I have a new issue now...

I have been high raw (80%) for more than a year now. But for the past two weeks or so, I have been meeting up with friends and taking kids out etc., as teh weather is really nice and it is good to go out .. But I see that I am eating snacks cooked and sometimes junk) becuase of this. Like the other day, I had a banana with me, and I knoew that I will be hungry, but when my son said I am hungry, we ended up going to Indian restaurant and I ate cooked Indian (vegan) food. I had a severe stomach pain after that.
Then agian the next week, I had potato chips and some other junk...

I aknow that I should Not beat myself up about that and should just pick and continue my raw path like before, but I am concerned, am I slipping and going back? I really can't imagine being a cooked vegan any more.

Any thoughts?

Take care
A Iyer

<<< am I slipping and going back? >>>>

It sounds like a choice for you not a question for someone else.

My opinion is you will not fall off the wagon simply because you choose to eat some foods that are not optimal. Just keep reminding yourself of your goals. Maybe something is missing in your life or diet right now and you are attempting to "fill" it with food. Maybe if you dig around you can discover what is missing and address it properly.

Good luck. We are here for you!

Actually yes I understand that its a choice for me and I chose to eat junk, no one really forced me to.. so thats true. But I have been under a lot of pressure for the past several months and I had to make some difficult choices. It was too much to do and think and plan and I just couldn't. The funnies thing is, after we gave up on that plan, which was about two weekd ago, I started eating some junk etc., I am surprised at this... If it was when I was under pressure, I would understand. But why now? I am not sure whats going on. But I need to as a first step throw away the junk that we have in the pantry.

Any one else have similar experience?


I guess I am just nervous that if I don't wake up and fix whatever is wrong - mental pattern as well as physical, I will go back to old ways that did not help me.

Take care
A Iyer

Take a deep breath and take one day at a time, slowly incorporating more raw. REmember how you feel when you eat cooked foods (even vegan) and just keep that in mind....do you want to feel that way? If you can prevent feeling badly, then why not?! You might have more energy and mental clarity/happyiness the more raw you eat. Why not see?

A, It's probably a delayed reaction. It's like you force yourself to do something then when the pressure is off, you go back to that which was comforting and familiar even though it might not have the best benefit for you.

I often find that when I stray, these are the times that I find more conclusive evidence for the need to stay on track due to the negative consequences to my health.

Relax and focus.
Therese

When there is unease or craving in my life I quickly forget that being raw is a gift, not a burden. Figuring out what's causing the anxiety is and dealing with it and myself p-a-t-i-e-n-t-l-y is what gets me through. And allowing myself the room to make mistakes.

Letting go of being raw means going backwards and is guaranteed to bring on bad mental physical and spiritual health much worse than anything I'm currently dealing with. I can bank on that.

Lots of great advice.

I've been raw for a year and seldom desire anything but fresh raw foods now. Don't really consider cooked or processed as food anymore. Thought I was somehow over the threshold.

Recently I had a birthday and a friend wanted to gift me by taking me grocery shopping at my natural food co-op. While my friend went and shopped for herself, I somehow found myself in the processed cookie & chips aisle. I swear to God I stood in front of some old vegan chocolate chip cookies I used to eat often and said to myself, "it's my birthday and I can have those". It was at least 10 minutes that I stood there frozen in time. I had to really talk to myself, go through a process in my brain and with my emotions why I'm a raw foodist. I picked up the box and read the ingredients at least three times. Finally I just knew I couldn't put that stuff in my body..."milk byproducts, cane sugar...etc". Not really vegan obviously. ;-) It surprised me the force of this feeling to have that box of cookies. It was a combination of it being an association that I can have whatever I want on my birthday and that I could finish those cookies. I would've binged on them also...no doubt about it.

I learned something about myself...the desire for cooked food and unhealthy alternatives can surface when you least expect it. I think I may even write down on a piece of paper why I'm striving for optimal health. Then I can read my affirmation if it happens again.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2008 05:15PM by rawangel.

Identify what YOUR real, motivated goals are. If you determine that eating fresh, raw produce is the way to get there......then as long as that is STILL your goal....then that tool will always be in your face. If one's goals are not clear....then OTHER things are in your face! LOL. And people to to use (or eat) whatever is in their face.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com