dear friends,

i studied and read a lot before going raw may of this year. after i was certain i wanted to go raw, i bought a nice blender and was making green smoothies every day, trying new recipes, exercising and my health was excellent.

i recently moved to israel in september. for the first month, i continued to be raw but for the past couple weeks i've been eating cooked food (and binging on it) and i feel terrible. i feel completely unhealthy, i'm not getting nearly enough nutrients as i need, my face is breaking out like crazy (eliminations are very rare) and i'm gaining weight.

there are several things that have made being raw very difficult for me.
1) the variety of vegetables here is very very bad
2) it is somewhat inconvenient for me to prepare raw meals / don't have the food resources
3) i do not have the material resources .. blendtec blender
4) living in a new country, there are so many new foods to try
5) living / working situation.

dear friends, i am completely miserable. honestly, having my blender when i was back in the states was one of the ways i was able to stay raw. my living and working situation makes it very difficult to be raw. i work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and don't have all the conveniences that i did back home such as a bike, a health food store, a blender, the internet at home for inspiration..

my diet in the past couple weeks: i usually skip breakfast or eat a piece of fruit on the go. at work, i sip on water until lunch time when i will have a green salad with carrots, tomatoes, raisins or zereshk, olive oil, vinegar. not enough. during the afternoon, my water sipping is less frequent and i snack on a LOT of goji berries. way too much sugar. by the time i get home at night i am so tired that all i want is something easy and effortless to eat so i'll go for more goji berries or fruit.

so please.. if you have suggestions on how to help me get back to when i was 100% raw i would love to hear them. i wish i could wake up and just be 100% raw but i know it takes work, like it did when i was home but it just so hard here. since i can't get enough greens, would the next best option be to start taking vitamins? should i just bite the bullet and buy ANOTHER blendtec blender? i suppose these are answers i should figure out for myself but your suggestions and support would be greatly appreciated.

with many thanks,
amy

Hey Amy!

I was wondering how you where getting a long in Israel. I'm sorry to hear you are having a hard time following your lifestyle of choice.

I think I would buy another blender, but just get a regular house hold blender since they are cheaper and you're not perminently in Israel (I don't remember how long you were staying but I thought it was less than a year). Although it won't be as good as the blendtec, it should still do the job enough to have smoothies and green drinks. Also, transport so you can get to farmers markets and such, with the money you save from getting a non-blendtec you could get a bike as well.

What type of produce are you finding in the stores? Do they have farmers markets and the like?

Hopefully if you arm yourself with your raw tools (and some transport) you can explore the yummy raw delites that Israel and the middle-east has to offer.

Anyway, many positive thoughts to you and hope to see you when you're back in the states!

Take care,
Ian.

Opinion:

-I hear you.

-I have traveled a bit....and every place I have been has had its own selection of locally available produce - some more and some less. There are very few places I have ever heard of where there was not SOME sort of local or imported plant life though! Ha! ha!

-As such, you always have 2 choices: Pick and choose from amongst what is available and be satisfied with that, or move to an area that can supply you with what YOU think you need.

-In friendship & support,

-David Mason

Hi Amy,

Sending you love and support also.

Most of my family is in Israel, so I've spent time there and know how food-based a lot of the culture is there. Whereabouts are you staying? Israel actually grows _wonderful_ produce but I agree that it isn't always easy to find.

I was last there exactly a year ago and the best produce was the romaine lettuce (chassa) (huge heads, wonderful flavor) and the dates (tmarim)- it's date season now, so there were dates all over the streets. Now is the time also to look for guavas (goyava)(that intense smell!), annona (like a cherimoya, pretty expensive but so yummy), persimmons (afar simon), late grapes (anavim). Some apples are also surprisingly good. Fennel bulbs (shumar) are delicious, as is the arugula (called 'rocket'). There are more and more healthfood stores in Israel and most markets sell a variety of sprouts or micro greens. Mandarins (mandarinot) and oranges (tapuzim)

Just like anywhere, the supermarkets are the least ideal place to get produce. Most towns have a farmer's market. If you can find an Arab market, that's where you'll get the best prices.

I realize that all of this is sort of contingent on you having the time to explore. But really, I hope that you do get time to explore: I think it's probably essential to your enjoyment of your sojourn there.

Please keep posting - and lots of good luck and happy vibes to you.
Ela

Hi, Amy,

Oh, what an adventure! I hope you are having a good time, aside from the food.

I second what Ela and Ian have said.

I'm a life coach and here's something my clients (and I!) find helpful in changing behavior:

Focus on what you <b>want/intend/have</b> rather than what you <b>don't</b> have or want to avoid. For instance, if you want to stop eating cooked food, instead of telling yourself what you're NOT going to eat today, tell yourself what you ARE going to eat.

Our minds think in pictures and don't register the words 'not, can't, won't' etc. So if you're thinking of knishes and how awful they made you feel and how you don't want to eat them today, you're seeing and reinforcing knish in your mind.

Instead of picturing the green smoothies that are not available right now, and then feeling a lack, like there's nothing to eat, focus on images of the fruits, vegetables, and other good raw foods available to you now.

Good wishes to you!