The-Raw-Advantage.com

Happy day all

Todays topic, succeeding socially raw, can be a doozy for the unprepared. Often within the first months to years of being raw or striving to be raw, people feel out of place eating out, at gatherings, parties, with family, or simply feel alone with their food choices. While your going through changes during transition, still have attachments to old food choices, smells, and behaviors it can be not only socially hard but mentally hard dealing with cravings and peep pressure, looks, and questions.

Take heart, it gets much easier, and in reality its all a choice

I know some people will struggle with the “choice” aspect, but read on and grow in understanding.

Going out need not be a challenge, the easiest way to stay satisfied is to pack some of your favorite fruit or veggies with you. Bring as much as you need, you can always eat them first (on the way) and order a simple salad, or eat your food at the table with others. Its best to bring food that the restearunt wouldn’t have, typically fruit, or say a avocado or some home made dressing to bulk up a salad. Remember everyone wishes to be as comfortable as possible, there is no need to make a big deal, the server and owners first priority is for you and your friends to be happy.

With calm confidence let the server know you are on a special diet, simply ask if its ok for you to eat your fruit at the table with your friends. In over 5 years of going out ive only had one waitress say “no”, she ended up coming back 5 minutes later, after talking with the owner, apologizing profusly saying “of course you can, im really sorry” and gave me a plate and knife.

If you don’t bring any of your own food ordering a large salad can be easy and tasty.  Scan over the menu making a mental note of the fresh raw veggies or fruits they have, many restaurants even have fresh squeezed juices or some fruits, when its your time to order ask if its ok if you make a special salad. Instead of ordering one off the menu and saying “no this, no that,” just list the ingredients you want. Typically I would say, “I would love a extra large family size salad made simply with lettuce, cucumber, and lots of tomatoes, no dressing and a quarter of lemon on the side please.” Other times I have asked for a whole head of lettuce plain, a cucumber, and a few tomatoes, or for a large side of celery or romaine to go with my fruit, sure you may get some looks but it works just fine. You may get charged less than a side salad sometimes more than a entree salad, it all depends on the resteraunt and server, let the server know your thankful for their help and understanding.

Another option is to sudgest going to a resteraunt you know has more options, or even better a good buffet that has unlimited fruits and salad fixings. I love going to buffets, eating a large meal of whatever fruit they have followed by as much salad as I want is fun for me and those watching . Its easy as a raw foodist to get your moneys worth  i always monopolize on the honeydew and the cherry tomatoes ahha

Our personal level of comfort is solely dictated by us, that is we can decide what we are comfortable with, and what we are not. When we are making changes its natural that our focus is on those changes, to notice the differences between what we are eating and others are, as well as overanalyze every look or reaction of another. Step back, realize its only as big of a deal as you make it. Its just food, we all eat, who cares if you eat “this” and your friend eats “that”. You are making positive changes for your better good, focus on that, know that everyone is doing what they wish according to their perception of what they want and need. Focus on your wants and needs, why in the first place you made these changes, know that most people wish they could make dietary changes for the better. Most of the time when people give you guff, ask questions, or give you a hard time its only out of curiosity or concern. On the occasion you get a negative reaction realize most often this is simply a self reflection of their own discord with their personal habits experiences and choices.

At family gatherings, dinners, parties, do the same, eat the food you bring first if your uncomfortable, that way you will be full and satisfied. When your full other food becomes a non issue. Remember your comfort really depends on you, and your perspective. If your looking around worrying that others will pick you out and mock your choices, your just making it hard on yourself. every one is out to have fun, food need not be the focus, that is unless you make it so. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, concern yourself with how you feel about your choices and be proud your following your path. Join online groups, support boards and reach out, who know you may have a raw food community or potluck gathering in your city . Dictating your actions by your wants and needs is so much more fufilling than going off of others, trust me in this. I used to go out and order water just to fit in or because its “normal”, even if not thirsty. Now I only go by what I need in the moment and am much more comfortable, knowing I am serving my truth, not caving for fear of others thoughts or judgements.

On a last point on the questions, looks ,criticisms , or debates you can get into, its your decision how to answer any of these. You needn’t really even answer at all, there is no need to stand up and say, “im raw forever! I only eat this, that..” and go off on describing/defending the raw diet. You can simply say “I really like fruit”, or simply “I just feel like a salad”. Have fun and play it down “Oh im trying to eat healthier, this is what I want. If your catching attitude from freinds say “I wouldnt want what your having either” ahha, or “im trying something new for a while”, or “im just acting on what my body and doctor advise/indicate.” You can always say that ” im trying somthing new and it feels great, check out www.the-raw-advantage.com, or this book, its great” hahahah when love and positivity is behind your perception and attidtude nothing need be a challenge.

Be the lighthouse, know that being a example only makes it easier for others to follow their own path, listen to your drum and strive for your best

You create your own experience, relax take a deep breath and seek comfort in everything

I hope this has been helpful

enjoy

peacelovenseasonalfruit ck

Good day everyone

Whew, I write this post a day late and with some difficulty. It shouldn’t really be all that hard, considering the topic headline, but still theres that lingering fear. What of the judgement or the criticism, what if you the reader loose faith or respect in me and my message? With this threatening my calm I remember that if I have learnt one thing in my raw lifestyle journey, the only persons judgement that matters is our own. No matter who you are or what you do people are going to judge you and your actions, some with positivity and some with negativity. We ourselves hold the keys to how that judgement may or may not effects us. While giving power to others judgements can cause us much stress, doing the same to our own judgements of ourself can very well determine our physical and mental health, feelings of self worth, level of stress or lack there of, and general sense of content.

If you haven’t caught on, out with it, for the first time in well over a year I slipped on my 100% raw lifestyle.

Yes I too am human ahahhaha, although that sounds quite silly to say it helps that we all remeber that about ourselves from time to time.  We all have times of weakness and may slip up at one time or another. While we may wish to shoot for “perfection” its ok that we dont hit the mark in all aspects all the time. I have actually come to learn this lesson by failing to learn it more than a few times in the past.

In my first 2 years of going raw I put so much pressure on myself to be “perfect”. I equated so much of my self worth and my level of personal success with being 100% raw with no exceptions that when I did slip from my ideal I actually hated myself and went into a few days to a week of greasy fast food and junk food bingeing. After having been vegetarian for more than a few years, later moving to vegan then raw vegan, I felt like such a failure in falling back in my beliefs and ideals. By adding in my own harsh self  judgements when I slipped I not only felt physically beaten down but I also found myself slipping into a depression as well, a double wammy.

In retrospect I can see that I took part in some of the most common ways to slip as a raw foodist. In those first years I often was eating the wrong foods as staples, because of that I was drastically under eating total calories and over time I found myself with intense cravings. Other times I couldn’t deal with the emotions that were rising as a part of my physical and emotional detox, as I grew up comforting myself with food, I found myself falling back into that behavior. Another common mistake I have fell into was over eating fatty foods (nuts, seeds, avocado) which can lead to poor absorption among other problems, often while using spices and garlic which can also trigger cooked food cravings.

From my perceived failings in the past I have learnt to overcome these common pitfalls and grown in success with the raw lifestyle. Through under eating I have learnt to eat more caloric dense foods as staples, namely sweet fruits, and in doing so I can easily and enjoyably fufill my caloric requirements. I also found that through eating adequate amounts of greens (average 1-2 lb a day) with green smoothies salads, soups and stews, cravings for salty or “spiced up” foods becomes a thing of the past. Through truly facing raw emotions/emotional detox I have found attempting to fully feel in the moment without judgement, and in turn acknowledging and releasing the energy is a much better outlet than succumbing to numbing with foods alcohol or anything else. Release through exercise, deep breathing, meditation, hobbies and/or talking them out with a close friend/family member has brought me great results, this something I find to be a ongoing process. Going over it all now I must say that the most important lesson I feel I have learnt is that harsh self judgement has no place in my life and its only use was in learning that its not what I wish to experience anymore.

This brings me to may latest slip.

In the last few weeks I have found life to be a tad bit more challenging and stressful that usual. About a week ago I started having a craving for one of my past favorites, nachos. Instead of giving in I focused more on what i was doing and preventative measures. I upped my exercising, focused on eating more caloric dense foods, and was sure to get my greens in. While this helped releave my cravings and brought increased calm, I still had a lingering desire. Through experience and study I have come to see that stress can be just as real a cause of dis-ease as diet, coming from this I have tried to lived by the motto “follow the path of the least stress”. While I have said more than a few times and belived that “I can eat anything I want at anytime”, in practice it seemed I was showing myself the opposite. On halloween when my cravings were trying to get the best of me I told myself “just one more day, if tomorrow you still want the nachos go ahead, no judgement”.

The next day, I exercised, ate more than enough calories through enjoying some of my favorite sweet fruits (persimmon, plantain, and mango), but at the end of the day still craved the nachos.

So guess what, I went and ate them.

While I enjoyed eating them and felt a release in allowing myself to do so, I now am really excited to let go and start again. In the end it isnt our slips that define us, but how we react to them, if we get up and where we go from there. I cant wait to say its been years since ive had a bite of cooked food, but I know it need not be a race, nor is beating myself up over it conducive to health or happiness.

after all we are all human.

I hope this was helpful to you,

enjoy

peacelovenseasonalfruit ck