Many raw food purists say that the raw lifestyle requires a commitment to 100% raw. While there are enormous advantages to eating 100% raw, there are also enormous challenges.

Transition Gradually

For someone new to exploring a raw food lifestyle, just “adding more raw foods” is a great strategy. Later you can decide percentage, but “more” will make a difference in your life, especially if you add “more” on a regular basis.

And speaking of more … the more nutrients you consume, the less food you need. Raw organic plant foods have more nutrients than cooked foods.

It is not necessary to eat 100% raw to benefit from raw foods. Often a little shift will be easier to maintain. For example, if you are eating cooked jams/jelly with sugar, change to whole berries without any added sweetener. If you use sugar in your coffee or tea, substitute raw organic agave.

Organically grown plant foods taste better than those treated with pesticides, so avoid conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. Instead of regular packaged crackers, look for raw, organic flax seed crackers. Simple adjustments like these are easier to make than strict rules that make you feel like a failure when you can’t or don’t follow the rules.

Drink the best water available to you and you will have less of a craving for bottled juices or soda or milk. Want a little flavoring in your water? Add some fresh lemon or cayenne pepper or cinnamon. If you want a sweet drink, select some of your favorite fruits, prepare for eating, put in blender with some water, blend and enjoy.

Honor Your Preferences

Your own habits and preferences are important. If you like the idea of a raw food eating style, honor your preferences, take your time, and transition slowly.

As you are discovering the proper percentage for you, ask yourself this question repeatedly: how does this taste to me? As you regularly have more raw foods in your meals, your tastes will change. Likely you will find that raw foods become more delicious and cooked foods become less delicious. Or perhaps, you will find that everything you choose is tasty and perfect for you.

Remember: if after one bite the food does not taste good, stop eating! If it tastes good at first and you continue to eat and it begins to not taste good, stop eating! Let your feelings and taste guide you.

Meal times are often social times for most people. You may find that by deciding to eat raw foods at home and cooked foods when you are with friends or on a business trip that you find the right balance for you.

Find Your Way

Experiment. Read. Ask questions. Find your own way. Be gentle with yourself. Enjoy the process. Keep a positive attitude. When you decide that your own well being is the priority, you will find the right balance or percentage.

What is the best percentage of raw for you? The one you can maintain!

I’m so delighted that so many people are writing about raw and living foods. Here’s an article at the Weekly Albertan by Jenn Silver. The article begins:

"When you think of food in its most healthy and beneficial state, as something green for the body, mind and environment, you may likely think of fresh and natural raw foods.

"The raw food diet appears at first to be just another crazy and intense food diet, but for many it has proved beneficial and has thus transformed into a lifestyle."

Read the whole article.

I have long been aware of the power of mushrooms. Recently, I’ve been studying them more extensively. Paul Stamets is a leading expert, articulate and knowledgable.

Paul is especially focused on Mycelium, which he says are the "Internet of the earth." His visionary insights help us to understand how these mushrooms balance and regulate the earth’s ecosystems.

Please enjoy this fine presentation.

Six Ways Mushrooms can Save the World
By Paul Stamets

Aloe Vera is widely known as a healing substance, or the medicine plant. My family has grown it for many years, on a window sill in our pre-California days, and now outside.

Aloe Vera is part of the lily family rather than a cactus, although nursery salespeople usually just refer to it as a succulent. Aloe is a very large species of plants, and not all Aloe are Aloe Vera.

It is raw healing at its best, internally and topically.

The Aloe Plant and Leaves

About a year ago, I became curious about the large Aloe Vera leaves from SunFood.com. I initially ordered them because I didn’t like the butchered look of my Aloe plants in my yard. For the occasional cut or burn, a severed Aloe leaf was acceptable; multiple cut leaves required for greater consumption create a truly unaesthetic look.

I had quite a visceral reaction when I opened the first package of these large leaves. "Wow, they are alive!" I don’t know how else to describe my reaction. I almost expected them to wiggle off the paper. (They didn’t.)

The plants these leaves come from are much larger than the typical household or backyard plant. The grower breaks or cuts off the whole leaf from the base of the plant rather than cutting into the leaf.

Eating the Fresh, Raw Aloe

Regularly, we use a slice of a leaf — gel only — in our smoothies, raw soups, salad dressings, and assorted savory and sweet dishes.  Aloe is a nice semi-liquid with a slightly tart taste. Sometimes it seems bitter; other times it seems sour.

Aloe is great in a pesto. I fillet a chunk, put it in a small glass container with some Celtic sea salt while I prepare all the other ingredients. The Celtic sea salt helps to "liquefy" or "activate" the aloe.    

Once I tried putting Aloe through the juicer for a green drink. That was not very satisfactory because of its gelatinous texture. However, the "salt trick" works well, so that I add the liquefied Aloe to the prepared green drink. The blender loves Aloe Vera.

Fresh, raw Aloe Vera supports the immune system, digestion, and liver. It is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. It seems to enhance the nutrients when combined with other superfoods, as well.

Using Now and Freezing Aloe Vera for Later Use

When we purchase the large leaves, we refrigerate all but one leaf. We use one at a time by slicing a chunk and filleting it as we need it. We either eat it fresh or freeze it within two days, three at the most. Often we use 2-4 chunks fresh and freeze one chunk, as that is usually the proper ratio to use the whole leaf in two days.

When freezing it, we cut it in serving-size pieces and freeze each piece in a small plastic bag or wrap. Once frozen, we place all the pieces in a larger freezer bag for easy grabbing.

Freezing Aloe Vera breaks down the fibers somewhat so that it blends even better in combinations. I think it’s also a little sweeter. Likely, the freezing reduces nutritional value somewhat.

When we’ve consumed the fresh supply, we start using the frozen bits.

If we have lots of company or extraordinary needs for the Aloe Vera, we skip the freezing for that leaf. Somehow, it all works more easily than it sounds.

Topical Applications for Fresh, Raw Aloe

To complete and go beyond the culinary experience, we end with the best skin treatment ever. We rub the inside of the green outer part on our skin and hair.

Several years ago, I acquired a wicked bruise and found that the Aloe Vera greatly reduced the discoloration and accelerated the healing. For that, I used — and learned for the first time — the Celtic sea salt trick. Using Celtic salt on Aloe Vera and applying both to a bruise were suggestions from my Latina housekeeper whose father used to grow Aloe Vera to mend and repair his active children.

Other Thoughts and Tips

Most of the bottled Aloe Vera products are likely to be processed in some way to stabilize and standardize the Aloe Vera gel. Read labels carefully so that you are confident of the contents. I’ve never seen fresh Aloe Vera in airports or hotels, so I have to find alternatives from time to time.

If you work with the larger leaves and make a cut without finishing the whole leaf, place a little piece of paper towel on the cut. This serves the same purpose as when a man cuts himself shaving and puts a piece of tissue on the cut.

After my experiences with the large Aloe Vera leaves, we now separate the outer leafs of our own plants and use the whole, smaller leaf right away. The plant loves this approach because it’s sustainable gardening. And no more butchered Aloe Vera plants!

There are no poisonous aspects to warn you about for the grand Aloe Vera medicine. This sturdy plant comes in many varieties and shapes and sizes. Remember, if you are purchasing, be certain it is Aloe Vera and not just any Aloe plant. Water it, but let it go dry thoroughly before watering again.

If you’ve had experiences with this plant treasure, please share it by adding a comment below.

While I am generally not inclined toward sensationalism or toward ridiculing the choices of others, I think this video is important enough to share on this blog.

The World’s First Bionic Burger
By Mr Blue

In an article I prepared in response to a reader question, Lose Weight with Raw Foods, I identified my two top choices for substances to stop eating for slimming and general good health. Those two substances are: processed or refined wheat and processed or refined sugar.

Wheat is Not the Staff of Life Anymore

Perhaps at one time, when produced in the area in which you lived and processed with a stone grinder, wheat sustained life. Now, for most individuals, it fosters illness.

Wheat is found in numerous products. It’s ubiquitous. Since I educate myself by being a label reader, I’ve been astounded to find that wheat is in so many foods. I eat essentially no wheat, by choice, so this really got my attention.

When asked, I’ve often suggested that an overweight person stop eating wheat. In every case the person followed my suggestion, the results were phenomenal. I’ve also suggested to people with a variety of other conditions that they eliminate wheat. And when they’ve done so, they’ve also experienced profound results for the specific condition as well as other conditions they had come to accept as "normal."

I suggest 100% elimination of wheat to truly test your tolerance or intolerance. Whether you’re overweight or have aches and pains and other physical complaints, likely you’ll find symptoms and discomforts will dissipate with the elimination of wheat. This is not an easy task. However, if you abstain 100%, you’re likely to experience at least minimal or moderate positive results in as little as three days.

Wheat comes processed with other substances, most of which are tasty, addictive, and debilitating. Food manufacturers typically use salt, sugar, wheat, dairy, and msg in their products, all of which are known to be addictive. Add to that the fact that the products are cooked so they arrive in an unnatural package, free from the enzymes that help you to digest the foods properly.

Refined Sugar is not Sweet for Your Body or Emotional Well Being

When talking about sugar, I like to be as clear as possible that I mean "refined sugar" or "processed sugar." I understand that the worst of all the refined sugars is high fructose corn syrup — the cheapest and most used. The names chosen by the food industry are extensive. To educate yourself, I suggest you do a Google Search for Names of Sugar.

Many of the sugar substitutes are as devastating to the person wishing to lost weight or get healthy because they make the body hungry for the very foods that add excess weight to the body. Again I recommend a trip to Google for a Search for Sugar Substitutes and Weight Gain.

Natural Substitutes for Processed Sugar

Natural sugar is found in fruits and other plant foods. If you’re both overweight and diabetic, you need to be careful of these as well. And don’t be fooled simply because a sugar is derived from a plant food; it matters how the sugar is extracted. If heat above 118 degrees is applied, it’s not longer raw and natural. U. S. labeling laws allow the indiscriminate use of the word "natural," so that it has no real meaning on the shelves.

Here are some sweeteners that are generally good for your health. Moderation and other dynamics need to be taken into consideration. Look for organic items that are raw for greatest health.

With minimal commentary, they are: raw agave nectar (which hydrates the body), stevia (which is sold as a supplement rather than a sweetener), dates, dried fruit, mesquite pod meal, carob, Xylitol, yacon syrup, honey (usually not either raw or vegan).

Glycemic Index

According to the Home of the Glycemic Index, "The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health."

I believe that the Glycemic Index is a helpful indicator, especially for anyone who is overweight or has some blood sugar condition. It’s probably more helpful to think of it as a GENERAL indicator or comparison than an ABSOLUTE indicator.

At the above web site, you can search the GI Database for your favorite foods or types of foods.

This site is definitely not geared to the raw foodist! I just checked out "lettuce" and it gave me seven results, none of which was lettuce alone, but in combinations of foods for typical American meals.

I did, however, have a slightly better set of results searching for "carrot." With twelve results, one was actually "Carrots, raw"!

So, use it if it’s helpful, but take it with a grain of … sugar.

Substitutes for Wheat

Unfortunately, many of the new processed foods that are promoted as "gluten-free" or "wheat-free" are rarely good for those who want to be free of gluten or wheat. While they may be lacking gluten or wheat, they’re often filled with other highly processed grains, like corn and/or rice, in forms that take you off the charts on the glycemic Index.

I just searched for "gluten-free" to find that one of the twenty-seven returns has a GI of 102. This is quite revealing, since the scale when originally calibrated was based on 1-100. Now, certain foods are beyond what was once considered to be the highest on the chart.

As far as I’m concerned, grains have no place in a raw food diet. Since they need to be cooked to be palatable, they’re not raw. You get to choose whether or not to eat wheat or other grains. Typically, the most difficult food for most raw foodists to give up is bread. For those who have severe negative reactions, it’s self-evident to abstain.

An Overarching Choice

As I mentioned in Lose Weight with Raw Foods, I advocate selecting one rule or principle to follow that makes all the daily choices easier. The focus of that article is using raw foods for their slimming effect because I was responding to a reader’s specific question.

However, the principle is the same for any set of choices, especially when you want to make a change in a habit, such as increasing the amount of raw food in your diet.

This is a question asked by a reader. If you want to ask me a question so that I can respond in a blog article, click on the image below. You can also find a link in the top navigation bar or under "Pages" on the left navigation bar. If you want to make a comment on this article, please find the link just below the article.

Question from Heather
Can I lose weight by being on a raw food diet?

Additional Comments from Heather
I’ve been up and down on the scales most of my life. I don’t even like to get on the scales any more, but there is no denying how my clothes fit and how I feel. (Answer: not well and not well.) I’ve heard that eating raw and living foods is very helpful for losing weight. Is that true?

Joy’s Response to Heather

The direct, simple answer to Heather’s question is: yes, absolutely, you can lost weight on a raw food eating plan if you’re currently overweight and eat cooked foods. But there’s more to the answer, so please read on.

First of all, I have to be clear that I don’t claim to be an expert on weight loss. Come to think of it, many people who claim this expertise have very limited views, mainly because they have a one-size-fits-all mentality and/or a product to sell. I don’t fault any of them, but I want to acknowledge that you’re an individual who needs to find your own successful approach.

Based on what Heather has said and what I know about raw foods and body weight, I’d like to offer an approach that puts you in charge of your eating. While I’ve never had a problem of being overweight, I have sensitivity to the problem, as many around me do. I’ve also experienced food addictions which would have led to excess weight if left unchecked.

The Starting Place: An Empowering Purpose

When you consider changing to a raw food cuisine for the purpose of weight loss, that can either empower you temporarily or serve to sabotage you. So sometimes, it’s just better to have the purpose of "going raw" or "adding raw" for general health benefits. Likely, you’ll experience a variety of benefits, including slimming.

What I’m suggesting is that you make health, rather than the bathroom scales or clothes size, the primary motivator. Let how you feel guide you.

You may also be successful creating a series short term goals with the broader purpose of health based on eating foods that are filled with nutrition. There’s so much conflicting data, so I’m suggesting you simplify your eating plan and use your feelings to guide you.

Choose One Rule for Yourself

I’ve seen many people change their eating or other habits drastically. While a drastic change may ultimately be necessary, so often people can’t incorporate the changes if the changes are too many or dramatically different from their familiar patterns. Take one step at a time, one meal at a time, one day at a time.

Everyone’s different, of course, but I’ve found that if you have one simple "rule" or "guideline" for yourself, you’re so much more likely to follow through. A single idea will help you to organize yourself for success.

If you’re put off by the word "rule," choose another word. I’ve already suggested that "guideline" is an alternative. The key is that you want only ONE idea or action to remember to make the decisions at each meal easier.

In fact, this principle is the reason that so many people can lose weight if they follow one program diligently. However, you need to find a program or approach that can work for a lifetime, not one that you abandon after a period of time because you’ve reached your weight goal, experienced boredom, or passed the date (wedding, graduation, etc.) that served as an incentive.

One Rule I Chose Years Ago

I’ll give you a personal eating example, although it’s not related to raw food eating. It was many years ago when my children were very little and I was participating in various groups and meetings with other parents. And, oh, the food! People brought goodies that were enticing, pretty, laden with fat, and filled with sugar.

My One Rule was: Participate in these meetings without eating. It was like pre-making the decision so I wasn’t faced with re-making the decision each time. Of course, if the gathering was a meal, the rule didn’t apply, but I still passed on the dessert tray.

When I had made the "rule" — which felt good to me to make — I didn’t feel deprived. When I applied the rule again and again, I didn’t feel deprived. I simply was not tempted because I had a long-term purpose.

Perhaps you’d feel deprived under these circumstances. If so, it’s really important you create a different rule. You can choose a very difficult rule and still not be deprived. Or start with an easy rule that empowers you into success right away. Make it joyful.

One Rule to Stop or One Rule to Start

People feel inspired by different opportunities. My own example above was a rule I chose for myself to stop — to not take — an action. That worked for me, without making me feel deprived.

In choosing a raw, living food cuisine or just more raw foods, it’s so much easier to find a rule of something to start. That way, the stop actions are so much easier.

After mastering your first One Rule, you can add others or you can expand your One Rule. Be really gentle with yourself. Make joyful choices, one at a time.

Examples of One Rule Approaches in Living Foods

Here are some beginning places. All are stated positively, with nothing to stop, only items to include in your eating. With these few examples, you can easily construct your own One Rule. Remember, you want to start with something compelling, something that makes you feel empowered and not deprived.

1. Consume something raw every time you eat. This is a very helpful guideline if you feel ready for it. The "something raw" could be as little as a sprig of parsley. Or, of course, it could include a whole meal of raw food items. "Every time you eat" means every time and not necessarily every thing.

2. Eat two (or one or four or any number) Superfood items/servings each day. There are many superfoods. You can check the "Categories" in the left navigation bar for the articles I’ve written so far, with more to come.

3. When at home, eat all vegetables raw. At most restaurants, it’s also possible to ask for uncooked vegetables, but at least at home, you can have total control in your own food preparation.

Does any of these examples feel good to you? If so, adopt it adapt it and get started. If not, start with a different positive action you want to sustain about raw foods or start with One Rule that relates to a stop-action.

Examples of One Rule Approaches in Stopping Cooked Foods

Here are some beginning places to stop consuming non-living foods. You might find it very helpful to select one or two individual items to eliminate. However, this works most effectively if you make the One Rule broad enough to included many individual items, and specific enough to give you guidance at each meal or shopping trip, when you must make a single-item choice.

1. Stop eating cooked wheat. Wheat is not the staff of life anymore. It’s addictive and devastating to a large percentage of the population. I’ll write more about this as a follow up to this article.

2. Stop eating refined sugar. Refined sugar goes by many names, and the artificial substitutes are also extremely unhealthy. Both are addictive and play a large part in obesity and other gradations of overweight. More in a future article, including some sweet substitutes that are healthy.

3. Stop overeating. You’ve had enough food when you’ve eaten some and still feel comfortable. It’s surprising how little quantity the body needs when you’re properly nourished. One of the reasons that so many people crave large amounts of cooked foods is lack of nutrients in the cooked foods. With raw foods, and especially raw superfoods, the nutrients are dense so you naturally want less.

Does any of these examples feel good to you? If so, adopt or adapt it and get started. If not, start with a different stop-action you want to sustain or return to One Rule that relates to including raw foods.

I have Inspired Myself to Write More

Heather, thanks so much for your question. It has stimulated more ideas that I’d like to share in future articles. Quite honestly, when I received your question, I wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle it. It is a BIG question, and I’ve only touched the surface in this one article.

I plan to write a series of articles, returning to this one to expand on some of the ideas here.

You cannot expect to make a change in your body contour
without making some changes in your thinking and your behavior.