a RAW survey for you!

[hilarya_m]

Over the weekend I wondered how everyone else on this site arrived where they are today with raw food. This would require hours of searching threads to understand so instead, I created a survey!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9pqtKxU2KKYs7z8Py_2fyBXw_3d_3d

Here are the same 8 questions listed out to get to know ourselves and our origins as a group better:
1. How long have you been Raw?
2. How did you find out about living raw?
3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many?
4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much?
5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw?
6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?
7. Do you supplement with super foods?
8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support?

If you take the survey online, I will of course share the outcome with everyone. This is for no other purpose than mutual learning and no information you supply will be shared outside this forum.

Cheers!

[Gaius]

I will volunteer my results and yes I took the test.

1. How long have you been Raw? Since March
2. How did you find out about living raw? Just reading stuff online.
3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many? Only if I go out with friends. I eat veggie dishes when I go out with people and I eat raw only at home
4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much? No, probably less than 50%
5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw? I've never been a drinker at all, other than tasting stuff people hand me. I'm not into alcohol.
6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism? Better skin, better concentration, more confidence in my everyday life from just being able to think clearer and speak with a better functioning brain behind me. I don't um and uh anymore at all, which I always thought was my worst speaking habit.
7. Do you supplement with super foods? Sometimes. I like picking up something extra from the store like a raw bar or some juices.
8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support? I have zero raw friends and family. I wouldnt say this forum is my support but rather a way to just talk things out since it's been easy for me to be mostly raw so far, especially now that I eat cooked vegan when I go out with friends.

[klomasius]

I did the survey, but it's always nice to have the answers here too, plus some of the qs need some explanation I think.

1. How long have you been Raw?
high raw for about 5 years, 100% for about 8 months.

2. How did you find out about living raw?
Through an acquaintance

3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many?
1 day a year.

4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much?
from about 60% to 100% depending on budget and availability.

5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw?
Sometimes, but only raw vegan alcohol.

6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?
too many to say!

Increased energy, flexibility, thought capacity, athletic ability.

Smoother softer skin, brighter whites of eyes, looking younger, weight loss, no morning grogginess, etc. etc.

Negatives? Social restriction, dry hands (currently).

7. Do you supplement with super foods?
I use superfoods, but not really as supplementation, mainly for taste/texture variation.

8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support?
Nope, family eats some raw food but is not raw, this forum is partially my main support.I'm experienced enough not to really need that much support these days.

[RawBabie]

Here are the same 8 questions listed out to get to know ourselves and our origins as a group better:
1. How long have you been Raw? 1 year and 7 months

2. How did you find out about living raw? Raw Knnowledge- Paul Nison

3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many? The only thing cooked at this point is dried seasonings in my recipes. No off-days either.

4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much? I buy 100% organic produce/groceries, but end up eating non-organic if I have fruit/veggies at a restaurant or function.

5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw? Since going raw I have had red wine, but gave that up completely a few months ago.

6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?

Positives? A feeling of having more control over my health is very empowering. Negatives, sometimes Im a bit more gassy than I'd like (TMI I know!)

7. Do you supplement with super foods? No superfoods for me, unless you want to lump sprouts in that category.


8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support? My mom and dad (divorced for 20 years btw) are raw, Im so blessed!!!!

[PdaFunk]

1. How long have you been Raw? Off and on for about 8 months
2. How did you find out about living raw? Researching something else online
3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many? I fall off the bandwagon and every few weeks it seems. Hopefully not this time
4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much? Less than 50%
5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw? Smoke ciggarettes sometimes (been trying to quit)
6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism? Positives: Sleep better, Need less sleep, more toned muscles, more energy, happier

Negatives: Get hungry alot no matter how much I eat, Stresses the walet, and my OCD is worse (I'm thinking because my mind is clearer...weird)
7. Do you supplement with super foods? Bee pollen...for the crazy amounts of amino acids (I work out alot)
8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support? No and yes

[Mikey_H]

1. How long have you been Raw?
I don't consider myself full-blown "raw" because I DO at times eat non-raw foods... but the farther I go the less and less I want to eat them. It's safe to say I eat at least 97% raw food
2. How did you find out about living raw?
Honestly, I never really "found out". It just happened over time. I never "made" a dramatic change to my diet or lifestyle. I noticed and learned more and more about how fresh foods made me feel, not to mention becoming aware of our cultural faults related to food!
3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many?
Yes, though not often. My food habits have evolved over the past 2 years or so, and over time I cut out red meat, then other meats, dairy, sugary packaged foods, then eventually less and less cooked foods like grains. The only kinds of cooked foods I have eaten recently are brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, beans, and my worst enemy... corn tortillas. But guess what... it doesn't make me feel good!! Surprise, surprise....
4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much?
No, I simply can't afford to, but I buy locally and trust the way I handle and clean my food. Whenever the option is there I definitely look into it when sensible, but I'm very into staying active and using saunas to speed up any necessary detoxing.
5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw?
I have never enjoyed alcohol or even drank very much in my life, and since going raw I have no desire to. I don't smoke cigarettes. I have a medical marijuana license for relaxation, but the more I eat raw food and find myself more and more active, the less I use it. Not necessarily because of the compounds in the plant but because of the smoke created from burning it.
6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?
I can't think of any negatives... no joke. Any obstacles I may have encountered since do not revolve around the raw lifestyle itself, but around the changes and insight within myself. I simply feel better about who I am inside and out. I truly believe my small changes make a difference (and will make a difference) to the world as a whole. The better I feel, the better and more passionately I will live my life.
7. Do you supplement with super foods?
I tend to forget about supplements and superfoods on a regular day. I have used phytoplankton but I think that many foods can be superfoods when they are a regular part of the diet. I always balance energy-dense foods like nuts and oils with a very high quantity of freshly juiced veggies, greens and fruits. OH and I do take Trader Joes calcium, magnesium, vit D supplement when I remember to... just to bump up those few crucial nutrients.
8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support?
haha I've noticed as time goes on, they catch on! For the most part... I've seen great changes in family and friends who have added more fresh food to their diets. I did get some snotty remarks at first from some family once in a while, but I know it was only because they saw it was doing well for me and probably didn't like that they were eating ice cream or hamburgers:D

[DeborahB]

This is a great idea, I look forward to reading everyone's replies :)


1. How long have you been Raw?
Almost 2 1/2 years

2. How did you find out about living raw?
I read Gillian McKeith's book You Are What You Eat about 3 years ago. It really opened up my eyes to the fat that I didn't know what a healthy diet was, although I thought I did. She mentioned raw food, which for some reason resonated deeply with me. I explored raw food and it felt very right to me. I carried out a herbal colon cleanse and when I finished it seemed like the right time to start raw.

3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many?
I don't eat cooked foods and don't take days off. It wasn't always this easy! I used to have Craving Sundays when I would allow myself to eat what I wanted.

4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much?
I am a student and can't afford organic at the moment. If I could afford it I would always buy it.

5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw?
Yes I have consumed alcohol and it doesn't leave half a bad effect as cooked food does! My body recovers from alcohol within a day. My body takes over a week to recover from cooked food.

6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?
Positives: Clear mind, excellent and less sleep, huge amounts of energy, enthusiasm for life, the feeling of being alive, increased feelings of joy and love, amazing creativity, feeling happy, the feeling that nothing is too much of a challenge, enhanced appreciation of nature, feeling calm... I could go on forever!
Negatives: The transition stage - feeling poorly most of the time. That soon passed though and has been more than worth it!

7. Do you supplement with super foods?
I take one teaspoon of MSM every day and that is it.

8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support?
I am the only person I know who is raw. I have been my main support to myself. I believe that Nutrition is the most important subject for human health and this belief and the amazing changes I've experienced via raw keep me on the right path.
I have gained inspiration from people on raw forums and I thank you all for that.

[Veganforlife]

1. How long have you been Raw? 4 years
2. How did you find out about living raw? HFS owner kept telling me about Alissa. Then I finally tapped into her website.
3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many? NO!
4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much? Yes!
5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw? No!
6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism? Oh gosh! Do you have about a week we could sit and chat under a tree? It is an enlightening, healing experience. I cannot think of any negatives having made this lifestyl choice.
7. Do you supplement with super foods? Yes. Alissa's Green Food Powder. That's a quick instant power drink if I don't have time to VM one. I'll mix a tablespoon in a cup of nut mylk. Yum-OH!
8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support? I don't need support from anyone. I guess I'm different than most folks. The only one I need to "convince", "rely on", "support" is me. I make these choices. Not to be crude, but I don't care what others think of me and my choices or what THEY choose to do/live. Added: I agree that THIS forum has been a tremendous amount of help and knowledge for me. Alissa's book too!

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

1. How long have you been Raw?
I've used raw foods for cleansing over shorter periods for the past 9 years. But now I've been on a high raw diet for almost a year.

2. How did you find out about living raw?
Through a glass of fresh veggie juice. No kidding. It spoke to me and showed me the path to the raw food lifestyle.

3. Do you eat cooked foods? If you take 'off days', how many?
I eat perhaps 90-95% raw. I found that eating 100% raw all the time was too stressful for me, so I figured that it's healthier for me to allow myself to eat cooked every now and then.
I don't take days off though, I see no reason to. I enjoy the food and I don't feel like I need to eat cooked for nutritional reasons.

4. Do you eat 100% organic? If not, how much?
I eat perhaps 80-90% organic.
I have boxes of organic fruits and veggies delivered to me, and they make up for most of what I eat. This time of year I also eat a lot of wild foods.
I also try to buy organic when I go shopping. But sometimes it's simply not available and sometimes it's much too expensive to be a sensible choice. Organic avocados are for example almost $5 a piece here in Sweden.

5. Do you consume alcohol/other substances since going raw?
I've never been a big fan of alcohol but I do enjoy a good ale a couple of times per year. But it's probably been 9 months since I last drank alcohol.

6. What positives/negatives have you experienced from rawism?
Positives: Awesome food. Basically eating like a king every day.
I have more energy and life force. A clearer mind.
I also like that my body has become more sensitive to bad foods. Makes it a lot easier to eat healthier.
Negatives: Slightly more expensive (not that is has to be though). It can be difficult in social situations. It's also sometimes hard for me to eat enough food in a day.

7. Do you supplement with super foods?
Not really. At least not any powders or pills. I guess some of what I eat would be considered super foods, but I don't really think of them as such.

8. Are your friends and family raw? If not, is this forum your main support?
I am my own main support. But the internet sure helps. I would be much less educated without it and it's good to know that you aren't alone in this.
None of my friends or family members are into the raw mindset. But a couple of them are at least into eating healthy.