What is the best way to go raw? Jump in 100% or gradual? Has anyone read the "12 steps to gong raw"?

Finally what do you think of people that say if you are not 100% raw...it does not count? I think if you stopped smoking 80% of your cigarettes it would be beneficial...but of course you will not feel the full benefits. the 100% thing scares me in terms of time for shopping, money wise. argghhh. I know this is a lot of questions I just feel overwhelmed today and feel like scraping the whole notion of going raw. sorry.

Hi Shubby!
I've been 85% since last Feb. Some people go 100% right away, and others take time! I think you should do whats in your heart. This is a personl choice. Most of the web sites and books I've read, all start out slow. Your whole life you have fed your body the way you were raised, (meat, french fries,ect...)
Your body will change in time the more you eat raw! I love junk food! but what is happening to me is, my body doesn't crave junk as much. That is huge for me!
I now crave juices and salads and I'm learning so much more. If you need more things to make go to youtube.com and put in raw foodist I have gotten so many info from just that! A great book to read is The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. That book will help you with the way you look at going raw!
I hope this helps you in some way!
Take care & God Bless!

The initial hurdle is understanding that there are no raw food police. There is no ideal to live up to. Set your own goals. If your at 25% raw now........what is your ultimate goal? Try increasing this 1-2% per week until you reach your goal. If it gets uncomfortable....level off until you are. If it is VERY comfortable...then you can always speed up a bit....and try a 5% increase per week. Don't make any changes unless you are prepared to incorporate them for a lifetime. Any good change is worth doing that.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Take the short or long steps you need - you need to feel your way along into it, educating your mind and body as you go.

I you are living alone or if everyone living with you is going to go raw with you, then I would say to go to 100% as fast as detox and your learning curve will let you. But if you have to live with cooked people then a gradual transition might be better so that you don't feel like you have "fallen off the wagon" when you inevitably eat with them.

Everyone comes from a different background, with a wide range of emotional and health issues (whether through lifestyle choices or based on the surrounding environment), as well as an even more varied dietary history.

Expecting a one-size-fits-all approach to fit everyone is not realistic, practical and in my opinion a very simplistic approach.

For instance, from a SAD background you can find highly processed take-out food (pizza, fast food, restaurant dining); SAD predominantly home-cooked with lots of deep-fried and baked items [read: white flour, white sugar, icing w/ more sugar and synthetics]; on the other hand it could also be cooked with minimal processed synthetic additives, and high % lightly steamed plant foods.

From a vegan/vegetarian background it can be just as varied as described above, with the exception of use of animal products.

And this is not considering the role of eating as comfort foods, family and social gatherings and other interpersonal events.

Then there is will power and discipline. Instead of opening the cupboard, taking out a prepackaged item and popping it into the microwave or calling a take-out facility, ordering and driving to pick it up, it now means in most cases preparing from scratch without the addictive synthetics we've become used to. It may be fun at first, but without discipline and clear goals to justify the effort, it could eventually become a burden.

Stressing oneself to rush to 100% raw as soon as possible means adding one more burden to a lifestyle that for many is already stressful as it is. And worse even if it is achieved, it does not necessarily mean that it will be balanced and meet out nutritional and emotional needs if time isn't spent taking these in consideration along the way.

Wishing you vibrant health

I started in June of this year and began at 80% raw after reading David Wolf & Gabriel Cousins. Then in August I went a 100% after reading 12 steps to Raw Foods. This book convinced me and the simple recipes made it so easy for beginers, I really enjoyed this book.

The green smoothies really helped me with my cravings and now I can't wait to have it every morning.

I kept a journal of everything I ate cooked and raw, and I'd get excited to see how many days I'd actually go 100% raw. It was mostly 3 or 4 days a week, and than I looked forward to those tasty fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds. It felt as if my taste buds came to life! So I ate 5 to 6 days 100A%. Finally the last shove was Victoria Butenko.

You really have to go at your own pace make it a comfortable way of eating then finding it difficult. Once you start you feel like a different person!

I agree wholeheartedly, go at your own pace. Concentrate on what you are adding to your diet, not on what you are taking away. Matt Monarch says jumping back and forth from the 100% raw food diet to cooked food is not good for your health. So, do what feels right for you. Any increase in raw foods in your diet will improve your health.

My body lead the way. I started with green smoothies, at the time I thought Victoria Boutenko was very courageous being all raw, she was the first raw food advocate I had ever come across.

Anyway I felt such a difference in the way I felt when I started her green smoothies I just had to try and eat more raw. In the beginning I ate raw during the day but still had cooked brown rice and steamed vegetables/cooked soups in the evenings. I gradually weaned off the rice and then the steamed veggies and did not get discouraged when I fell of the wagon which I frequently did. But my mind and body felt hungover every time I did it. So it was either go all the way or turn back and there was no way I was turning back.

I'm still not 100% every day, I still give in to popcorn once in a while or fresh Thai spring rolls and coconut soup occasionally but that's a rare treat. I am very happy with where I'm at.

I started out 100% about 18 months ago... had a rough time staying 100% for any length of time... Now most days I am 100% but on the weekends will treat myself to a baked potato and steamed veggies for dinner; I also indulge in air-popped popcorn a few times per month.

I feel no difference from 100% to 85%... still feel amazing all the time. I think what you eat that is cooked makes the difference. I don't think I would feel this amazing if I was eating pasta or pizza.

Like Dulset, I am very happy where I am at.
Good luck on your journey.

you could always make it fun...

imangine eating all the mango, papaya, strawberries, and fresh pineapple you like

imagine not having to cook

imagine getting a juicer

wait until you try fresh grape juice, bottled juice will never taste like real food again.

imagine it all as a wonderful adventure and experiment

if detox symptoms occur, see them as temporary, and as a price you gladly pay for a healthy happy furture.

Each good choice you make may lead to another...

My obsessive personality is such that if I tried to gradually take the plunge I would not have been successful. I need to just jump into things and be totally committed in order for me to be effective in the things I do.

I prefer the gradual approach, but there are some folk who its 100% or nothing. For them, 100% is the only way. Myself, I am not a person of extremes like that. So the answer is, you need to find out what works best for you. And if you try one way and it doesn't work, then try the other.

I was still smoking when I went raw. I went 100% in June. I was more focused on quiting the coffee habit and forgot about all the other things like sugar and additives. After a week or two of feeling so good from eating raw I focused on quiting smoking and I was surprised at how smothly that went. I don't have cravings for the smoking. I am thrilled at how much weight I have lost in such little time and how wonderful I feel. Eating raw foods has changed my life practly overnight. I have tried in the past to go raw but I think the success is due to this site and the people here who are so supportive and informative.