Hi everyone. I am trying to dig down deep right now to find my motivation and get my mojo back. When I first started doing the raw thing many years ago, I was excited, inspired, loving all of the info and reading there is about it. However, after all this time, I am still so sick and the food cravings lately are so overwhelming. Where does that inspiration and motivation come from to keep going? I know many of you, who are ill, have experienced this and gotten back on board. So, I am looking to you for answers and hoping you can get me going. I appreciate anything right now.

When I get those cravings I go to the health food store to the raw snacks section and find what would be the closest approximation to whatever it is that I'm craving (sorry if you live in a place where you don't have this option). Also I find that my own homemade guacamole works great for cravings - lots of onions for flavor, and you satisfy the fat/salt craving as well. Also salads with seaweeds and nori wraps work well - somewhere I read that most cravings are really a craving for minerals, so that's what I eat - high-mineral foods like dark green leafy greens and seaweeds. The more raw food I eat, the less junk food I crave.

Good luck!

I agree with Sunshine79. Seaweeds are good. I put dulse in my salads. It has lots of minerals and vitamins. Raw nori is also available.

Just as Sunshine79 says, in the past I've found that when I had excessive cravings, it's because I've been missing some mineral/s. One thing that's REALLY helped me in addition to adding seaweeds, (and I apologize for repeating myself on this forum) is eating a combo of organic sunflower seeds and UNhulled sesame seeds (great calcium and iron) everyday, AND also adding raw wheat germ to my salads.

Fresh parsely is also very rich in nutrients and tastes good in salads.

I suggest you ALWAYS buy all your nuts and seeds organic. Conventionally grown sunflower seeds (even from the health food store) have made me sick. Conventionally grown walnuts have also made me very sick.

If you buy wheat germ, it should be prepackaged and labeled raw. Never buy it out of the bulk bin, because it could be rancid. Sprinkle a quarter to a half cup or more of raw wheat germ over your salad and then add cold-pressed olive oil and lemon juice. That combo, along with the dulse, parsely, and whatever other salad fixings you like - it will be very delicious and satisfying. Sometimes I eat an orange afterwards since citrus for me mixes fine after veggies.

Raw wheat germ is a traditional raw superfood.

Sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are considered by many in the EastAsian countries as the equivalent of superfoods.

Hope this helps.

-Ally

pine nuts in salads are awesome too. I've tried walnuts, but for some reason, they upset my stomach.

I hear ya! There are some times that are harder than others. My son has been visiting (a healthy, organic eating vegan) and it's been harder than usual. He eats a very healthy diet, although not raw. He cooked some beans, had an Amys cheesless pizza, some sprouted tortillas, etc. I had to have little talks with myself a couple of times. I actually considered going cooked while he was here! But, I hung in there, realized that I was just feeling sorry for myself and then gave myself an attitude adjustment by focusing on all the things that I have to be grateful for. And, I'm glad I did.

I've found that I need to keep reading and/or re-reading the books that inspired me in the first place. I need to remind myself of the reasons that I'm choosing to be awake, aware and responsible in terms of my health. I have to keep returning to this site for inspiration. I need to set little goals - like more greens in any way I can sneak them in - smoothies, use leaves as tortillas, leaves as chips for dips, leaves for snacks. I eat leaves when I'm really hungry so that I have developed a real love for the taste. The more greens I eat, the better I feel physically, mentally, spiritually. I find that eating healthy raw food when I have a craving for unhealthy un-raw food - still makes the craving go away.

I still have some health issues - but I keep the faith by thinking of all the problems I could be having if I were to return to a less healthy lifestyle. And hey - don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back for choosing to swim upstream in a world that mostly chooses to remain asleep!

I hope this helps a little. For me - it's sooooo often about attitude!

Life Is Good!!!!

alive!

Just since you asked, I forgot to say that my major motivation to stay raw is that I feel like dog @#$%& every time I eat cooked food. The times I've forgotten that, I've been quickly reminded by my body's totally unpleasant reactions to cooked food. Maybe that's from too much Meat, Medicine, and M & Ms when I was a kid, maybe it's because I had an amoeba for a number of years and I wore out my ability to produce digestive enzymes, or maybe I'm just lucky.

Whatever the case, my life is a lot more "normal" on raw food.

Best wishes,

Ally

I guess trying to always have a substitute for cooked cravings is the way to go...If you don`t have access to raw stores then try making your own recipes for various old favourites. For me sprouted tortillas ( not raw) really helps me as it really satisfies me and is quite healthy. It keeps me from bingeing on raw junk food ( too much fat, too many nuts etc..)

Hi there,

I was VERY ill and healed completely on a raw diet. Check out my story on the success story board.

If you have been raw for awhile and aren't experiencing healing, you diet and lifestyle likely needs some fine tuning. Nora Lenz is an awesome raw nutritional consultant that could help you. I've done a few consultations with her over the last couple of years and she helped me a great deal. Her website is www.rawschool.com

You might also want to examine the emotional issues that may be causing you to have cooked cravings. Our attachment to food is very strong and often needs some work in order to have a healthy, balanced approach to eating.

Take care,

Audrey



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2006 02:23PM by chilove.

Thanks everybody. Those are great suggestions and I feel better already. The cravings are getting better the better I stick to my program and I really appreciate the support.

hey sweterson

i don't have any dietary advice
except to say that
if u feel sad, then cry
if you feel mad, then scream
if you feel happy then dance
if you feel wistful then prance
if you feel lonely, then go out and befriend a lonelier person
if you feel mischievous, sneak some organic apples into their napsack
then you'll feel better
and all food cravings will go away

uhh... something like that
wishing u a fretlessly spectacular journey

veronique