With more and more talk about the benefits of a high raw diet, I think it’s important to stress the idea of transitioning to raw.
I don’t think everyone can go 100% raw overnight on their own.
Raw as an Investment For Your Health
For most of us, food is a nuisance. (I used to think this a lot before I went raw!) It’s a drain on our bank accounts, our schedules, and our energy.
Sometimes we eat out of necessity, opting for the quickest option that we can chow down on so that we can get back to the real important stuff.
Other times food can be a way to medicate ourselves. We might eat when we’re bored, feeling emotional, avoiding problems that need to be solved or work that needs to be done, and so on.
Let’s take a different perspective of the food that we eat. What if the food that we ate was solely seen as the fuel for our bodies and minds? Just like you wouldn’t put random household ingredients into your car’s gas tank, you should invest in the correct fuel for your car.
In this case the food you eat is an investment for your body, for the long-term.
Raw Food Diet Definitions
In the spirit of accepting that every one of us is at a different place along our journey, let’s look at the different options that you have for incorporating more raw foods into your diet.
- 100% Raw: People who go 100% raw overnight, tend to experience great benefits soon after they go raw. Sometimes however, being 100% raw is too strict and these people can flop back and forth between 100% raw, high raw, and going back to their original eating habits. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, as long as you aren’t taking yourself too seriously, or are afraid of reverting back to your not-so-good eating habits.
- High Raw: The definition of high raw is between 80%-99% Raw raw foods. What this means is that people who are high raw intend to eat raw all of the time, but that there are certain circumstances that are beyond their control. For example, they might eat a condiment or a sauce that isn’t raw, or even go for some cooked vegan options if they are stuck. People who are high raw have the advantage of being lenient with themselves, and not beating themselves up for not adhering to their standards.
- Raw Until Dinner: One of the simplest ways to add more raw foods into your diet, is to go raw until dinner. The idea is that you eat raw meals for breakfast, and lunch, and your snacks are raw. Then dinner is up to you, you can choose to eat the foods that you always eat, but you’ll notice that soon enough you’ll be attracted to eating more healthful foods even in the evening.
- Transitioning To Raw: If you just learned about raw foods, and you want to take the slow and steady road to eating more raw foods, transitioning is the way to go. When you’re transitioning, you choose exactly which meals and what it is you’re going to eat for each day, and try to fit in as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can. One of the ways of doing this is to drink a big green smoothie either in the morning, or as a snack in the afternoon. I personally transitioned to raw foods for over a year, before actually choosing to take the high raw path.
Bear In Mind
Everyone is different, and we all have different experiences with food from our past. It’s important to take into account that just because your mind has decided to eat more healthful fruits and vegetables, doesn’t mean that your body is in agreement yet.
Sometimes we have resistance when it comes to changing our eating habits. It helps to have a buddy who can keep you accountable. Having a whole group to support you is even better!
There’s no raw food police, and you don’t need to destroy yourself esteem trying to go 100% raw overnight.
May 30th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Hi Nathalie,
Good stuff! I'm somewhere between transitioning to more raw and raw before dinner. For me, this is a good mix I'm happy with right now. And I'm not beating myself up if I occassionally have something that's not the best (as long as it doesn't become a habit).
Now…just waiting for our garden to grow!!
June 18th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Great website! Thanks for sharing your experience, it helps! I also like the fact that you don't sell 100% raw food diet, as many other websites do. The concept of transitioning to raw food makes it easily to actually taking the steps towards switching to raw diet. It's about 3 years that I have been more conscious about eating healthy organic food, adding more vegetables and fruits to my diet and less meat and non vegan stuffs. I discovered recently raw food and I am really drawn to it. I even tried some kind of green/fruit smoothies fast. I love fruit smoothies, but I just can't drink green smoothies. There is something about drinking cold green mixes that I just can't take. Maybe I didn't try a good recipe, anyhow I find that raw food diet has a lot of green smoothies (such as your suggestion to have one in the morning). Do you have any tips to go around that or recipes that everyone should love?
June 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Hi Nathalie! (We must share so much in common because of our names ;))
I'm glad you're enjoying the site and my approach to helping people include more raw food into their diet, without pushing for 100%.
You're not alone in having a hard time to drink “cold greens” in the morning, my boyfriend also had the same issues at first. Here are a few tips to help you out:
-Keep the things you will blend outside of the refrigerator the night before, so they aren't so cold in the morning. (Since it can be harder to drink cold things.)
-Increase your greens gradually… so start with a small handful, which shouldn't taste too strong. Then add a few more leaves every week or so.
-If the taste is really bothering you, try making a savory green smoothie using stuff you might put in a salad. Here's an example: tomato, cucumber, celery, garlic, olive oil, and lettuce. You don't need to have it first thing in the morning, but it might work better for you than sweet ones.
I hope this was helpful, let me know if you have any more questions!
Nathalie
June 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Great! thanks! I will try out!
August 10th, 2009 at 4:36 am
I went on raw for about a month. I felt great but I only lost about 2 lbs. Are there raw foods that I need to stay away from or limit daily? I heard that you don't have to watch what you eat when you are on raw??
August 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hi Emily!
If you're eating raw food in order to lose weight, there are a couple of things you need to watch out for or keep in mind. The idea that “eat whatever, as long as it's raw” has not proven true in all cases and I don't personally recommend it.
You can book a counseling session with me here and we can come up with something that will help you lose weight! :)
January 20th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
i've been thinking about going raw for quite some time and I think I will make it one of my new years resolutions for 2010!
January 21st, 2010 at 7:35 am
Let me know if I can support you in any way with that Leslie. :)
January 21st, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Let me know if I can support you in any way with that Leslie. :)
March 29th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Do you have to blend and drink these foods that are typically in a salad? Is it ok to just eat a salad of the same ingredients if there is little or no dressing? (Like fresh-squeezed lemon for dressing)? Please email me when you have time. I have three types of arthritis, fibromyalgia, CFS and overweight. I want to get healthy and in shape sooooo badly! Thanks!
Krissi
March 29th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Hi Krissi! You can definitely eat salads instead of blending the ingredients, no problem with that! However the idea of doing green smoothies is that you can get 1 more green meal in per day. So for example you might be getting a green drink in for breakfast and then a green meal like a salad for lunch.
If you need more support and help making this transition, you might want to check out The Magick Menu!
July 8th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Yes, i agree – Great site Nathalie!