove: I guess it would depend on your original state of health! I've read in this and other raw groups where people say they feel good on 90% or so raw, but I've noticed also that people who are really heavy, really sick, really depressed DON'T HEAL quickly until they take the plunge to 100%. I felt better but still had health issues I was struggling with at 50% raw, 75% raw, and have noticed a huge difference in me since I started the August 100% raw Challenge (now in September). I still use some liquid aminos and miso, but just a very tiny bit. Other than that, it's all fresh and raw.

[peaceandlove143]

Thank you all so much! Your answers were definitely helpful... I'm going to go the full 100% :) thank you!!

[RawHeaven]

So high raw is eating raw without supplementation and the questionable raw foods like braggs amino acids, cacao, cashews, superfoods, etc?

And 100% raw is simply eating 100% raw and not worrying about definitions?

I'm confused! lol.

Can someone, please share a clear definition of both for those who do not know reading this thread?

I think I'm high raw now by the way and I'm loving it. I've been strictly juicing and eating salads the past 6 weeks...no gourmet raw etc.

Thank you very much for the clarification. :D

[ShelShel]

I think eating 100% raw is Alissa's definition in her book. There are those that go further... eliminating little things here and there...there are some who don't eat nuts and seeds at all...I stick to Alissa approach and I'm set!;)

[Green_Woman]

I guess I'm 100%, then. :D I can definitely say that I feel simply AMAZING and ALIVE when I'm eating the way I am right now.

My diet is literally the SIMPLEST I've had in my life, requires maybe 10 minutes prep time for all my daily meals, and costs me a fraction of what I was spending before switching to 100%.

On a normal day, I eat a GS or a banana/cacao or banana/strawberry smoothie for breakfast.

For lunch, I either finish off what's left of the smoothie, or woof down a 100% larabar (banana cookie are the ones I like right now... gonna make my own eventually when I'm feeling less lazy ;) ).

For dinner, I whip up a big bowl of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, greens (sometimes kale), onions (occasionally), sprouted beans, and avocados soaked in Bragg's.

Usually I can barely finish HALF that bowl before I'm stuffed and satisfied. Sometimes, if I still have smoothie leftover, I polsh the last of it off for dessert before heading to bed.

And generally I have the greens/veggies leftover in the morning so I eat that for midday snack or lunch.

It's really nice, all around!!! Life is simpler and cheaper when I'm eating this way, and I find that I don't crave ANYTHING, and always feel fat and sassy.

Plus, I ride my bicycle on average 4 miles/daily = 4x's/wk., so I'm getting muscle and trimming up more.

Life is good on RAW!!!

[coco]

i will probably never go back to 100% raw again. i know that many people can't have any cooked or non-raw foods or they get cravings etc but i am fine with high raw and if i'm out or at someone's house i can eat what they serve and suffer no ill effects.
i was so sensitive when i was 100%, i couldn't be out in public or go to work without being overwhelmed by the noise and smells of traffic, people's body odor and various scented products were an agony to me, cigarette smoke made me feel like dying, ugh. and i was too "high" all the time, it was hard to do menial work or anything that wasn't directly related to making me feel good. know what i mean? as lovely as that is it just isn't practical if you're going to live around other people and have a job. it was too much. way too much for me. i'm happy to fluxuate between 50 and 90% these days. no pressure, no worries. that bit of healthy cooked food keeps me grounded. and i don't have to worry about things like vinegar, bragg's, maple syrup, whether my almonds are truly raw, etc. that's a load off my mind to be honest.

[Ilse W.]

I love being 100% raw, but I have to admit that to the purist I wouldn't count among the 100% for sure raw people, because I DON'T worry about such things as Braggs, honey (mine is local, but the guy claimed he needs to heat it up to do it right), flash pasteurized but still sprouting almonds, etc. What counts the most for me is how my body feels and how healthy I am. I do prefer the simpler food choices and can eat a head of lettuce with just EVOO and ACV on it for dinner, nothing else. At the same time, I have discovered "bread". I'm German, I love bread. So I eat it with my own spread on it, topped with sliced tomatoes, chopped onions, salt & pepper, or just sliced cucumbers. Ah, I have to quit writing about it...I'm on a 30 day juice fast.:D