Hi everyone!

I just joined the site and am very excited about it. I am having an issue, though, that i am hoping i can get some opinions on.

I was vegetarian for 3 years. Then ovo-vegetarian for 6 months. I've been vegan for over a year and for the past 6 months or so i've been experimenting with raw food. As far as atmosphere goes, it was much easier in college to make raw meals because i lived by myself. However, finances got the best of me and i eventually went back to regular vegan. (btw, i am very conscious of what kind of food i eat. i stay away from sugar, processed food, msg, artificial foods...) Now that i am living back home with my family and am capable of affording a raw diet, i find myself struggling. Everyday i'm surrounded by the food that my family eats(standard american diet). I originally was doing well staying away from the cooked food but having it constantly offered to me and having to smell the delicious smells is a terrible tease. And the layout of my house doesn't help. I have to go through the kitchen to get to my room. I know how amazing i feel when i eat primarily raw food and i want to go back to that feeling so badly.

Any suggestions on how i can maintain a raw diet (or at lease 90%) with my situation?

thanks!!

hmmm i dont know .. maybe keep a small bar style mini fridge in your room and snarf someting before leavin it .. something in your belly might make you not so tempted ... you could have some cut up fruits and veggies in containers in there and some dips and nuts etc.

eventually if you want to have the will power to get past it .. you will or you wont but thats entirely up to you .. i think being hungry and walking past the kitchen tho would be difficult .. much easier with some raw food in you

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I hear ya... I am in the same boat! I even do most of the cooking, it's really hard! I don't have much advice other than to keep whatever you feel most like eating handy. I'm new to this, and have fallen off the wagon several times, but I've decided to just keep trying. I figure the more raw food I get in my mouth, the better, it can never hurt.
The thing that seems to help me is to eat while I'm cooking-- keep an apple or a celery stick in my hand, so when I'm tempted, I just force myself to take a bite. It helps most days, but I'll be honest, there are days that I just give in... it's a process right?? I hope so! good luck to both of us!

I think Jodi has some good advice.

I'll just add this:
What has helped me to stay raw is to connect with some deeper spiritual reasons for this lifestyle. The people I know who have been raw for 18 years and counting have shared with me that there is no way that willpower alone could have kept them on this path. Knowing that it feels good, and intellectually understanding the reasons for eating this way is sometimes not enough.

For me, I eat this way because I feel it is the very best I can give my body, mind and spirit. Raw food connects me with the earth, and the life-force energy in the live foods and living water keep me connected with the Divine. So maybe ask yourself why you are deciding this lifestyle is good for you in a deeper way. Once you come to a solid spiritual conviction, then perhaps no amount of tempting SAD smells can sway your commitment.

I recommend getting enough fat and minerals. Fat tends to reduce the intensity of one's appetite in general. Also, mineral supplements like Terramin and Pascalite clays and dolomite powder are good for reducing cravings. A lot of food cravings are related to simple mineral deficiencies.

Also, look for high-Brix produce. The higher the nutritional content of your food, the less you eat of it, and the fewer cravings you have. (this relates back to the fact that getting enough minerals allows you to feel full and not crave.) Take a look at Rex Harrill's Brix book over at [crossroads.ws] . I've been using a refractometer for about 5 or 6 years now, and it has really helped me find better quality produce, and improved my health as a result.'

Brix readings and mineral supplements make a huge difference in health, whether raw or cooked. It really suprises me, now that I have studied this stuff for so long, that the long-time raw food gurus don't talk about it more.

cherimoya_kid

Hmmmm, people I know that need to know the nutrient content of the foods they produce just send it off to the local uni extension for testing. Maybe it undergoes Brix evaluations there, for all I know. Thanks for the link!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2011 10:18PM by Tamukha.

What helps me is to think about how I would feel if I ate that food. I concentrate on how bad the feeling is. This is how I get the power to keep to my personal food regimen. I prefer to feel good.

I agree, for me, out of site is out of mind.

I will keep you and others struggling with this in my thoughts and prayers.

You're just going through some typical early struggles. Wherever you go there will be food cooking nearby. Over time you learn to peacefully deal with it. Try taking a positive attitude and see this as the ultimate opportunity to re-train your appetite. Think about how much easier things will be when you get your own place. Also understand that going raw is a process for some. Don't beat yourself up if you can't be perfect overnight. Maybe try and set weekly goals for yourself in terms of how much raw and how much cooked you'll eat each week.

I agree with a lot of what cherimoya-kid said. Getting minerals into your diet should reduce cravings in a big way. Maybe some more fat will help you to get through this time too. I don't know about the mineral sources he's talking about though. They seem a bit difficult to acquire. I'm new to the mineral supp thing, but can definitely say that putting a few drops of sole brine into my water has been helpful with the appetite and my moods. At least I think that's what's doing it.

Welcome and congratulations on your lifestyle choice!

I can imagine how hard it is to stay away from something tempting when everyone else around you is doing it. However, if you state your case and explain that you are going raw, your family should understand and support you along your path. Most likely, they don't think you're being serious about going fully raw or simply do not understand the benefits of such a diet. Try explaining it to them and at least they will not constantly offer cooked foods to you and respect your eating habits. Also, is it possible to swap rooms with another family member so that you do not have to pass through the kitchen?

Good luck!

Keeping it raw at [rawfoodhealthwatch.com]

The best sucess I have had on raw was when I was single and living alone. It also helped not being exposed to the scent of cooking food. After awhile your sense of food really changes. The sight and smell of soggy vegetables becomes revolting, along with anything else cooked. I remember meeting someone at a resturant after about 6 mos of raw, and I smelled something awful. I honestly thought someone was seriously smoking, but no, it was the smell of things being grilled.

I am not currently raw, but I have upped my percent of raw, and we haven't cooked in our apartment since moving in. We never eat fried food, and we have gone mostly vegan. The cooked food we do eat is pretty simple, centering around grains and some vegetables.

My partners mother now lives in an apartment crosswise below us. She just cooked some meal and all the fumes come up here. Believe me, we DO NOT find the smell tempting at all. It was one source of conflict when we all lived in one house. Me and my partner did eat cooked stuff, but generally very simple, mild tasting and smelling stuff. She has to do serious frying, grilling, garlic, searing meat etc...We thought that would be the end of it, but they didn't put in good ventilation, she doesn't like to turn on the fan or open the window, or in anyway modify how she prepares anything.

The excuse over there was that it was her home, which I guess is right. But I don't know about in an apartment complex. I just long for the days when I had my own complete place which I didn't hear anyone elses noise or smell anyone elses cooking or any other smell.

I think a comparision could be made to someone who smokes and someone that doesn't. In times past it was accepted that smokers had certain allowances for their habit, but now people are more sensitive to the fact that smoking can be unpleasant for those that don't smoke.

I think it will be a long time before something similiar happens with people who don't cook. I would really like that to happen however. And as odd as it sounds cooking and eating cooking stuff could be seperated. But a raw foodist doesn't produce cooking smells anywhere, and is more sensitive to the smell.For now I will just have to put up with it to some extent, as my mother in law is just SOOOO traditional, and thinks nothing of eating traditional processed foods, and actually thinks its healthy. Anything else is just too much of a challenge to her sense of reality, nutritional, cultural. Its hard to adjust to new realities when one is 81 isn't it?

Thx 'kid' for that link. I've ordered one off ebay which comes from china, but well below the local price. I didn't know anything about it before I read your post and checked it out.

Also, what mislu has said is sooo true. I regularly get a whif of something dead, I mean rotting flesh, as it smells like that, but in reality it's something being eaten from the uni brasserie. Your taste, as well as your sense of smell definately changes for the better. Of course I don't say anything, but if they smelt what I smelt, they wouldn't buy it, let alone eat it..yuck

That looks like a nifty little device. I totally agree with cherymoya_kid about fats and minerals. I also think that given the state of the soils where most produce is grown, this little gadget will only point out the inferior quality of the produce available. In my opinion, it is essential to supplement our diets with high quality minerals. I feel it's important to take these minerals in some sort of "food form" so that they are in the proper ratio and all of the co-factors are present. Some things I do to make sure I'm re-mineralizing properly is to take foods such as sea vegetables, shilajit, wild chinese tonic root herbs and various other superfoods on a daily basis. I mix things up and am random about it.

Good fats are also so important, and we've been programmed from the SAD paradigm that we should restrict fats. Our brains and nervous system are mostly fat! Good quality oils from all of the natural plant sources are so good for us. it's so easy to get those into your diet in the amount that is right for your own individual needs- seeds, avocados, coconut, etc.

You bring up some good points with fats and minerals, ch-k. I've been on and off of the raw thing for close to 8 years, and have never had the success that I'm having these days. I rarely crave anything cooked, I can go hours without being hungry, and I really don't eat huge amounts of food. It is because of a highly mineralized diet and good fats that I've been able to easily sustain 100% raw with hardly any effort. For me, store-bough produce, even the best organic, just isn't enough.

Geo,
I recently found myself reexamining everything I believe about food, and perhaps everything else. I would like to give up any judgements I have about what anyone eats, and whatever I eat actually. I have never really eaten by what is appealing, only by what I 'should or shouldn't' be eating. There really isn't any real life in that. I think that many people eating standard cooked food probably also eat according to culture, and shoulds and shouldn'ts.

I used to choke down foods I really honestly didn't want to eat for some reported benefit, meanwhile avoiding other things that I really wanted. I am wondering if the body will adapt to what you eat, given that you really listen and observe what your body really wants and needs. I'm not advocating anything in particular really.

I would be afraid to say that to just anyone. But do you really think that people eating processed food really want to eat what they are eating? They claim to be enjoying it, but somehow I don't think so, but perhaps thats just me. I don't know how I would eat if I just didn't have any judgements about anything. Somehow I think things would change.

I used to literally eat with a book about a some dietary ideal right in front of me, sometimes reading as I ate. Or weighed out everything I ate and kept a log, to know exactly how much I ate of what.This was during my late teens. My parents are 'sad' parents, but even they thought this wasn't life giving to do that. One wanted me to weight out everything for both of them, but I stopped after one day, because my father said he felt he was obligated to eat more than what his body wanted, because it was weighed out on the scale. The doctor warned him about that.

Hi everyone!

I'm so glad this turned into a conversation. I'm learning more than I expected to!

Thank you for the tips and knowledge. I'm constantly looking up new recipes for myself so when there's something cooking in my house, I'm too excited about my new recipe to want any. Also, I'm keeping my food in my room so when I'm hungry I only need to go in the kitchen to prepare my meal and not to browse.

marsh - I've been listening to my body these days and it is definitely working. I'm understanding what makes me feel great and what doesnt. I'm now eating raw food not only for its amazing taste, but for the way it makes me feel and think and act. Thank you for your response. It really helped!

jgunn - thanks for the 'food in my room' idea!


vermontnl - reminding myself of how crappy i'll feel after eating something is definitely a great technique. especially since i have irritable bowel syndrome. now that i know there is a way to live pain free, the tasty foods that make me sick dont seem so tasty anymore.

mislu - i totally agree with questioning whether people actually want to eat processed food. perhaps the fact that they aren't exposed to an alternative leads them to believe they want it...? so many times i'll give someone a bite of my food and they'll love it. so if given the option between processed food that tastes good but isn't good FOR you and makes you feel like crap and an equally tasty alternative that is healthy and beneficial, which would they choose?

Mislu - Most peoples tastes are geared towards salt,sugar and fat, and most of the foods that they are told are 'good' for them are loaded with those flavours. The trouble is, that there's so much controversy over what is good for you and what is not, that many people are totally confused. It's then, that they listen to their own bodies and eat according the that. Unfortunately, their body is so addicted to salt, sugar and fat, that that's what it wants and screams for. And in that case, you must let your mind do the deciding and not your body, until you have re-educated your body in the ways of true nutrition and well after the withdrawals from salt, sugar and fat.