How can you actually determine your % of cooked/uncooked food?

[Kristyn]

I'm new to all this so some may look at this as a dumb question but I was always taught there isn't such a thing as a dumb question. I've been trying really hard to not eat cooked food (do not turn the stove/oven/microwave) on. I've been good at all that but when it comes to salad dressing (store bought) a bit of sour creme ...a couple olives a sneak of a piece of cheese. Where do you draw that line? How do you determine your percentage?



Kristyn :)

[rawpriestess]

Hi,

and YOU are right, there are no dumb questions, sometimes there are dumb answers though. LOL

Okay, about your questions.

Well, I know a lot of raw foodists who eat canned olives, and bottled salad dressing, and they consider themselves about 90% raw because of this.

I'm not sure if they are figuring it on calories, or portions or what.

I personally have been 100% raw, and ab out 50% raw, and I figure it based on how much portions in a full 7 day week.

So, when I am eating a canned olive, or handful, I figure out how many in a week, so let's say I eat one can of black olives in one week, and I have eaten about 5 meals a day, and that can is 1 cup of olives, I figure it's about 1/3 of a meal, so I figure it's about 1% to 5% depending on how much I am eating total.

Now, if I add bottled salad dressing in and I eat a 1/2 bottle of salad dressing, that is about another cup, so it's about 2/3 of a meal, and so I figure it's about 2% to 10% non-raw.

Now, this isn't saying it is right or it is wrong, all I am saying is this is how I would do it.

The raw food teachers that I know, say that a person eating a Big Mac is getting about 5% raw foods with the tomatoe, lettuce and onion on that Burger, so that is how I've figured it for the opposite way.

Hope this helps.

And there are some really great recipes for cashew sour cream in Alissa's book, and some wonderful salald dressing recipes on this board.

You can look many up by going to the top of the page, click on the banana, and it will take you to a search function, type in salad dressing and see what comes up.

Or you can get some really great input from many members, by starting a new thread and asking for some good salad dressings,if you have a favorite, say thousand island, you can ask for that one. Or is you love avocados you can ask for one with avocados.

Please never think questions are dumb here. We all had to start somewhere, and no one was born with the answers, we all had to ask at sometime in our lives.

Hope you find the perfect salad dressing that you love.

I have a thing for olives too, I buy tons of them at the deli, black, brown, green, wrinkled etc. I buy so many, they started special ordering me the raw ones, because I kept asking. I am out right now, but they are getting in a shipment on Wednesday, I think I can hold out until tomorrow. I hope. LOL

[RawTruth]

I'm new to all this so some may look at this as a dumb question but I was always taught there isn't such a thing as a dumb question. I've been trying really hard to not eat cooked food (do not turn the stove/oven/microwave) on. I've been good at all that but when it comes to salad dressing (store bought) a bit of sour creme ...a couple olives a sneak of a piece of cheese. Where do you draw that line? How do you determine your percentage?Hi Kristyn,

First, I'd wonder why you want or need to put a percentage on it? It really isn't necessary, ya know -- and, as you've figured out, it's a rather arbitrary number. I can't imagine why anyone would go through such machinations to try to figure out an actual number. To what end?

Secondly, without ANY judgment at all, looking at your examples, there is a world of difference between the couple of olives & a little prepared salad dressing and the sour cream & cheese. The olives & salad dressing, if eaten on rare occasions, isn't enough to knock you out of the raw range, IMHO. However, eating sour cream & cheese puts you in another category altogether.

That said, I know there are others here who disagree with me, but I figure that either a person is a completely raw vegan or they're not. That's where I draw the line!

By the way, if you're not interested in being a completely raw vegan, you can at least stay away from dairy since it's really really horrible for your health and negates the good that the raw food accomplishes.

But, if you do want to be a raw vegan, you will be joining many, many people who already are. (And, there are many new members here on this forum who are just starting out, some of whom are taking the 30 Day Challenge.) Once you've made up your mind, it's not that hard to start: you can clear out your kitchen of all the non-raw foods (That way there won't be anything to "sneak a piece" of), stock it with all raw staples and fresh fruits and veggies, plan what you're going to eat for each meal and each snack for each day of the next week or so, including salad dressings, sauces, dips, and desserts. Then, the idea of percentages goes out the window and the promise of radiant health, energy, and vitality are right there in your immediate future. How much more exciting than a bit or sour cream, no?!

(There are many, many very simple salad dressings (I make my favorite in under 2 minutes -- really) and there are raw olives available to buy.)

Best wishes which ever way you choose to go.

[Revvell]

Krysten,

I agree w/ RT in that there truly is no reason to figure raw percentages. If your plan is to eventually go 100% raw vegan, then just move toward it as you can. As RT stated, one can whip up a salad dressing in a couple of minutes. Do you have a raw recipe book or two? Alissa has some very good dressings as do many others. There was also a thread here (can go up to the banana and do a "salad dressings" search) or, as RT said, start your own new thread (and someone ~ i.e. me ~ will probably tell you to go up to the banana and do a search) :p yet many others will most likely also add more recipes to the thread as we get many new people here daily.

For me, I don't spend much time doing things others do here ~ calculating raw percentages, carbs, fats, proteins, calories, etc. When one is starting raw, it's nice to let go of all that and focus on having fun with food.

As one who'd previously had food issues, it certainly has been one of the most freeing aspects of my life.

BTW ~ Alissa also has some good "cheese" recipes. I know that's one of the hardest things to eliminate for many people. I'm sure someone can give you a good recipe for sour cream also. I'd look one up for you but, just got up and heading for the pool. :)

Here's a quick something which will replace dips and you can adjust thickness and ingredients as desired to make a fruit salad dressing as well:

In a blender, blend ~

1 C cashews
1 C macadamias
lemon juice (start w/ a tsp. then add for taste)
Celtic Sea salt or Nama Shoyu
Garlic
3 peppercorns
water as needed to blend

If you want to make it into a fruit salad dressing eliminate the garlic and peppersorns, add some vanilla, maybe some berries and additional water although the fluid from the fruit will thin it.

Welcome ~ and enjoy the forums ~

Revvell

[Sweet lips]

Well, you have received three very good answers and several postive suggestions, and so to help you here :D let me say, in the world of raw, there are different strokes for different folks and each person has an opinion and so as you can see no one is right or wrong :), as you know there is never a dumb question - except the one which is never asked.

Alissa Cohen - is one to tell you to go 100%, and see what it does for the body - for me, it does the body real good. I too, was where you are now - and while I did okay, the amazing results - like a drop in my fasting blood sugar and my cholestrol test showed remarkabke improvement when I did 100% raw. One thing, I do not know what your life style is like, so I can only work from my persepective - If you are not in your home full time, then it can be a challenge to stay raw unless you are plan well in advance, but you got to grow to that.

Now for what you eat - there is a raw portion for it - with the cheese, sour creame and salad dressing. Both the previous authors have provided suggestions for the substitues. If you want to be a raw vegan, then drop the diary, but again, there are people who choose that way of life. When I started, I ate the canned black olives and I liked them. Later, I found raw olives and I liked them. I have been experiminting with salad dressings - some days they are awesome and somedays they are :rolleyes: , as for sour creme, whatcah' putting it on, or in - there are wonderful sub.

Now that I have rambled, don't care so much about the percentage raw -choose what you are going to do and do it. If you do not have Alissa's book, start there, read all the recipes for the foods you like and move forward. You are trying and for that you already have victory. And remember, there are different strokes for different folks and we all share in this world - hoepefully to make it better! ;) Pull back the claws!

[Gosia]

I am a mathematician, so by definition I should be good at determining the % of my raw diet. Yet, I never do it, and consider it to be a useless task. If one wanted to be really strict, then, of course, it can be done. For example, we could assume that % has got to be by energy (which I think would be more sensible). Then, you would need to use some program (at fitday.com, for example) to calculate (approximately) those %s. It might be fun to do it one or twice, but I can't imagine doing it daily, that would really be a drag for me. I bet that no-one does it on daily basis. So, when someone says they are 80% raw, it really is a very approximate estimate, as likely to be reasonably accurate as to be far from truth.

As far as my personal experience, when I am all-raw, I feel sooooo good! If I have a cooked meal, it may take two weeks before the pimples from eating it will go away. Eating high-raw is way better than all-cooked or low-raw. However, once you try all-raw, you will always want to go there again! :p

Gosia.