hey Raw Foodies, I was hoping to get some advice on how to answer people's (often ranging from curious to ignorant or judgemental) questions about the Raw Vegan lifestyle. People will ask about various nutritional needs, or whether I ever enjoy "real" food(Ha! if they only knew the beauty of real food taste and benefits). And one of the hardest issues is the weight loss associated with a transition to a High percentage Raw diet...

hey rawxy, With proper sound knowledge is the only way to answer or if the person is looking to debate about nutrition is the only way to silence them.

I find if you cant answer someones questions about raw food, herbs etc then it reinforces the beliefs they already have.

I found the easiest way to do it is to give them a link to a standard days worth of food you eat on something like www.nutritiondata.com , my friend wondered about protein, till I showed him that just the juice I had in the morning had 29% of my daily value of complete protein...kind of shocked him,lol... (shocks a lot of people i show that) and many, if they compare it to their normal diet, come to find its far more complete than theirs usually is... print outs could probably work too, also, making a delicious fancy-ish raw meal for a group of friends, can help a lot too...

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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 think theres always going to be a stigma it doesnt even just relate to being raw, when i cut out meat and dairy i got the usual questions ohh no your bones are going to suffer how are you going to get calcium. The press, some nutritionists and even doctors make out dairy to be such a great calcium source even though its quite a poor source, an allergen to many and plus pretty disgusting lol. The proteins block absorption of calcium etc.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

powerlifer,

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have tried to explain the part about milk protein blocking milk calcium uptake to people. Drink milk if you want, I'll say, but don't kid yourself that it's nutritious. Blank stares. The Dairy Mafia has brainwashed people pretty good!

Tamukha Wrote:
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> powerlifer,
>
> I cannot begin to count the number of times I have
> tried to explain the part about milk protein
> blocking milk calcium uptake to people. Drink
> milk if you want, I'll say, but don't kid yourself
> that it's nutritious. Blank stares. The Dairy
> Mafia has brainwashed people pretty good!

Agreed - just like the Corn Growers Association has brainwashed everyone with the ethanol fuels pipe dream...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2011 11:10PM by juicerkatz.

ethanol fuels aren't a pipe dream, making a sustainable fuel source from corn is,LOL...

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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?

Rawxy Wrote:
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> hey Raw Foodies, I was hoping to get some advice
> on how to answer people's (often ranging from
> curious to ignorant or judgemental) questions
> about the Raw Vegan lifestyle. People will ask
> about various nutritional needs, or whether I ever
> enjoy "real" food(Ha! if they only knew the beauty
> of real food taste and benefits). And one of the
> hardest issues is the weight loss associated with
> a transition to a High percentage Raw diet...

I guess I would need more info to properly answer your question. People's motives differ. Were you overweight before switching to high-raw? In that case, people (especially if they need to lose some poundage themselves) may be operating out of envy and feeling threatened that you are taking positive action while they continue to eat too much and eat stuff that they know is bad for them. If you were not overweight, then perhaps they think you are gaunt and not fit and may be difficient in nutriets and/or have an eating disorder. The bottom line is that I always feel it's better to be brief in explaining this eating style unless you know for sure that the person is receptive because sometimes it's just a ruse to get a debate going and the debate is over. I know what I feel is a superior diet and I don't have to prove that to anyone. The proof is in the (raw) pudding!

People never ask me why I do what I do.
I just drink my cucumber juice and they say yuck,how can you stand that,and where do you get your protein.
I laugh,and then go on my merry way.

Vinny

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> powerlifer,
>
> I cannot begin to count the number of times I have
> tried to explain the part about milk protein
> blocking milk calcium uptake to people. Drink
> milk if you want, I'll say, but don't kid yourself
> that it's nutritious. Blank stares. The Dairy
> Mafia has brainwashed people pretty good!

the worst point is that its horrible, it doesnt even taste nice dairy, it isnt natural either. Arghh i could go on forever. But it is so brainwashed into our society that dairy means calcium and without it our bones will suffer. I dont mean to sound fanatical because there are many nutrients that are hard to get on a vegan diet but calcium isnt one of them and dairy isnt needed ever.

I echo banana who's comment. Be brief unless you are sure the person wants information (and won't be argumentative or defensive about their diet).

You can say, "I just want a light salad for supper." Or, "I'm in the mood for some fruit right now." You don't even have to say what you don't want or why you don't want it. Avoid the hassle of having to explain and defend.

If they are around you enough, they'll catch on. When they see how well you're doing they may actually become genuinely interested - not skeptically interested.

I have told my sisters, but I seldom see them and they STILL don't realize that I eat almost all raw food! I did tell them, but somehow they don't grasp it. Weird, I know. I have not said anything to my mother because she will not understand or believe me. (She likes to worry and I don't like to contribute to that.) She gets to be surprised that "I just ate" and now "only want a salad."


My favorite raw vegan

Thanx folks. Banana who: no i wasnt overweight before, I actually transitioned smoothly from a strict vegetarian diet and active lifestyle...and my family is pretty healthy-mostly vegetarian too, so why they dont understand I world of veggies and fruit, i dont know! Also I decided Raw was the answer for optimal health and was not a weight loss issue..Maybe I should tell them just that! questions about an eating disorder make me second guess myself and how I look.

TRIVE: Who is that adorable animal??!

Rawxy,

I hope you're feeling more comfortable talking with family and friends. (I find that laughing at myself helps a bit too.)

That adorable animal is Fernando, my gray miniature donkey. Quite clever as donkeys go, if you'll pardon my bragging. That's his baby picture. Although he's an adult now, he's still quite small as my husband can still stand over him straddled and not be sitting on him. Fernando's quirk is that he has never brayed and uses donkey gestures to communicate.

I also have another brown miniature donkey named Ruffin. He's known more for being small, dark and handsome than for brain power and has a very laid back teddy bear personality.

They are best friends and cannot bear to be separated.


My favorite raw vegan

Oh Trive, they are so cute I can't stand it!

Yes, just letting folks know you feel better this way seems to quiet those who are just starting trouble. If someone is sincere and really wants to know, or wants help themselves, then you know how to speak to them. Others don't try to justify their diet to people so why should we?

februarygirl