Hiya everyone,

i had a coaching session with a raw food chef here in Sydney, Australia a couple of years ago (when i fisrt considered going raw). He told me that i would have to eat 100% raw otherwise my body would be in a permanent state of detox and i would never be at my best. What are your thoughts, is 100% the only way to go or do reach you similar outcomes at say 80%?

thanks reet

That doesn't seem right to me. I think adding more raw food to your diet and eliminating more processed food and animal products will do anyone alot of good.

I'm not 100% yet as I'm still breastfeeding so I'm transitioning very slowly, but I can tell you that I feel much better at 70%-ish raw than I did before I started thinking about raw. In the past month, I've lost 7 lbs, I have bounds more energy, I look much healthier, etc...

I say do whatever you can. I'm sure others will be more eloquent and knowledgable than I am.

Hi Reet,

You are going to feel really good eating 80% raw food, you might feel better eating 100% raw, but whether you want to probably depends on your reasons for eating raw. I think most of us will be in a permanent state of detox anyway, how healthy/unhealthy the detox is depends on the rate (low/med/high), and the rate of this depends on rate of absorbtion of toxins (from food, air, skin contact, etc..). The less polution/toxins going into your body, the less has to come out and the lower the permanent detox rate, the better we will feel.

But, try everything, over time, no need to rush into 100% if you'd prefer 80%. Start with what is easy for you, then try other things until you find where you comfortable and happy.

Cheers,
Ian.

No, the GI track is not binary with regards to raw (1: yes, good, 100%, 0: no, bad less than 100%).

There is no on-off switch that magically triggers perfect health at the border of 99.999% and 100%. Or 90% v. 100%. Or even 80% v. 100%. Instead there is a continuum, and the specifics matter as much or more as the percentage (what foods, how were they cooked, for how long, etc.).

Some things are really not bad when they are cooked (lightly steamed vegetables, for example). Some things may still bad when they are raw.

If you are going to keep eating cooked foods, the lightly cooked carbohydrates are one of the least bad options. Also your fats should still be raw.

But you might find that with time you are more comfortable with 100%, some people are happiest there. So much depends on the mindset.

According to Hippocrates Health Institute they say at 75% you can still experience all the health benefits of a raw diet. Which is encouraging because I don't eat 100% raw either.

I think to see the full results and benefits being 100% raw is probably better but I'm not 100% and still feel pretty good.

100% is not the only way. But based on my experience, there is a big difference in what the body does on 100% versus 95%. 95% raw is one cooked meal a week.

When I started raw, I had no intention of becoming 100% raw. And it was easy for me to get to 75% raw (5 cooked meals a week). But what I found was that it was feeling so good to be 75% raw, I wondered if I could even feel better on more raw. So I tried more. And as I was having this exploration of what more raw foods felt like, I still never thought I would be 100% raw. But as I read about people's experiences of the changes in their bodies, and also my own experience of how I felt better as I increased my raw intake, I kept becoming more and more raw.

By the way, during my transition phase, I never had a detox experience. I had read tons about them, but never had one. After going 100% raw, that did change.

In any case, everyone needs to do what they are comfortable with. There is no need to be in a hurry, as this is not a contest or a competition. Eat as much raw as you would like, and don't worry about eating more.

Knowing what I know now about health, I believe that a 100% high fat raw diet (60% fat, the Standard Raw Diet) is less healthy than a 80% low fat (10% fat) raw diet, where the cooked foods are comprised of steamed whole vegetables only (no grains, and starches come from starchy root vegetables, winter squashes, cruciferous, etc).

One thing that Frederic Patenaude said that resonated with me, "Healthful habits don't cancel out (or negate) the unhealthful habits".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2007 04:35AM by Bryan.

I think the message that 100% is the ONLY way is a dangerous one because it has kind of an all or nothing ring to it. There is no downside to adding a few raw fruits and vegetables into one's otherwise cooked diet.
Eleanor

I think the more raw you include in your diet, the better - that's pretty clear. Like people said above, it never hurts to include more rawness in your diet.
However me personally, I feel a drastic difference when being 100%. For instance skin looks the same when 70, 80 or maybe even 90%. But when eating 100% for a while, it truly clears up. I also only feel a real cleansing going on when 100%.

My opinion:

-Some folks HAVE to have detox and negative experiences before they will be MOTIVATED to make a change. A strong motivation wins out over a shaky discipline just about every time! Ha! ha!

-You won't succeed if you are miserable. You would be sabotaging the higher states of intention and motivation...in favor of improving lower (but noble) physical states of being. You might win in the short run.....but being happy on a moment-to-moment basis ensures success in the long run.

-Regulate your own detox....so that you are stretching....but not uncomfortable. Start out slow. If you are VERY comfortable - you can always speed up. Don't you think?

-David Z. Mason

well- i could almost follow phase 1-but i have been having salads and I put 1/2 c. of beans in my big salads.so for the most part i am raw except that naughty 1/2 c.of beans.but i feel it makes the salad a bit better.i am raw for breakfast and lunch but not dinner.i add a sprinkle of sunflower seeds to the salad also.it has carrots,nuts,beans,tomatoes,cukes and romaine lettuce and grated beets and a sprinkle of lime or lemon.i put cumin in the beans.that's my big naughty.taylor

I am 100% raw but I don't believe it's the only way (for everyone). I've seen people who are high raw but will eat some rice at dinner (similar to "Fit For Life" methods), or will choose healthy vegan options on occasion.

I've chosen 100% because I believe it's where my body wants to be. It's helped a lot of medical problems of my own to vanish. It's entirely a personal decision for me. I was 100% raw for over 7 months, but after those 7 months, I still stayed high raw (greater than 60%) when I ate cooked.

Now I decided to be 100% again (for the past 2 months) because I just didn't feel the same as I did on 100%, and plain, simple foods as fresh/organic as I can get them.

I like to encourage people to give 100% a try if they ask, but I tend to just go my own way and work on my own body.

Bryan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I started raw, I had no intention of becoming
> 100% raw. And it was easy for me to get to 75% raw
> (5 cooked meals a week). But what I found was that
> it was feeling so good to be 75% raw, I wondered
> if I could even feel better on more raw. So I
> tried more. And as I was having this exploration
> of what more raw foods felt like, I still never
> thought I would be 100% raw. But as I read about
> people's experiences of the changes in their
> bodies, and also my own experience of how I felt
> better as I increased my raw intake, I kept
> becoming more and more raw.
>
> By the way, during my transition phase, I never
> had a detox experience. I had read tons about
> them, but never had one. After going 100% raw,
> that did change.


Bryan, if you don't mind my asking, what sort of time frame are you talking about for your transitional period?

We're eating 2 or 3 (tops) cooked meals per week right now. We feel great, but I suspect we'll wean ourselves down to one a week soon. Neither of us wanted to go too fast..... ;o)

Judy

David Mason,

I like this one a lot:
-Some folks HAVE to have detox and negative experiences before they will be MOTIVATED to make a change. A strong motivation wins out over a shaky discipline just about every time! Ha! ha!

and

Can you elaborate on this a little? I sort of get it, but sort of not. Intriguing just the same.
-You won't succeed if you are miserable. You would be sabotaging the higher states of intention and motivation...in favor of improving lower (but noble) physical states of being. You might win in the short run.....but being happy on a moment-to-moment basis ensures success in the long run.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

To me, 100% is the only way only if it is a desire from-within. The moment I tell myself that I HAVE to do something, I rebel against it. I like my freedom. So, I live myself room for "making mistakes". Interestingly, I discovered that I do not like cooked food anymore. Of course, from the point of view of my body, it prefers 100%. If I let myself eat one cooked meal per week, yes, I would feel being constantly in detox, because I observed that it takes me about two weeks to get over a cooked meal.


Gosia


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

-Sure Troy. The acquired skill/practice of being happy/grateful on a moment to moment basis ensures long-term success on many of the physical levels. While the opposite (being depressed......even when financially and physically successful) is all too prevalent....and often ensures long-term failure.....even when financially and physically well-off.

-Stretching and challenge are a good thing....but if a person is SUFFERING while making dietary change....then they will certainly (perhaps sub-consciously) resent the methods that got them there. How can one maintain a good eating habit for life with THAT kind of latent resentment? Ha! ha! So it's just important (I think) to start out slow.....and then just speed up the process based on how comfortable a person is. Don't you think? Then you get the best of both worlds.

-David Z. Mason

taylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
i put cum in the beans.that's my big
> naughty.taylor

hee hee

We were all alive and accomplished great things before turning raw.

There was one woman who used to post here, 24 Carrots/Texas Pear, who for her, she could either only eat 100% raw, or eat a cooked diet that she was unhappy with. She could never find a happy medium of cooked foods and raw foods.

I was surprised to hear this, as during my transition phase, it seemed natural to have both cooked and raw together. But different people have different approaches.

YES!!!!

According to the standard Bryan set (75% raw = 5 cooked meals a week) I am approximately 75% raw. But I am constantly working to up the amount of raw that I eat and to make sure that a healthy portion (ideally 3 quarters of the plate when eating cooked) of my evening meal (which is when I eat cooked) is raw.

One of my biggest concerns with going 100% is that its very difficult to turn back and even perhaps not good for the body to go back and forth. So, 100% is a serious commitment not to be made lightly. Even at 75% + it takes far less food to fill me up and my digestive system is much more selective of what it tolerates than it was before.

I've lost upwards of 15 pounds, feel quite well, have lots of energy, have lost all those annoying aches and pains that I was feeling, and fast approaching my 50th birthday I look better than I have in years.

So, there is no denying that the more raw fruits and vegetables one can eat the better.

khale

i enjoy 100% most of the year and a
plate of steamed veggies thru the winter months
which im just now excited to start phasing out.

gonna put some air in the bike tires
for some reason that always flips the
switch for me this point of the year.

Can someone be 50 % carnivore ? or 75 % vegetarian or vegan ? All that is in our mind, nowhere else... the same for crudivorism. This way to talk about our diet express only our desire toward a goal , what we think is The best. And, hearing all those experiences of other people, we wish we are there too, at the top - so our way to speak about it.

I agree about eating daily a large amount of fresh, living food, and the more the better. Nobody can object to that. We feel so much better. But in day-to day life, can being 100% raw be compared to a diet with some cooked food here and there ? I don't think so. Detox is the key.

Besides that, I'm questionning myself on all these gourmet food ( all raw !!1), giving way to much detox, the same for all the stimulants ( choclate, oinion, garlic, condimants,dressings, and such...) also followed by detoxing...

My personnal goal is to be 100% raw, nothing less. Without detoxing all the time !!

blessings and bliss to all of you,

Cynthia