How to let go?

[Firicia]

I've been trying to be raw for about 3 weeks now, and every day I slip up. I am finding a lot of raw foods/recipies I don't like (actually I only have found 1 recipy that I like out of about 20 now), and when I am trying to make something I find the smells of raw food make me feel sick. I feel like I am failing. How could I possibly be so darn picky?

Do I just have to bite the bullet and try to just eat raw fruits and veggies nuts and seeds with-out using recipies since I don't seem to like any? I am scared I'll get bored, but maybe after being raw for a while the recipies won't make me feel so sick? How do I build up enough will-power to say goodbye to all the foods I enjoy eating without having anything similar that I like to replace it with. Maybe thats a good thing, by not keeping the addictions alive?

I'm not meaning to be a bummer, I'm just wanting to change my life but it feels so hard without food that I like to eat. I want to feel satisfied. Am I crazy?

[DavidZaneMason]

Suggestion:

-If you are not satisfied, then go back to a way of eating that you ARE very satisfied with (on a day to day basis) and set some small raw food goals from there. Just like exercise, you should never be suffering...but only stretching....and building your capacity. You can't always see the summit from the valley. What do you think?

-David Z. Mason

[Doe]

Firicia,

This is unusual. Most people do like at least a third or even half of the recipes they try. Is it because the raw foods taste like the cooked versions? Or is it just the ingredients themselves that you do not like?

In other words a person who does not like cauliflower will likely not like Alissa's mashed potatoes because there are no potatoes present it is actually blended cauliflower.

Am I making any sense?

If you are only making one food a week that you can eat David may be right. Eat what you are happy with while trying a new recipe as you can. Surely you will find some that you like. However if you really want to be raw and do not want to go back to cooked then try focusing on the fruits or veggies that you do like.

Before I ever heard of people eating only raw my body suddenly refused cooked food. It literally made me nausiated. Fresh fruit and veggies did not make me sick. So I ate raw. Not only that but it had to be green in color and the darker the more I wanted it. That lasted for many months. Friends and family talked me into just trying a bite of this or that several times and instantly I was sick to my stomach.

After donig research to find out what was "wrong" with me and if it was safe to eat that way I still had phases of eating certain things. I once ate watermelon everyday for about 8 months because that was the only thing that appealed to me. Another time I ate apples for lunch for several months. I even went through a banana ice cream thing and I hate bananas always have and still do. Yet for 3 months that was all I wanted for breakfast.

Sorry about the long post. The point is find something you do want and eat it. Don't think you have to make or eat anything.

Please let us know how it goes,
teri

[Firicia]

Thanks for the replies. I am hoping it's just a phase. I think what may be happening is when I eat raw my body immediatly starting trying to so something in my brain or somewhere. I within an hour start to get a migrain and get nausious. Maybe it's just the headaches and not the foods actually making me feel sick.

But I think your points were excellent, and maybe instead of worrying about variety I should just eat what I want. I keep wanting to know everything and have everything set up, but nothings perfect. I mean, the only thing I've really been craving is canaloup, but I've been limiting myself to 1 every couple of days, maybe I should just eat it till my hearst content and the move onto the next foods that my body says it wants as long as it's raw. Just maybe thinking I need to have all these meal that I love is a SAD way of thinking. I know this, the more I try and find a subsitute for chocolate that's raw the more I want SAD chocolate until I cave in. I just need to let myself grow I guess and stop thinking it needs to be something it's not, when it's beautiful just the way it is.

Thanks for your support. Has anyone else had to deal with headaches all day everyday while eating raw, how long did it last?

Also did you ever turn to SAD food to run away from any of your issues. I think I have been trying to make myself feel numb so I won't have to face who I really am and how it could hurt my bf and our relationship... I wish I could talk to someone about that stuff but I'm not sure where to find someone who's gone through what I am feeling. (lol, I sound so silly, but I'm getting tired of hiding who I really am)

[Universal]

I can definitely co-sign what teri just mentioned as far as having certain foods that happen to appeal to you at certain times. It varies throughout the seasons. There are a number of factors that can impact that.
I've been about 95-100% raw for a little over 2 years now and in that period of time i've had my moments where all i wanted was one particular fruit and now I can't even stand the sight of it! Literally!
Right now for instance, the food appealing to me the most are grapes. So what I do is instinctively listen to my body and give it what it needs. One of the greatest benefits I've enjoyed from being raw is becoming more in tune with my body and being able to "listen" and respond to what it needs.

So Firicia, I would concentrate on that for now rather than try to create some raw recipes that may involve some ingredients that you may not like. Certain things may not naturally appeal to you mixed and you'd rather like them separate. It all depends. I also would take heed to what David hinted and to take small baby steps on the path there. Everyone isn't ready to just go to 100% raw in just one day. Most of us had to go through a transitory period of our own. Sometimes it lasts longer than we want them to, but it's a journey worth taking. Trust me on that. :)

[rawOrchid]

You've gotten some great advice! And I agree with it all!

The trick is to LISTEN and TRUST your body's own intuitive knowledge: give in to the food its craving and it won't want SAD food... because it cannnot nourish and heal and strenghthen like raw food can!

What I did when I started out is I bought everything (yes I am a little bit extremist) that I could get my hands on that was Raw. I mean I am back with my parents, who do NOT understand that there is no meat in my diet, but I felt good having all the ingredients on hand. From there, I created recipes of my own, spontaneously, without writing it down, because I was listening to what my body needed! This is certainely just an opinion, but it worked!

If its gradual, its gradual, just feel good about it! And you'll want to keep gradually adding more of what made your body feel good!

If you want, for example, cantalope, indulge in it as you wish! That is the beauty of this diet, you just go with the flow of your cravings!

[Firicia]

Well so far has been good. I just have been listening to my body, and it told me not to wait and to start raw now. I'm on day 3 so far and loving it. The cravings aren't as bad this time as they were last time, and I've been able to say no to SAD being shoved in my face becuz I feel satisfied.

I just kept it simple, I mean whats easier then cutting a cantalop for breakfast, or some grapefruit. I am liking how easy this is. I was having some cravings for meat, but had some macadamia nuts and a talk with an old friend about exciting things I am going to get to do this summer and now I'm back on feeling motivated about the way I eat!

Thanks again for all your support everyone and your kind words:D

[moonstone523]

Do you like smoothies????

I've always been into smoothies, and before I knew about raw, my dream diet (not as in want to lose weight, but as in what i eat) would be smoothies breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Wow. Dream come true with raw.:cool:

[Sleek98]

I've been trying to be raw for about 3 weeks now, and every day I slip up. I am finding a lot of raw foods/recipies I don't like (actually I only have found 1 recipy that I like out of about 20 now), and when I am trying to make something I find the smells of raw food make me feel sick. I feel like I am failing. How could I possibly be so darn picky?

Do I just have to bite the bullet and try to just eat raw fruits and veggies nuts and seeds with-out using recipies since I don't seem to like any? I am scared I'll get bored, but maybe after being raw for a while the recipies won't make me feel so sick? How do I build up enough will-power to say goodbye to all the foods I enjoy eating without having anything similar that I like to replace it with. Maybe thats a good thing, by not keeping the addictions alive?


I can really relate to what you said here. I am glad that things are getting better for you now, though. I've tried going raw a few times as well, and end up giving up because I keep trying and trying all the recipes and hardly any of them end up being good. Or they are good for just a few bites. And I am NOT a picky eater at all! So then when I fall even the thought of raw foods makes me sick, like you said. So, that is where I am coming from, too. But I'm going to try the approach that you wrote above now, and I'm jumping in for day one tomorrow! I hope we can be a support for each other! :)

[Firicia]

Hey Sleek98, for sure we can support each other! I found that I just needed to let go and not worry so much about having a bunch of great recipies right away. I'm sure I'll find stuff that I like as I go along, but making a bunch of recipies at first was a disaster for me and it didn't work for where I was financially at the beginning of the month either. Works for some people, but didn't work for me. I wish you the best of luck and email me so we can support each other destiny_dreamer01@hotmail.com I look forward to chatting with you!

Moonstone523 I love love love smoothies too! I never even thought about having them all day if I want, lol, thanks that's a great idea when I want a treat all day long and don't want to make something fancy!

Doe, the cantaloupe is great, I just had 1 for dinner, yum... ok it was 1.5 cantaloupes;) Thanks for the web link too!

Thanks everyone else as well for your posts!

[Morn]

I don't like a lot of the recipes either. I think those of us that are coming from a SAD diet are harder to please. I have been raw for a little over 5 months now and I don't have a lot of time to experiment with the recipes. But you will little by little find things you like. It really takes time is all. There are a lot of SAD recipes too that are not good. But we have had years of experience to know what we liked so it will just take time for us to find the things we like in raw. Just wanted to say I understand. I have wore out my husband with making him try these recipes and now he doesn't ever want to try anything I make. It bums me out as I would like to see him lose weight and eat healthier.

[luckitri]

Glad to read that things are going better for you. When I started I just wanted vegetables and now it seems I mostly want fruit. I am not big on the recipes at all. It was on this forum that I got the reassurance that many longtimers are not big on all the recipes and equipment either - they just eat raw food. They call it mono-eating. Like your just having canteloup for breakfast is mono-eating. I have met raw foodists who get so into the health aspect that they forget about the flavor and the texture and the stuff they make is yechhh! Sorry but I don't care what it is going to do for my body if it doesn't taste good. And if it looks like dog doo doo on a leaf - well then I may not even try a nibble. Presentation is very important especially when trying to entice SAD folk.

About those recipes. The quality of the ingredients is paramount. I am really hungering to make some good things with fresh corn but I have not been able to buy good tasting corn for several years now. I don't know if it is genetically modified corn being sold or what the excuse is but even my dogs won't eat it and they LOVE corn on the cob. You will want to make recipes once in a while. I usually try them for pot lucks. The recipes I have found on this site are very good but unlike some of the posters here - I only like them when they are fresh made. So I have to cut the recipes down since no-one else will eat them with me.