I just began the living foods diet and I'm doing well. My mother is doing it with me but she is so negative she keeps sayimg that you can't be 100% raw but you can!!! Shes an OT so you'd think she'd know better. My goal is to go as close to 100% AS POSSIBLE! She can't seem to help it but she drags me down emotionally it's just sending all this bad karma my way and stressing me out. Makes me want to scream. So from now on I'm going to be doing yoga in the morning after she leaves for work. And if she wants something cooked I'll make it but I'm making my own raws dish like last night I made rice spaghethii(organic gluclose free) meatless meatballs organic tomato sauce with raw mushrooms with wheat garlic toast I know that's healthlier than regular spaghethii and stuff, but I didn't want to eat it because it was cooked I didn't have much but I still felt yucky. So now if I need to make different plates so be it. YEAH RAW!

nice of you to cook for her! may i ask how old you are? i cook for my husband and 14 yr old, sometimes thats really hard! we have a juicer and when i make a good juice (like apple,celery or cucumber,lemon and kale) everyone wants some and then i am not so tempted by the cooked food--im just happy with my juice! i have a large salad for lunch usually. i also find that if i eat a salad with my cooked food i feel much better. iam about 80-90% raw. love and light to you!

I agree with ll. Maybe you can make a big salad along with the cooked meal to share with your mom and then you just eat the salad.

If you are having a tough time at first with her negative attitude, consider an occasional raw bar and/or fruit smoothie for dessert (an hour or so after the meal for food combining reasons).

Can you talk with her about how you would appreciate her support for now, even if she doesn't believe in raw? Tell her you just want to try it out for now and see how it makes you feel.

You can do this and it will be so-o-o worth it!

I just turned 21 I'm a student/artist in between semesters living at home. Those are good suggestions. I guess I understand why my mom and I have trouble with one another she has a high stress job and I put it this way we're both very emotionally inclined people and so much alike although I tend not to voice my option because I don't want to get fussed at. I think it's best that I work this out myself instead of talking to her about it beacause what she believes in she has a hard time letting go she's been back peddling on a Raw she's been snaking on alot of nonraw foods and it's just going to do her bad. So I think I'll support her as best I can but I'll be taking care of myself by doing my own thing.

I made a great salad last night it had lots of seeds,nuts and some dried cranberries it was good. I tried putting cucumbers in stuff but they taste terrible I heard that it's hard to get good cucumbers this time of year but I think maybe I can cut down the bitter taste by soaking them in water with sea salt,maybe with lemon?

Yoga was great but I'm watching my nephews 1 and 3 so they think it's funny to jump on their aunt Mandy when I'm trying to listen to my breathing and heart beat I think I'll move yoga to nap time.
Anyone ever see that show Dhrama and Greg? I love it and it makes me think healthly thoughts. Well good thoughts to all have a great day!

I got to really like D and G - the actress who plays her has such an upbeat way about her and free self-expression, that it made me feel upbeat too.

You can get the bitter stuff out of cukes by cutting the end off, then rubbing the cut ends together in a (fast) circular motion. If there's bitter stuff in them, you'll see a thick, white, sort-of foamy stuff forming where the friction occurs. You have to rub till theres no more white stuff - sometimes I rinse it off and keep rubbing, because I can't tell if more is forming or not.

A little tiring but worth it for a nice tasting cuke.

Welcome, Mandy !! Yeah, it's hard dealing with family members that aren't supportive. There's some great ideas here for doing your own thing AND sharing with your mom. Good luck to you - and do what's best for YOU !!

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I guess I should have introduced myself in the beginning but better late than never huh? I'm 21 female single(blah) student/artist I love to read(manga whoo!) and draw/paint I hate grabinzo beans!!! yuck! I like banana's and apples alot. I don't work right now but plan to after I go back to school next semester. I hate when people won't do things for themselves when theres no excuse I adore my two nephews 1 and 3 and spoil them rottin. I've never had a boyfriend or been on a date because I don't care and am alittle clueless about who is flirting???. 5'5 box blond, extremely curly hair(like shirley temple but long) and blue eyes.
Okay get ready for a bit of a rant... I'm so ticked off at my family everyone is treating my choice of diet as a joke! My uncle made a joke about eatting lawn trimmings! And even my mother is not taking it serious saying it's okay to eat cooked on the weekends! No it's not if you want to commit to something commit GD! She kept giving me these mean looks when I didn't eat the meat on my plate and just ate the veggies ARGH! My great aunt asked me in this tone of voice that was clearly mocking "Oh are you and your mom still eating raw?" I don't think I'm going to talk to my family about my eating habits anymore. It's nice to be able to vent alittle.
I just need to be more like Dhrama the universe will tell me what to do 'Jerhima was a bull frog, lather, rinse, repeat end of story.' haha I've been feeling pretty great these day's minus the frustrating family I like the looks of my skin it seems brighter yeah! So anyway if you read this leave a message I love getting messages! It gives me an excuse to come online and talk to people Well goodnight good luck and peace to ya chao!

I'm not trying to be negative ,oh!!! My Karma darn it. I shouldn't be talking negative about anyone it just mushing up my mood and is dragging me down. Maybe I'll get a stress ball? I'm really a cheerful person I can't help but smile alot tommorrow I'm going to look for a dehydrator I found a smaller collander today for berries and small batchs of things. Well it's late so I'm off now for real this time. goodnight good luck and peace chao!

My family jokes about me being raw. they say I am a bad hunter and the fact that vegitables react to us eating them. They call me a hippy and its all them joking with me. They are proud of me and that makes me feel real good. I love being raw. I cook for my family too but I try to not cook the things I really like to eat I cooked some chili and they all said it was the best chili I have ever cooked that made it so hard for me to not eat it because I loved chili. I dont make spagetti either. I have to have someone else taste the food to see if it is o.k. The longer you eat raw foods the better your mood will become, at least that is what I have noticed with me. I don't know why it works that way but since I have been raw I have become more positive and happy. Good luck to you in your journey to be raw. Welsome aboard
Pam

I've been raw for two weeks now booya! I'm in better spirits today I'm excited about halloween I love dressing up. I got alot of fruit today and plan to make a bunch of smoothies. yum. I enjoy making food so it's nice to make stuff now and again but it's hard not to eat stuff specially chocolate stuff. Well my mother say's she's planning on getting a juicer this week yes! Fresh juice sounds great. None of the store have dehydrators I wonder if I should just go online? oh well I'll just make due till then. Roses are red violets are blue stevia is sweet and so is fruit. haha it's funny well positive vibes your way and goodnight.

Hiya Mandy - raw for 2 weeks - good for you!!! I've really been into green smoothies lately. They are SO good

Feel free to vent any time - families can be rough !!!!! Hugs and Blessings to ya !

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I'm in a good mood today got my daily dose of smiles and am ready for about anything.Banana's are once again a delicious snake around here. Craved the pumpkins for halloween kept the seeds and plan to dry them to eat later yum. been dealing with insomina lately I just have alot of energy and have trouble getting going in the morning so I sleep late and than it just starts again. Have you ever just turned up your ipod real loud and danced and sang like no one could have you? It's wonderful makes me want to laugh. Do you think that your life has theme music? I do my theme songs are probably right now 1234 by feist her eyes (not sure who by) and Bubbly (just bought the cd). I got a yoga cd a while back at the 50% off sale and it talks about meditative dance it really get me in a good mood I mean even people who don't like to dance like to dance by themselves where no ones around. Sometimes I think I'm truely crazy and I love it. Save a cow eat veggies. choa

today I'm feeling like my theme song is 'Lil Red Riding Hood' Happy Halloween! I'm a vegan vampire I wanted to be Alice in wonderland but all the costumes are way to small blah next year I hope to lose enough weight to be fran from FinalFantasy 12 that game rocks.

Made smoothies last night it was great it had banana's orange juice mango and blueberries. My nephew 1 liked it alot which is a good thing cause it's good for him. I cut my finger when I was slicing the mango I'm missing apart of my fingerprint it stings real bad. Had a asain salad from Mc Donalds last night too it was the best one I'd got from there ever the last one was a little dry. Have a Happy Healthy Halloween.(my favorite holiday)chao

Had raw peanuts last night those things are real good. My pants are gettng real loose and I feel pretty good, bought a lot of banana's this week and we've done went though them. COCOCOCOCO just really alittle crazy today. I heard about a new channel on tv 'veria' it looks like it could come in handy if I need I'm going to check out the website. choa

today's song is 'last request'(poalo something)'kiss the girl'(ashley tisdale) 3weeks raw now booya! had a great halloween my nephews where sooo cute my nephews are both mildly autist and me and my mother thought a change to a raw diet would help and we've had them the last two weeks and I've seen a huge improvment with the eldest 3 his been learning simple signs and talking alot more I glad. Their mom dosen't work with them at all so it's tough we're going to get them both therapy soon. Them like the food alot and my eldest nephew like grapes alot he calls them 'apes' it so cute, my youngest nephew has been making alot of noises now he repeats me. Well lunch time chao

Wow, I'm so glad to read your last post! I love hearing about people turning babies onto raw....am sending my very best wishes your way.....all babies are worth all the effort we can give them....and congrats on your 3 weeks!

I see a difference in my body for sure my skin is real clear but I notice that my gums are alittle puffy and it hurts could it be a reaction to something? I can't think of anything that I've eatten lately that is different that what I've been eating. Going to my grandmothers this weekend not looking forward to it because they think it's okay for me to eat cooked food and I explained I couldn't eat any of that stuff I just need to make my own food and let them eat what they have, yeah I think that's a good plan. well choa

I had a misstep I ate a burger at McD's I felt alittle sick after have eating it and I now I just want to get back to being raw I need to not let this get me down I read once that to make a real life change you have todo something for at least 6 months before it becomes a habit. not much else to say but got a new yoga video and will start that first thing tomorrow I swear. choa

As far as your gums go, I have heard that it is sometimes a reaction to going raw at first. I think its probably a good idea to keep your eye on the situation. If it doesn't improve, maybe consider going to the dentist.

I know what you mean about feeling sick after eating bad cooked food. But instead of thinking of that one little mishap as completely destroying your raw food kick, just think "okay, right back on the horse". Plus, it is a good reminder how much better you feel when you eat raw.

I had a bad weekend as well. Mandy, I like your attitude about not eating cooked food on the weekends either. That's my demise. It is easy to eat raw during the week since I pretty much do my own thing food-wise. However, the weekends are more difficult because that's when I get together with friends, host dinner parties, etc. However, there are always raw options. You can be extra-annoying at a restaurant if necessary :-).

I ate kind of badly on Saturday, so I am considering this my first raw day. You know those signs up in fast food restaurants, "no kitchen fires for 100 days" and then they change it each day? Then if there is a kitchen fire, they have to start counting back at 1? "no kitchen fires for 1 day" :-). I am going to do that with raw foods.

This is my 1st day of 100% raw again. I am going to see how far I can get before I have to start counting over. Hopefully I'll never need to start counting over again :-).

BTW, I am almost 28 (thursday), and am beginning to feel old. Enjoy being 21!

MandyDandy02- I laughed out loud at your unkles joke about lawn clippings. Haha. Im j/k though. I know what you mean. My family thought I was off my rocker when I told them I was going to do the raw diet. Take the critisim lightly.

Feeling alot better about myself today. And yeah I just need to get back up and go again but now I know better, I should try to stay away from fast food places but if it's impossible to avoid I'll be good. Theme for today 'Bubbly and 1234' sweetheart bitterheart now I can't tell you apart. Change your heart, you know are. yes I do know and I know that I'm not about to let myself quit because I'm more than worth it. My gums don't hurt to bad anymore and the swelling has gone down. I'm glad cause it get crunchy veggies like carrots and stuff. I'm learning to take my family lack of support instride it's gotten alot easier to say no and laugh off other stuff. haha just need to keep moving forward! choa

Today's theme paralyzer by finger eleven that song makes me want to dance. Me and my mother found a bulk food store that sells alot of great stuff we found some veggie chips their great! And some flax seeds and flax seed meal I put the meal in my smoothies. My mother told me that banana's have fat in them is that true? Well yesterday I cleaned house so I ended up not doing any yoga but I plan to do it today.choa

it's the end of the day now and I did do some yoga it's a wonderful feeling afterward and make me feel real good. Had a smoothie for breakfast and a salad with lots of mixed seeds and veggies for lunch. choa

I saw away to make nut milk out of sunflower seeds and it was with the shells on I wonder if I can do that with out the shells. I'm not sure but I think my blender is getting dulled out I guess some models aren't suppose to be run afew times a day. I've been looking on youtube and there is alot of stuff on raw food I found abunch of recipes that are demonstrated. It has been very helpful. Going to go and do some house work and some yoga. I was so soar yesterday from yoga guess because I hadn't done much excercise lately for maybe a month before that though I rode my bike at least a mile a day before. well choa

hey mandy, you are doing really well! i'm so proud of you for not letting that one little slip-up get you down. our bodies react to what we do MOST of the time, not what we do occasionally by mistake. your body is loving all the raw, living nutrition you are feeding it! keep it up and you will reach and even surpass all your goals!

<3 meow

Theme of the day 'Island in the sun' It's a great song and it prefectly decscribes the feeling I get from raw foods. I made a zuccini spaghetti yesterday it was pretty good. I'm visiting family this weekend and I wonder if I should take some raw snakes along I think I'll take some pumpkin seeds because I like to eat them as a quick snake. I keep seeing pro green ads every where and I think it's a great idea people need to know about simple ways they can help improve the enviroment and help save the planet.Save the planet woh!!choa

Got back from my grandparents not a bad weekend but I've decided to take my meals with me when I go there because the only thing that she makes that's raw is salad if you can call it that it's only lettace and tomatoes. Luckly I brought some fruit with me. Went to the store and loaded up on the fruit and veggies. I was able to buy some brazilan nuts and I plan to make some nut milk. well choa

Hadn't been online last few day's thought I'd get on and say I'm doing good I've lost a little weight and I definetly see a difference in my skin it's been forever since I've had any acne. I've been experimenting with recipes and I think I'm getting better all the time. Blah Blah Blah haha little tired so I'm going to get some rest, choa

Lately I've devoloped a bad case of insomina I can't seem to get to sleep before 5 in the morning and I'll get up around 9 and be just fine. That's alittle strange huh? It's no the first time I've had insomnia I seem to get more done at night than in the day time anyway. Doing good with eating a bunch of different things right now I Really like these stuffed raw mushrooms that I've made yum. I looked up a couple of thankgiving day recipes to make so I can enjoy myself too. Going to be getting my nephews soon can't wait I miss them. It's back to raw food for them it's good for them and I defentily saw a difference in their actions so I'll be glad to see them soon. I saw this stupid show yesterday I thought I was going to be sick these two idiots had a contest to see who could eat the most meat yuck that put me off of ever wanting to eat meat for a good long while. I also saw this show on forbes top 20 heiress's and I liked #13 she's called the 'green heiress' she pro green and I think it's important for people in high end posts to lead by example. well choa go green!

BlahBlahBlAH TURKEY FREE THANKSGIVING not much else has happened been maybe 50-75% raw went to the store to get some things but nephew threw a fit and we had to leave I've been real stressed lately things are real crazy I need to recommit and do better so that I can be healthy cause I'msad and I don't like that feeling. My mother dosen't listen to me and when anything goes wrong it's somehow my fault and I don't like being blamed anymore. Well more blah choa