the title is kind of harsh, I know..
I'd like to talk about whether or not you consider a raw vegan diet to be extreme?
I take the point of view that it's somehow the opposite extreme to the sad or similar rather harmful diets.
Often I find myself in social situation where it becomes rather difficult for me to explain why I go vegan, and not insult the people interested at the same time. because obviously it's not only a dicison to choose healthy foods, it's also declaring most of the regularly eaten foods as unhealthy.
which is criticism towards those who choose to eat them since they could no it better.
when it comes down to it, making a choice for raw vegan food and nothing els for the purpose of one's own health is pretty bumptious is what I am told.
people say I'm arrogant for sort of expressing- I konw it better.
Of course I don't run around telling people about my diet in the first place. I only do if they're really interested. And I don't start of about the con's of cooked non vegan food either, but I'm still meaning it indirectly and people often feel insulted and tell me I'm arrogant.
How do you experience exchange with others? and have you been told you're arrogant because of your diet?

I use the same story over and over: I had to go on a diet due to high blood pressure. So, officially, I am "on a diet". When they ask me what I eat, I add "fish" even though I only ate fish a couple of times in 7 months, and even that only when I had a thyroid problem (I didn't like it, it made my stomach feel bad). This "official" story is reserved for people I am not close with.

One should really, really only speak when asked about their diet. And always just a necessary minimum. I regret telling my story about losing weight to some people at work, so I just downplay it by "I had to, because of the high blood pressure" and repeat that over and over, to everyone who asks.

It's only considered "extreme" or antisocial because mostly everyone else is eating the accepted normal "SAD" diet...

I feel most SAD eaters are not "enlightened" to the point of understanding different cultures/lifestyles/types of eating.

Harsh, I know...just drawing my conclusions from my own personal experiences with family/friends.

Having said that, If we lived in a vegan society, a person would probably be vied as arrogant for expressing their SAD way of eating.

I personally don't bring my diet to attention anymore, after much criticism, or even better - the "hey, I eat just like you do!"

I'm very social and generally people like me.

It is an extreme diet and not for everyone, but i just mention im doing it for health reasons and how much better ive been feeling and generally people take it well or just drop the questions.

i find it extreme that since about oh... the 1950's its become so obscure to eat fruits and vegetables

there used to be a time when parents would lament little johnny wouldnt eat his peas ...

now it just seems freakish to enjoy fresh food

what a weird culture the world is turning into

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

A raw vegan diet is becoming what feels like the norm to me,and I wonder why people everywhere arent munching on carrots,and juicing beets every day.
I dont seem to get any comments at all on how I eat,and I myself dont comment on anyone elses diet. Its none of my business.

Vinny

If lots of people are telling you that you're arrogant perhaps what you're saying and how you're saying is coming across that way whether you mean it or not. Just saying.

People can totally think I'm a freak about diet but then again, I'm such a strange bird about so many things (dress, lifestyle, raising my kids, etc etc etc) that it just fits right in with the rest of me. If people ask, I tell.
I got to chatting w another mum in the grocery store a while ago and she was SHOCKED at my age (nearly 40) and wanted to know my secret. I simply said vegetarian and lots of raw fruits and veggies. That's enough for most people, they don't need a whole lecture with overwhelming amounts of info. If they care enough they will research, the info is easily found and sometimes just a friendly chat is enough to get someone on the right path. More so than a lecture any day, that's less helpful than just saying nothing IMHO.

Barry Goldwater was quoted as saying "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue"

And I am no Barry Goldwater fan, but I think when people uninformed and unaware use pejoratives that apply more to themselves than to thing they are criticizing, then you have to consider the source.

I'm reading now "The end to overeating" by David Kessler, an MD, and a former FDA Director under both Bush and Clinton. The man goes into painstaking detail about the addictive nature of food under SAD and the lengths the food industry has gone to create the obesity epidemic the nation is now suffering from. Now, that's extreme in the pejorative sense.

Paul

hmmm, Ive never been called arrogant, but people have called me crazy for being into raw food, my friend luke even went so far to lecture me, saying that we are evolved to eat cooked foods... he couldnt explain then how I cant digest cooked carrots(or peas for some reason), but raw carrots (and peas)are digested easily...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

It IS an extreme, but that's no qualifier, right? I find that people that know me to be interested in health and more outre things just take it in stride, and people that don't, like someone remarking on the produce in my cart at the grocery store, are perfectly polite when I say, "Oh, I'm a mostly raw foods vegetarian." That's pretty much the end of it, or, if they ask what that is, "I eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables" is the end of it. Mind you, even with loved ones I don't go off on a long philippic against the SAD or how the stars are like God's daisy chain now that I'm a vegetarian, laaaaa. That would make people think I'm arrogant. I don't see how merely describing in one sentence or three what your diet is could prompt invective.

actually, I think I may have converted the check out lady at my grocery store, she commented on how much produce I have been purchasing, asked if I own a restaurant (she sounded completely serious,lol) I told her no, that I was into the raw foods thing, and Ive been juicing allot, she asked about my juicer, gave her the info, and the URL for this site...sooo maybe we will be seeing her soon?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

I feel like if people ask, then it's on them. If I am not telling them about my eating habits, then they brought it up so let's play ball! I think that it's good to tell the truth if asked, in most circumstances. You never know who you'll influence. Maybe the Universe has decided they are ready...I will never forget this radical janitor of my apartment building during the '80s. He told me about eye exercises (I wear glasses) and that it's better to get calcium from greens than milk. About that last one, I secretly scoffed at his assertions. I wasn't ready. I was a vedge but not into veganism, at least respecting its value.

I did a youtube vid called 'raw vegan social tips' [www.youtube.com]

I just try to accept being a weirdo.

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just try to accept being a weirdo.

Hahaha That's the spirit!

We should just be ourselves, be happy and approachable. Naturally, people will have questions. Sometimes it's easy to feel defensive and feel like people are being judgemental, but who cares. They might not even mean their questions to sound the way they do. It's better they go away thinking you're a happy person on a 'different' diet than someone unhappy and defensive on a 'restrictive faddy' diet.

Can I just say... I LOVE BEING VEGAN!