So I've told a few friends that I eat mostly raw foods. I've told even fewer that I'm pregnant.
One of my friends, upon being told that I eat raw food, immediately started telling me how unhealthy it is and asking where I get my protein. I blew him off and told him I was fine, my protein was fine. I didn't feel like explaining it to him, I told him he could do his own research on how much protein a person REALLY needs.
However he is a close friend of both myself and my husband so of course we have told him that we're expecting. Now he's taken it upon himself to tell me how his ex wife had to take protein supplements when she was pregnant because she's a vegetarian, asking me if I've checked with my doctor to find out if this kind of diet is healthy(excuse me but I'm pretty sure the last time I talked to my doctor about my health she told me to eat MORE fruits and veggies), telling me I need to make sure I get my protein and that he's just trying to help.
I know this is going to happen more often as it becomes obvious that I'm pregnant. For some reason people feel the need to give out all kinds of unsolicited advice. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but any ideas on how to politely tell people to MYOB? Or a really good site I can point them to talking about how much protein a person actually needs?

Tell your "well intentioned" friends that you are eating the most abundant protein on the planet: rubisco, and you are doing just fine thank you very much. It's practically what makes the world go around.

[en.wikipedia.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 09:22PM by arugula.

do not reply except in writing (i get 82 g. most days w/o trying, i need about 30). it will only encourage.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

By the way, UtopianLife, I LOVE your blog, The pictures of your food are making me super hungry and pretty inspired. That tomato lasagna type thing you made looks fantastic!

brenna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know this is going to happen more often as it
> becomes obvious that I'm pregnant. For some reason
> people feel the need to give out all kinds of
> unsolicited advice. I'm sure this has been
> discussed before, but any ideas on how to politely
> tell people to MYOB? Or a really good site I can
> point them to talking about how much protein a
> person actually needs?

listen to them, smile, nod. say "thanks for your input! i like knowing that you care about me. i'm really happy with my choices right now, but i'll take your advice into consideration!"

if pressed, you can say: "i love you, and i am politely telling you to mind your own business. this is not open for discussion! now lets go have fun!"

if they can't respect that, then they are not respecting your boundaries. you need to walk away.

The World Health Organization's guidelines for protein are reasonable. If they are really interested, they can look it up themselves. I like them more than the AMA (American Medical Association), they also say to breastfeed for at least two years ineatd of one since since are not so subject to American cultural pressure

Brenna, You and I are in the same garden. I'm new and I'm beginning to tell some friends and coworkers about my new life as a raw foodist to gauge people's reactions. So far, it's been great. I took the time to explain it to one friend and then she was fine with it.

I've read UtopianLife's blog, too, and agree with you. Cooked food isn't half as pretty as hers!

Question for you, UtopianLife: How has blogging about the raw food lifestyle been for you? Good experience? Bad? Are there things you'd do differently? Things you recommend? I've decided, after a lot of thought and horror, to go ahead and blog about my experience... the full truth, no holds barred experience. Partially for the accountability but also because the friends and coworkers that I've mentioned it to have really encouraged me to go ahead with the blog. It'll be really weird doing it knowing people that I see every day will be reading it.

Simple Living Wrote:

> I've read UtopianLife's blog, too, and agree with
> you. Cooked food isn't half as pretty as hers!
>
> Question for you, UtopianLife: How has blogging
> about the raw food lifestyle been for you? Good
> experience? Bad? Are there things you'd do
> differently? Things you recommend? I've decided,
> after a lot of thought and horror, to go ahead and
> blog about my experience... the full truth, no
> holds barred experience. Partially for the
> accountability but also because the friends and
> coworkers that I've mentioned it to have really
> encouraged me to go ahead with the blog. It'll be
> really weird doing it knowing people that I see
> every day will be reading it.


Thanks - glad you enjoy the blog.

I've been blogging for a while now....a year and a half, maybe? So it started when I still ate cooked food (but always vegan). So I don't have much to compare it to now, except that I think some people were a little disappointed when I went to high-raw and knew that I would have a lower frequency of posts, although others seem happy and supportive. I don't post A LOT about how I feel on raw because I have felt great as a vegan for years. I think it'd be awesome if you included some of that on your blog, SL, like how you feel day by day and what you are eating.

I think part of the problem is sometimes we only post our extravagant things because other pictures might be duplicative and boring, so people might assume that we eat this rich ice cream or truffles or desserts every single day or maybe a pine nut cheese every day and I don't think that's the case for most of us. So Maybe I will try to incorporate more regular, everyday foods as well, but my camera is definitely not the best!

rost0037 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The World Health Organization's guidelines for
> protein are reasonable. If they are really
> interested, they can look it up themselves.

right, you don't have to defend or prove anything. don't engage. if they are truly open to another viewpoint, they can research it for themselves. if they are only open to telling you what to do, no amount of books, links, websites, or doctors opinions will have any bearing.

re: RDA vs. WHO
the u.s. govt's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein is 0.8 gram per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of ideal body weight for the adult--this is said to meet 97.5% of the population's needs. the protein RDA suggests that we eat approximately 10-15 percent of calories as protein daily. however, the US RDA protein diet standards are thought by many to be overestimated. the WHO more conservatively puts dietary protein needs at about half of the RDA, or 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight. furthermore, dietary studies show clearly that diets based solely on plant sources of protein can be quite adequate and supply the recommended amounts of all essential amino acids for adults, even when a single plant food (ex. rice) is virtually the sole source of protein. but don't just take my word for it, check it out yourself: www.nutritiondata.com

Quote

so people might assume that we eat this rich ice cream or truffles or desserts every single day

?????You mean we don't????? Gads!

Thanks for the encouragement!

brenna...

I tell people this; "Do you know that veggies have all the essential amino acids found in meat protein and when we eat meat we have to break down the meat substance into the amino acid building block form that our bodies can use. If I just eat veggies and fruit the protein is available in a simplier form and the body doesn't have to do all the converting" This answer isn't exactly scientifically correct, but it seems to suffice and people have then left me alone.

Elayne

As I have said before...

Why don't they ask us, "But where do you get your sulfites, nitrites, nitrosmaines, BHA, BHT, potassium bromate, FD & C colors, red number 2, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), Acesulfame-K, MSG, trans fats, propyl gallate, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, and antimicrobials?"

I'm totally into the simplicity of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. No commercial raw candy bars (Lara Bars, etc.), no faux SAD meals labeled "gourmet raw." Oh man, this is so simple and beautiful.

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

Simple Living Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> so people might assume that we eat this rich ice
> cream or truffles or desserts every single day
>
> ?????You mean we don't????? Gads!
>
> Thanks for the encouragement!


Uhm....haven't you seen that some people on this forum only eat a couple types of fruit in a day?! I, on the other hand, try to balance things out by including cacao a few times a week. Just for balance. I LOVE hempseeds, too, and dried fruit, but those are indulgences.

Sometimes a question as simple as, "do you know how much protein a person needs in a day?" will cause the inquisition specialist to leave you the hell alone.

you know what's funny is people always say vegans don't shut up about their diets, but i swear we get harassed more than anyone!

Here's another good question to ask them,

"Have you seen what meat looks and smells like after it's been sitting around for hours/days at 98.6*F? Well, it's doing the same thing, and smelling the same way, inside of you. What are those little white wiggly creatures called again?"

maui_butterfly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> listen to them, smile, nod. say "thanks for your
> input! i like knowing that you care about me. i'm
> really happy with my choices right now, but i'll
> take your advice into consideration!"
>
> if pressed, you can say: "i love you, and i am
> politely telling you to mind your own business.
> this is not open for discussion! now lets go have
> fun!"


this is my answer too. it's pretty much what i said when people found out i was going to have the baby at home and offered me All Kinds of "advice" (paranoia).
it feels good when you take that stuff in the spirit in which it was intended, one of love and caring and concern for you. i only get my knickers in a knot about it when i get defensive and start to doubt myself. then i take it as a sign that it's time for me to reaffirm my beliefs to myself. it's a gift in that context.

I found that when both me and my partner typed everything we ate into Fitday for a few days, we had EXACTLY the same protein %...and he eats a lot of meat!

Claire

I get it from breathing..just kidding, but its what I tell people





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2008 01:54PM by suvine.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I figured out that I need about 41g of protein based on the WHO recommendations,NOT the 80g my friend is insisting that I need, which I am more than getting with the huge amounts of fruit I'm eating. I've been putting everything I eat into Fitday and I'm doing just fine on all my nutrients. That plus a prenatal and I feel great and energetic and very happy.
I really appreciate all the support. I'm still really new to this and not 100% secure or all that knowledgeable in what I'm doing, so I guess it's a little too easy for someone who thinks raw foods is crazy to make me doubt myself.
Thanks everyone!

Does the WHO have a complete set of nutritional guidelines for vitamin and mineral intake? Are they more reliable than the U.S. politically motivated guidelines?

Frances, WHO/FAO guidelines are here:

[www.who.int]

They are somewhat different from US RDAs but pretty similar on the whole.

Thanks, arugula, I only see general recommendations there for fat, types of fat, carbs, fiber, protein, cholesterol and salt. I was hoping they'd have detailed recommendations for the vitamins and minerals, but it looks like the WHO is a lot more cautious and isn't putting specific numbers out without very good evidence.

Elayne is right, plant proteins are much easier for the body to digest. Besides that, it has been shown that only 50 % of meat protein is being absorbed or used by the body, the rest is lost. Not so with plant proteins!!! That will be a good one for your friends!

Greenpower

Visit my website and my blog!

[www.natureshealingsecrets.com] (closed on Sundays)