Hi all. I first found this living and raw foods site about 5 years ago when I wanted to try incorporating more raw foods into my diet, so I was checking out the recipe section. I never really did many of them, but I was eating vegetarian with very little dairy at the time. I had been a vegetarian for 6 years and craved chicken when I was pregnant a little over 2 years ago and have had chicken every now and then since then.
Well, last week something just clicked and I decided to try to go mostly Raw. I have been feeling really fatigued in the past few months and even though I eat healthier the the average American, I don't feel like it. I want optimal health. I want amazing energy so I can enjoy life, feel wonderful, and be productive. I was doing good with drinking my green smoothies, eating a lot of fruit, some nuts, and even tried some easy recipes. I started feeling the detox right away instead of feeling good right away. For a few days my neck and shoulders were stiff and felt like they had the flu (not me, just my neck and shoulders) and I had really bad headache after a couple of days.
Today I slipped, though, and had a chicken salad when out to eat with the family for fathers day. It was a BBQ place. I could have been stronger and said no to eating anything there...I could have opted out. I am just tired of feeling so alienated. I am already gay, having some sort of spiritual awakening and have been for a while, pretty much do not agree with anything mainstream as it pertains to my life (a lot of TV, commercialism, pharmaceuticals,etc), and now I feel that Raw is my next step, but it is just another thing that keeps me feeling so separate and alone. I already feel yucky from the chicken salad and have felt the phlegm (sorry) ever since eating an hour ago. I am not going to beat myself up to bad about it I guess because I feel bad enough. I will just get back on my raw food horse and try again. I am disappointed, though. I do hope that I can start feeling some good effects from eating Raw sooner rather than later so I can be reinforced as to why I am doing this.

I should say that I started my raw foods on Thursday the 12th

Welcome Juno

Dont beat yourself up, draw a line under today, clear out your kitchen/fridge/pantry..go stock up.. and start fresh in the morning.

New start, new day, commit to do and go for it. Nothing to loose

Anyways, look forward to seeing your posts and progress

Hi Juno ! welcome to the site , again !

no need to feel alienated or alone! hang out here and ask questions, share your ups and downs , we all do ! im not sure wher you live but im sure as time goes by you will find yourself surrounded by likeminded people and the lonliness will be a things of the past try and find potlucks and meetups close to home they help alot ,

good luck on your journey heres a hug for you !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Please try to stay positive, Juno, as focusing on your chicken meal keeps you from focusing on the infinite opportunities to not eat a chicken meal that lie ahead of you. Just go on, and you will feel better about your life soon!

thank you all for you support. I am doing better today. I have eaten raw ever since. There are just so many dynamics at place with this, as I am sure many of you know and have been through. I like the raw food I have been eating. It tastes good in its own way, but sometimes still seems a lot like ruffage. There is a lot of comfort in cooked food nd emotions that go along with it, even though I would have never thought that I had emotional ties to food.
Plus, it gets confusing because there are so many different thoughts on raw and living foods out there. Eat this, don't eat this, don't combine these things. I think, wow, look at all the creations they have come up with in Raw cuisine, then I will read it is better to just eat one thing at a time...make a whole meal out of cantaloupe. There are so many view points. There are those who say that the body cannot digest Raw foods well so it does not get all the nutrients. I worry about not getting enough of something or too much of something else. It is all so confusing and I just want to do the best that I can and the best for my body.

Try this: Sit down and make a list of the three BIG reasons why you want to eat raw. How important are those reasons to you?

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Don't beat yourself up. I think eating cooked food, even really bad stuff occasionally is ok. I think where people fail with any diet is they think eating something bad one time is horrible and then they completely fall out of their diet and routine. Just forget about and move on. Also it looks like you need some support. Maybe you could look to see if there is a raw or vegan group in your area or even invite some friends over for a raw dinner.