man, oh man how do I do this!!

[goodbeets]

Dear fellow board members,
I have been mostly raw for 6 months now and I am so certain that this way is one of the if not the best way for optimal health I have signed up to do a full training with Alissa. Luckily, there is only a month until I get to do that. Here's the problem. I am working on my diet while living with and feeding 3 young children (3, 5 and 6) and this is so hard!!!!!!! I do very well until I hit those stressful patches and then I have some cooked food. Mind you it's pretty darned healthy cooked food but it makes such a difference to my biology to eat anything cooked. My husband is very supportive of this way of eating and eats a lot of raw foods with me. Now, I know I cannot eliminate the stress from my life but the people I have often read about who do this so successfully are single!!!!! (Or at least without kids.) I know there are some of you out there who have kids and manage this, it's just that my kids are so little and there is SOOOOOO much stress, so much housework and homework and bills to pay and cooked food around....... I would really like to do a water or mono-fast to get a lot of stuff out but I do not see that happening in this situation. I need a raw nanny!!! Anyway, thanks for the space to rant. I cannnot wait for the training and the inspiration I know it will bring.

[luckitri]

I feel for you. When I lived in Rockland the fresh fruit and vegetable supply was disgusting - almost non-existant. I could get iceberg, never-ripened tomatoes, yellow onions, celery, bananas, apples - that was pretty much it. I've heard that its better now. I really don't know what to tell you except that my SAD family doesn't expect so much cooking out of me now and last night people were telling me how to be the boss mom and get my 12 year old raw. He is very strong-willed and when I tried he just went and ate at friends houses. I don't know what he told their parents and I started getting afraid that they would consider us abusive. The young children are so willing to do as directed and to try to please - this is your opportunity!

[Miranda]

i'm a raw nanny :)

i'm not married nor do i have children but i live with my boyfriend who will never give up meat/dairy even if his life depended on it so i understand where your stess comes from. And the children i nanny for...i can't really push my ideals onto them if their parents arent into it....i do incorporate a lot of raw fruit for snacks instead of giving them goldfish crackers or cookies and i definitely make sure they have at least one raw veggie for dinner...other than that i have to cook them what their mother asks me to.

so youre attending alissa's class huh? which one? if it's in november..i look forward to seeing/meeting you :) this class WILL change your life and lead you on the right path!

[goodbeets]

Dear Miranda, yes. I am doing the class in Nov.-starts Nov. 30. I am so psyched!!!

[Revvell]

Here's a raw family with 4 children: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19791

Of course, their situation is different being that he's been raw for 30+ years. She's not been. They also homeschool so, getting the kids used to raw and not being so drawn to cooked is not quite as difficult.

Maybe you can get some ideas from the interview.

Revvell

[goodbeets]

Actually, Revvel, Storm and Jinjee are how I stumbled into raw living! I have their video BUT (Pee Wee Herman says "everybody always has a big but..) they are all raw, nearly all 4 kids have been raw since birth or near to it and both parents work from home. They have a pretty ideal lifestyle, I try not to get to jealous. That is partly why I am taking Alissa's 5 day course, to live and work this lifestyle. Plus, my kids are not currently homeschooled (I need a break for a year! and I used to be a teacher at their school) so they are very aware of what other kids get that they don't. For the most part they deal well with it though we negotiate at times; they eat a lunch that I pack every day but Friday when they are allowed a school lunch. We consider homeschooling them but it is pretty tough financially. It is a goal, though. They eat well often, we went through 3 bags of apples and 4 bunches of bananas this week. But they still want pastas (spelt) and breads and bagels (sprouted). I have issues with stress and wasting food so this does not always make it easy.... Thanks for the reply, though and I will listen to her interview.

[Guppy]

Hi Goodbeets,
Yes, this can be tough. I am perfectly fine and raw all day... and then the kids come home... :eek:

I also cook for them very healthy, mostly vegan (cooked) meals. Sometimes, it makes me crazy to serve them something that looks so yummy, other times, when my Raw Resolve is strong and fierce, it doesn't bother me at all.

The thing about the "waste" issue though, THIS one you can change. You must realize that you are NOT the garbage can. Just b/c a child didn't finish his perfectly good food, it does not belong in your mouth, if it is not on your food plan for the day. It sounds crazy, but what really ended up helping me is getting a dog, lol! Now, when the kids say they can't finish something I right away say "Give it to the dog" before I can even get near it. If you don't have a dog, just remember that the food can be saved for another meal. If you compost, you can put it in the pile. Just don't eat it "b/c it's a shame to let it go to waste." It's a bigger shame if it keeps you from your best health!

Ultimately, it is going to come down to YOU. You need to make decisions about what to put in your mouth based on what your goals are. If eating cooked is something you do NOT want to do, you must make strategies for getting through your tough spots and then follow through. Hopefully other moms will chime in here with advice and you can write down the things that seem like they might work for you. Do some brainstorming, make a list, and do some mental practice in your head, ie imagine a yummy cooked food on the table and see yourself not giving two hoots about eating it. Maybe stop making the things that are likely to tempt you for a little while. When I was struggling with cheese, we took it off the home menu for a month until I felt like I could be around it w/o losing my mind. For every problem spot, try to think of solutions.

I have this quote hanging in my kitchen to remind me:

The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we really want for what we want at the moment.

Best wishes,
emily

[goodbeets]

Thank you, Guppy. That is some great advice. I really like the quote. I CAN put the food in the compost, we used to give all leftovers to the dog but I had to put the dog down last month as she was 14 and having spinal degeneration(BIG boohoo). Thanks for your reply.

[godsqd]

I do great when I am home all day by myself. Then the family comes home and the temptation begins. I have decided to do a 30 day challenge and just make myself behave! I am going to print out your quote and live by it this month!
Thanks!
Gail

[michigan roman]

ide be caving so quick if i was you with young family . its hard for me , single live alone , just on weekend vacations at friends cottage with their big family eating cooked . your doing great ! ! !

plus your plodding away right on target towards alissas class .

maybe this helps = i always have batches of washed vegis in lidded pots in fridge so i can make a vegi platter instantly , ive got big 3 or 4 gallon pots so i can have a batch ready with no prep time for days . it seems like these big soup pots with lids that allow a little bit of breathing keep vegis longer than if their tightly sealed in say tupperware/plastic type containers . every couple days i take a towel or paper towel and wipe out moisture from inner pots cuz it helps keep longer . i also fill 5 gallon buckets full of homemade trail mix so i can just take a tin coffee cup and scoop out a batch that i " drink " right out of cup with a piece of fruit .

just keep thinking about 20 30 40 years from now HOW HEALTHY YOUR BABYS ARE GONNA BE CUZ THEIR MA TAUGHT THEM TO EAT CORRECTLY !