How?

[polylepsis]

I know this sounds really weak will-power wise, but how do you guys deal with your family if they aren't raw? How did you get them to support your diet?

I'm personally having a rough time dealing with all the cooked/processed food lying around :(

[sport]

For me it was easy because they had 30 years to get accostomed to me being vegitarian and then 5 years vegan so when I went raw they just said "here she goes again".
As a vegan I do not have as hard a time staying raw because there is so little of the food that my husband has in the house that is vegan that I could not possibly eat it even if I did get to want it. Even his favourite bread is not raw.

[JennaBoBenna]

I live at home and I've been a great influence on my parents! I got them to start a garden and eat fresher. There's still processed stuff lying around (bread, chippies, "treats" etc), I just don't look in those cabinets anymore. I ignore it in the fridge. I have my own cupboard with my raw goodies :)
Although, sometimes, there will be a loaf of bread sitting on the counter taunting me...so I pick it up and smell it...and at first it's the best most mouth-watering smell in the world...and I think about how much I would love to just put it in my mouth....and THEN I think about how it is processed, what it does inside my body, how I feel after I eat a slice...or two...or 8..and I put it back down and eat raw. It takes time to be able to do that. I'm still getting over some addictions. Wheat was a hard one to get over (took me two years!!!)

My mom is very supportive in everything I do, and for that I am blessed. She does get concerned sometimes, because she is a mom, but I've read a lot about raw food--she knows this-- and my answers to her questions are very thorough and full of confidence and positive light. She tells me she's proud of me, for my weight loss and will power, and I appreciate her every day for it.

[juliebove]

Well, one reason I turned to the raw diet was food allergies. I learned that I was allergic to eggs and dairy, two of my main protein sources. I read about it in a magazine and realized I was already eating mostly raw foods. One thing that has been a bit hard for me though is that I am also allergic to almonds and many of the raw recipes call for them.

Daughter has more food allergies than I do so her diet is even more limited. Actually we eat pretty much the same things. It's just easier for me not to bring in the things she is allergic to as well, although I do buy them on occasion for just my husband or myself.

Husband eats stuff you couldn't pay me to eat. I am not tempted to eat his food at all, ever. So for me it's not difficult, except for the fact that I have gastroparesis. That's nerve damage to my stomach. And it means I don't digest raw fruits and vegetables well. So there are times when I would *like* to eat the raw diet, but I simply can not because I will throw it right back up. That's tough for me to take. I just take it one day at a time and do what I can.

[Draginvry]

I know this sounds really weak will-power wise, but how do you guys deal with your family if they aren't raw? How did you get them to support your diet?

I don't deal with them. Over the years my family has learned to ignore my unusual dietary experiments and extended fasting. It's not about "dealing" with someone, nor supporting them. It is about respecting their ability to make their own decisions. They respect that I have unusual eating habits, just as I respect that my dad would rather eat ice cream and candy bars than steak and green beans.

My recent decision to go vegan will be no different. I decide what I eat, and they decide what they eat. It's really quite simple. It takes absolutely no effort at all to allow someone to eat what they want. On the contrary, it takes effort to prevent them from eating something. If someone is trying to prevent you from eating what you want, don't "deal" with them, just ignore them. They will stop once they realize that they are wasting their effort.




I'm personally having a rough time dealing with all the cooked/processed food lying around :(

You have not developed the adequate mindset to stick to a diet. I was like this for a long time. But recently, as F1 would say, I became "sick and tired of being sick and tired"

You will have the right dedication too, when you get sick and tired of being sick and tired.

[Weazelchef]

Just don't ever allow yourself to eat even one cooked thing or it will snowball you back to cooked lifestyle.

[Random Violin Guy]

Just don't ever allow yourself to eat even one cooked thing or it will snowball you back to cooked lifestyle.

What a horrible suggestion to give people. I've eaten a few cooked meals since going raw, yet here I am - still raw. 100% even. In fact, I'm glad I've tried cooked food again since going raw. If you don't test the waters, you'll never know how much you've changed.

When I've gone out to lunch with friends (this has happened a few times... about twice a month when I first went raw, but now I've stopped altogether) I've had cooked vegan food... and felt like crap for the next day or two. When you know that this will happen when you eat cooked, it makes it really easy to avoid.

It's like touching a hot stove... you've gotta try it yourself to REALLY know that you need to avoid it. Then you say, "Ouch! That didn't feel too good," and you never need to use will power again, because now you know.

[Stina]

It's legitimate advice. I've observed that the great majority of people have addiction issues with food and one meal of the wrong food can spiral people out of control. Victoria Boutenko, Alissa Cohen, and David Wolfe all recognize cooked food as addictive.

[Random Violin Guy]

I completely disagree, from my own experience. I don't find cooked foods to be specifically addictive at all. Anytime you suddenly and consciously change your diet, you're setting new habits. In the meantime, the old habits are still tugging you in a different direction. In my mind, the problem isn't that the old foods are more addictive than the new foods... just that you're in the habit of eating the old foods. Once you get into the habit of eating raw, it would be just as hard to change back... even more so actually, because you'd feel sick trying to do it. Though I suppose some people go through a detox while changing from SAD to RAW, too.

However, if you want to be addicted to cooked foods, it's easy enough to do... addiction is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you're addicted, you may as well be.

Edit: I should clarify my earlier statement ("What a horrible suggestion to give people.") The suggestion I was referring to was that if you eat anything cooked, that it should ruin your desire to eat raw foods. Not the suggestion to avoid cooked foods.

[rawnhealthy]

Alot of interesting perspectives on the topic. I think that it's individual. No two people are alike. One person may find that they do best when they go 100% raw and don't eat anything that isn't raw from that point on. Another person may choose to eat a variety of raw and cooked, knowing that any amount of raw healthy food in your body is better than not eating any at all.
It's all about finding the right balance...for you. Your body knows best! Overall health is more than just what you eat.:O)

As for having a hard time with other people's opinion on what you are choosing- the most we can ever do is share with them about our journey...if they truly want to know. Opinions are simply opinions, we need to find what's right for us, always- first and foremost.
And that is....my opinion:O)

[trinity082482]

I take it one day at a time. My family rarely eats anything I make. Like the pesto pasta I made today... they wouldn't dare try it... might kill them or something ;)
I find it hard to see non raw stuff around the house also. I try to hide it away from my eyes or ignore it and walk away. :o

[juliebove]

I take it one day at a time. My family rarely eats anything I make. Like the pesto pasta I made today... they wouldn't dare try it... might kill them or something ;)
I find it hard to see non raw stuff around the house also. I try to hide it away from my eyes or ignore it and walk away. :o


I guess we're all different. I am not even tempted at all by certain foods. Like ones I am allergic to. In fact, looking at such things sometimes makes me feel ill.

Today, daughter and I went to the grocery store and we needed to walk by the cheese case to get something on my list. She told me she didn't want to look at the cheese because it made her feel sick. Like me, she is allergic. So there we were, both looking the other way.

Then there are the foods I know I shouldn't eat because I'm diabetic. When I look at those foods, I see the word "poison" spelled out in big black letters. I really do! This is not something I had to work at. It just sort of happened.

I know not all people are like me. I know some other people who are allergic to certain foods and they say they are addicted to those things. They get cravings for them. I just can't imagine.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I've always been a vegetarian, so I've never had any problems resisting the "temptation" to eat meat - it digusts me. I became a wheat free/gluten free vegan in March '07, and was great for about two months. Then I started slipping and became addicted again. I got 100% back on track a month or so ago, and on Monday, September 24th I became completely raw. Strangely, I haven't had any problems resisting cooked food. I just don't have any interest in it. The point is, everyone is different. I hope you're successful and happy in your attempts to carry out a raw lifestyle. :)