Hi Everyone,

this is my first time posting here. Although I don't eat candy, fast food, junk food, etc. (most of the time) my diet makes me very sick-feeling. I often feel tired and lazy. I have digestive problems. My energy is scattered and my thoughts are hyperactive. I have anxiety disorders.

I know I can't blame all of this on my diet but I know my diet is not working for me!

I want to go raw. I have tried to go raw. I want to eat a natural, organic, unproccessed, the way-nature-intended-it diet. I know this would have amazing effects on my attitude, my energy level, my lifestyle and my overall health.

The problem is... it's damn near impossible for me! My body gives me these powerful cravings to eat meat, hot foods, etc. The craving are STRONG and while I may stave them off for days I always give in to them. I came here for help and support. I want to raw, but the physical and mental urges overcome my will and I always lose.

Any advice would help. Perhaps this can act as a support group for me and my "addiction" to an unhealthy standard American Diet (although mine is a bit healthier than average). I am tired of feeling tired and sick of feeling sick. What can I do to overcome the cravings? How can I go raw? Is it impossible for me to go raw? Maybe my body chemistry was designed for different things. Any help would be greatly valuable to me. Thanks everyone

-Curtis

start small..incorporate raw into your day little by little. for instance if your breakfast was cooked change it to raw...eat nothing but fruit til noon..then over time make breakfast and lunch raw...and so on. don`t jump in the pond with both feet, wade in slowly. your cravings will be easier to handle. and wheen you cave...go easy on yourself pick yourself up and try again
patty

Curtis -

I've tried transitioning slowly into the raw and living lifestyle, but what I've found out for myself is that this doesn't work. As long as I have one foot 'in the grave', the grave keeps sucking me in. If I make a complete commitment to 100% raw and living, knowing that I'm done with cooked foods, I'm very successful.

You'll have to see what approach works for you: slow transitioning or 100%.

The best to you.

My advice: go slow, you have the rest of your life to transition to the diet you want.

Also, realize that there are ADDICTIVE substances in a lot of the foods that you are trying to give up, which accounts for your cravings, you are not just giving up your favorite foods you are giving up the uric acid in meats (which is as addictive as caffiene), the opioids in grains and the casein in dairy.

I agree with smilebig. When I was committed to eating 100%, I went 12 days being 100% raw. THen I got the idea that being high raw was just as good and gave myself permission to "cheat" a little. I wasn't really even craving anything...just decided I wanted to have a few old favorites. For me, that mindset was a slippery slope and I kept sliding down it for a whole week. Today I'm back in the 100% cart, feeling back in control and not tempted by cravings. Maybe its just my personality, cause I'm an all or nothing kind of gal, but I think having the commitment, regardless of whether or not I fall from time to time, will keep be balanced. Once I rationalize the "cheat" it is all overwith!

What has worked for me is to eat whatever I wanted to - initially - but to cram as many raw greens as I could into my body.

In other words, eat what you want so you don't feel deprived, but ADD all the fresh raw greens, sprouts and other light raw foods as well.

For me, this makes me start to crave the raw greens and the other healthy cravings follow and I start WANTING to eat them, instead of just feeling bad about myself for wanting the unhealthy stuff.

This might not work for everyone of course, but maybe it will help another person who feels conflict.

Well its just like physical stretching...


if you are looking at someone put their foot behind their head..and say..hey I want that..can do that...then try to put your foot behind your head...and fail

are you not designed to put your foot behind your head?

now if someone comes and gives you a book...can you read it and instantly put your foot behind your head? no, but its a start

if you start stretching from where you are at, while adding all the information/ teachings etc... about stretching you can...then sooner or later both legs will be back there!

what you want to stay away from is folks who grab your leg and then try to force it behind your head, because THEY can, and all humans should.

definitely addressing the addictions..the emotional components...while making slow dietary/physical changes...is a very huge step to eating raw foods joyfully...without ever feeling deprived

_____________________



it could be your thoughts...

[www.writerwriterwriter.com]
[www.lulu.com]


short and sweet....and DEEP

_____________________________________________________ ...and FREE

By no means am I a raw food angel but here is what helps me.

Try to really focus on how you feel after you eat. Eat something standardly American and bad for you at lunch one day when you aren't busy. Then sit down and really focus on how you feel. Eat a full raw meal for dinner (my favorite is a nice salad and pineapple juice) and again really focus on how you feel. For me those feelings are drastically different and very inspirational.

Also if you are going to eat cooked make sure it is the healthiest it can be. Just staying away from refined sugars, meats, chemicals and processed starch is leaps and bounds above the average diet. After sticking to that for a while it's then more appealing to go raw.

Some suggestions... take 'em or leave em...

1. Keep lots of healthy food in your home and at work. That helps me. Sometimes I am home and have a craving for something I know isn't good for me and will make me feel like crap after I eat it (either immediately or in the long run). When I have healthy food around, I'm less likely to go out and get something not so healthy. I'm lazy really: If I have some of my favorite raw foods around, I usually won't go out of my way to get some SAD food.

2. Keep trying. Just do the best you can.

3. Stop beating yourself up. It's a process. As I get older, I get less interested in beating myself up. Maybe I just don't have the energy for it. Maybe I'm getting older and wiser. Maybe I'm older and tired of it. Try to be more gentle with yourself when you aren't perfect though. You know, there are plenty of people out there who will mentally flog you. You don't need to do it yourself.


I'm not perfect. My diet isn't perfect. But I keep trying. I'm eating better and better... but sometimes it's two steps up and one step back. Or one and a quarter steps up and one step back. Most of the time, I'm generally moving in the direction I think I should be going.

Just keep trying and be good to yourself. You are here, reading this site. That's more than the vast majority of people. Most people are in the dark, running from darkness to darkness, as S.N. Goenka says.

If you just keep trying to do what you think you are supposed to do, you will end up where you are supposed to be.


Lee