What does 80-90% look like????

[ripenready]

Rawsters,

I have seen many of you say you are 80-90% raw. What exactly what does that look like for you? Menu wise a day.

My dh and I have been raw for the going on 5 weeks and I have been trying to tell him not to be such an extremist; as I really want us to stay on track. We have been vegatarians for 15 years, but lots of bread and cheese. So, this has been a real change for us. However, we have given up dairy all together.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts on what is 80-90%? I am sure it is different for everyone, but would love to hear what everyones weekly menu looks like at 80-90%.

[ViolinCyndee]

Well, I basically eat 100% raw either:

Mon-Fri, Sun-Fri or Mon-Sat. :D

[Ilse W.]

I am 100% raw (as far as I know - or acknowledge), because I'm an all or nothing person. I have a chiropractor in town, though, who wrote a book and has meetings with people to help them lose weight with raw food. She says to eat 10 different fruits throughout the morning, a huuuuge salad with 10 different vegetables for lunch, and start your dinner with a very big salad. Then she says to give yourself 10% "wiggle room" after you are done with the salad. That's when she says you can eat steamed vegetables, and if you are still hungry after that, even some animal protein. I guess the idea is that you are so full by the time you've finished with that salad, you don't want much of the cooked food. She doesn't allow oil, nuts, avocados, seeds or anything else fatty, though, sort of like Dr. Fuhrman. That's where I draw the line. I'd rather fast every now and then, but I have to have my good raw fats.:D

[coco]

with my kids i have to be pretty flexible, breakfast and school lunch are a challenge any time so i'm not going to drive myself crazy over them.

breakfast is usually a large green smoothie. if we are still hungry maybe some whole grain toast or hot whole grain cereal with rice milk (i don't think grains are an optimal food but that is good food combining at least!). i often have herbal tea, bengal spice by celestial seasoning is my favourite right now, it's naturally sweetish and very cinnamony.

i make a sandwich but everything else in my little guys lunch is raw, fruit, raisins, water to drink. i wish he would eat veggie sticks but not unless i'm there urging him to eat them so i save that for home.

most snacks are raw, fruit, veggies, salad, nuts or seeds.

dinner can be lightly steamed veggies with cooked beans (i sprout them first), salad or veggies sticks, sometimes guacamole and/or salsa with veggies sticks or organic chips of some kind (corn or whole grain), wraps (grain wraps or a baby romaine lettuce leaf) with tons of salad and nut/seed pate or homemade hummus (i sprout but cook the beans), and i make a lot of veggie soup.
]
(oh, i started eating eggs that i get from the librarian in town, her chickens are free birds. i am doing this because of the b-12 issue, i'm not sure if it's an optimal food but i feel like the kids and i are better off with cooked unfertilized organic eggs from happy (rescued) chickens than a supplement. i know that isn't vegan and i'm sorry if it's taboo on this board but in the interest of full disclosure i thought i should include it.)

[Ilse W.]

Coco, for the best health benefit, you should keep those "unmentionables" raw as well. It's safe from organic/free range birds that you know. They are great in smoothies.

[les]

I guess that my response would the "80%-90%" be based on caloric ratio or something else?????? Caloric would make the most sense to me...

[Ilse W.]

Whatever you do, don't use nutritional value, since one big bowl of romaine lettuce has more nutritional value than a day's worth of SAD food.:eek:

[ripenready]

Thanks everyone for your responses.


This helps! I will let dh read this so he doesn't get tooo crazy on me! LOL :D

We have dabbled in raw in the past...and we really want to get healthier before we decide to try conceiving next yea; at the same time, I don't want to fall off or find some excuse, as we normally do. :rolleyes:

[Conscious Midwife]

I don't like getting hung up on percents so I just call mysewlf a RAW VEGAN enthusiast, If I have to call myself anything. Ocassionally I fall inot the abyss of flexatarian.

But if I were to count 90% then my 10% would probabaly be Nutritional Yeast, Blue Organic Corn Chips, Tofu, Steamed Cabbage in a wonton wrapper aka homemade egg roll oh and a vegan cookie from wholefoods. Yeah all in the same day:eek:.

[coco]

Coco, for the best health benefit, you should keep those "unmentionables" raw as well. It's safe from organic/free range birds that you know. They are great in smoothies.

just can't do it, even the idea squiks my out. i know that's all in my mind but i can't wrap my head around eating that slime. ugh. some things are ok cooked for me:p.

[ShelShel]

I tend to consider myself 80-90% when I've had several salads a week with regular dressing...celery with blue cheese and one cooked meal a week. :rolleyes: Not sure that this is what others do, but that's what I consider for me.

If I'm making my own raw dressing and not eating cooked at all, then I'm 100% raw. I don't worry about my nuts. I purchase them raw...if they actually aren't...I can't do better than I am...and therefore that's as good as it gets for me.;)

[annavon]

I was doing a program that recommended 85% raw. This was defined by having all raw all day and one serving of a cooked food at dinner, like brown rice or beans. For me, I feel like I am 90% raw if I eat one cooked food during the week (usually on the weekends). I also figure that there are some foods in my diet that are not truly raw even though they are often found in raw recipes like Braggs Amino Acids, cashews and macademia nuts to name a few. I uaually strive for a 100% and I don't sweat the small stuff. If I slip I don't beat myself up about it, I just chalk it up to making my choices (healthy or not). My body usually does a good job of reminding me that my slip up was not a good idea (I just don't feel good after eating cooked food).

[ferg]

Some days I eat 100% raw... there are about 4 days a week I'll have a cooked meal a day... cooked meal meaning...

home made french fries in sea salt and coconut oil (baked not fried)
or
steamed veggies
or
air-popped popcorn

And you know what... I still feel amazing eating these cooked meals and truly believe its what you eat that is cooked which is going to make or break you... I don't think I'd feel so amazing if I was eating pizza or spagetti for my cooked meal.. My one rule of thumb when eating cooked is no wheat and no dairy.

[petaltothemetal]

Coco, for the best health benefit, you should keep those "unmentionables" raw as well. It's safe from organic/free range birds that you know. They are great in smoothies.

If anyone does raw eggs, the raw yolk is full of nutrients and the raw white has anti-nutrient properties. The white exists basically to keep the yolk (and a developing chick if there is one) from dehydrating. It is hard to digest raw or cooked. It blows my mind how many people throw away the yolk and eat the whites.

I sometimes eat eggs, cooked lightly or just the raw yolk. I don't worry about flavorings in foods (like spices, liquid aminos, vanilla extract) but try to do 100% raw 99% of the time.

[HolyGuacamole]

home made french fries in sea salt and coconut oil (baked not fried)


Ay yi yi, I never crave cooked but that sounds awfully good. :p

[Ilse W.]

You are right, Petal. I knew there was a reason why I used to eat mostly the yolks. I will eat an occasional egg yolk for the vitamin B-12. Goes great in a banana smoothie with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon. Yum.