Easing In: Pros and Cons

[RighteousYogini]

So today is the first day I really decided to make a change, but I have some extra food in the fridge and cupboard I dont want to waste (vegan soup etc). I was raw today except some soup and brown rice. I thought I might ease into 100% by starting vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions for the transition? Also, once "raw" is the general consensus that ANY cooked foods will sort of ruin your raw efforts entirely?
Best,
e

[Stina]

I agree with Alissa on this.

[janicejourney]

I don't think anything ruins all your raw efforts :) The raw efforts are really good for you so they wouldn't be ruined :) Ease in or go cold turkey, either way you will be moving toward feeling the best you've ever felt! Hope it goes really well for you! You will be able to notice how you don't feel as good when you eat cooked foods. It will become VERY obvious to you. That said there are a couple things I eat from time to time that don't bother me at all. 100% raw is the best, but moving toward it is much better then not trying at all!

[Raw Angel Mom]

Every positive steps that you do towards your heath count, even thought your choice may not be perfect to you all the time.

If you manage to go 100% pure raw, your absorption will be far greater then someone doing 98%. It is something to do on how your body will make the new digestive enzyme etc.... I cannot remember all the details. Also, if you don't manage to heal completely from a condition (many times you can without being 100% raw), 100% raw will make the whole difference and it will enhance the speed to heal. There are so much reasons to chose 100% raw but the first step is to train your mind and always focus on your accomplishment always. Don't try to be perfect ever, go with your journey. You can always do a 30 days 100% raw and see the difference.

If you are a food compulsive, it is best to go cold turkey and do the 100% raw. Cook food is addictive no matter what it is.

[lovenlife]

I don't think anything ruins all your raw efforts :) The raw efforts are really good for you so they wouldn't be ruined :) Ease in or go cold turkey, either way you will be moving toward feeling the best you've ever felt! Hope it goes really well for you! You will be able to notice how you don't feel as good when you eat cooked foods. It will become VERY obvious to you. That said there are a couple things I eat from time to time that don't bother me at all. 100% raw is the best, but moving toward it is much better then not trying at all!

I agree...I see so much and so many peoples journey. Some do it one way, others another....with success! Listening to ones own body is the way to go. No standard answer for all bodies.

Enjoy your journey.....

[Aleesha Sattva]

it's your choice your body. i did it as close to 100% as i could manage and it made all the difference for me. i couldn't have done it any other way. going slowly would have given me free rein to "just have this" and "just have that" and next thing i would have known... i would have been back to chips and choc and even fatter than when i began...

alissa's way IMO is the way to go.

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks everyone. Im so proud! I went to a christmas get together tonight where they had SO MANY lavish guilty pleasures. BUt luckily, they also had fruit! That's what I dined on! The only non-raw thing I had today was pure veggie soup. I didn't want to waste it. But now it's done. Also...I had almonds that weren't soaked or sprouted. Does that count as raw????

[Shona]

Technically, most almonds sold commercially in Canada and the US aren't raw anymore. You can, I think, still buy truly raw almonds from some online sources. Your nuts don't have to be sprouted or soaked unless you prefer them that way or are making a recipe that specifies soaking beforehand. :)

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks Shona...so...does that mean technically, from a raw perspective, we can't eat nuts either? A lot of people talk about soaking nuts to release enzymes.....

[Raw Angel Mom]

Thanks Shona...so...does that mean technically, from a raw perspective, we can't eat nuts either? A lot of people talk about soaking nuts to release enzymes.....

When you soak your nut, it becomes alive and easier to digest because it release the enzyme inhibitors . I personally don't do well on nuts, unless i soaked them. Macadamia nuts, i don't soak them for recipe.

[Shona]

RY ... most raw people I know choose to eat nuts. They simply go with the best choices available to them. I buy my nuts and seeds, shelled, from Bulk Barn and I'm fine with that.

[freespirit]

you can eats nuts but more fatty fruits are easier on digestion and healing. make sure of your sources when you decide to be 100%.

I dont think transitioning is a bad thing. just pay attention more to the way you feel when you eat raw and when you eat cooked. there is a huge difference and after awhile it wont seem like a choice anymore. you will want to feel that way you do after raw food.

One of my best friends started eating raw a couple months ago. she asked me lots of questions and i would always make huge, gorgeous salads for us. I gave her one of my books and she transitioned. she noticed the way she felt and then it wasnt a choice anymore. Now she is just raw. Its her lifestyle- and it happened naturally.