How do I Explain?

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

When I tell my friends (or anyone else) "No thanks, I'm a rawfoodist" they bombard me with questions, the most common being "So what do you like, eat?"

I just don't know how to respond to that. I mean, obviously I know what I eat but I don't know how to explain to them that it's more than just salad, that beautiful and complex meals can be prepared if you have the proper tools, and that I'm actually losing weight even though I'm eating MORE, not less!

Have you come across this problem? Any advice as to how to explain the raw lifestyle and its benefits would be greatly appreciated. Please note that I'm not trying to convert anyone to raw, I just want them to understand. Thanks SO much!

[Revvell]

Don't explain, show them. I didn't read your other post(s) but, if either parent is supportive, see if you can invite your friends over and create a meal for them.

[lulushka8]

i agree with Revvell, for months no-one really understood and bombarded me with Qs like "so where do you get your protein" /"do you just eat salad??"....etc. Until i actually showed people tasty raw breads, pizzas, pasta, cakes, cookies...etc they finally understood! a lot of ignorant people out there just think it's an excuse for a serious disease like anorexia (lettuce leaf assumption) even though we (or at least I) eat more than them! best just to distance yourself from the stupid + stubborn. i personally agree with alissa who says that they're the ones who are extreme/radical for eating the flesh and drinking the juice of a cow!!

[RawDancer]

I wouln't tell people your a raw foodist. When people hear raw foodist then they have bunch of questions. Just say 'no thank you' you have to explan why you don't want it.
Usually when i get offered some thing I say i'm allergic, so people think I'm just allergic to like everything. Technically it's not a lie becaue if I were to eat it I would get a stomach ache, headache ect. But if you have food with you i would let them try it so they under stand that your not crazy and only eat salad

[Eva]

Ooh, allergic to cooked food, I like that. :)

[dreamrawalwz]

I wouldn't explain. If you're offered something just say "no thank you. I don't feel like eating that at the moment."

[Lilly the Naiad]

I just say it helps aleviate arthritis. I mean you're so young and probably don't have any fancy names for dis-ease like many of us here have, which make people just accept it right away.

But to say that you eat a vegan diet just without cooking stuff should say enough? You could forward them to a website like Alissa's or http://goneraw.com where there are tons of recipes they can see.

As a funny last resort, if people bother you alot, you could just get a small recipe book with pictures and carry it around in your purse and show them beautiful raw dishes. I showed Juliano's to some friends who are heavy meat eaters and they were drooling!

[EZ rider]

Its to bad their arn't as many places in my neighborhood to get a raw meal as there are places to get a cooked cow meal.

[DavidZaneMason]

Yes. I agree with the above posts. I would not even MENTION eating 'raw' or even 'vegan'. Just let your lifestyle, health, and success speak for itself. If some one is VERY polite....and approaches you one-on-one with polite and sincere questions....then I would tell them more....or refer them to this wonderfully supportive website.

-David Z. Mason

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Those are all fabulous suggestions! People tend to accept being vegan and wheat/gluten free more than "what do you mean, you don't cook your food?" The biggest problem is actually parents. I went out to eat with my friend and her family and just ordered a salad, and they were suspicious/confused, so I had to resort to saying I was allergic to dairy, eggs, and gluten. Which I sort of am, I guess, because I feel sick when I eat them.

I was pleasantly surprised when a few people who I told knew what I was talking about, but I suppose I am lucky enough to live in SoCal where it's more widely accepted. However, I was a little disappointed when one of the people who knew who it was commented that some celebrity whose name escapes me "definitely wasn't on the raw food diet," in reference to her supposed "weight" which I simply didn't see. Although I am far from thin, I did not choose raw as a way to lose weight, and even if I could eat the SAD diet without gaining anything, I would not. I was insulted that she saw it as simply a way to lose weight. I eagerly await the day when I can say "Yeah, I'm a rawfoodist" and people will say "Really? That's awesome, check out *insert food place name here*!

[GoingtoRAW]

I wouldn't explain. If you're offered something just say "no thank you. I don't feel like eating that at the moment."

I agree with dramrawalwz...don't bother trying to explain. It should be enough to say "no thank you". Well at least to reasonable people it should be enough.:rolleyes:

[ladypeace82]

I wouln't tell people your a raw foodist. When people hear raw foodist then they have bunch of questions. Just say 'no thank you' you have to explan why you don't want it.
Usually when i get offered some thing I say i'm allergic, so people think I'm just allergic to like everything. Technically it's not a lie becaue if I were to eat it I would get a stomach ache, headache ect. But if you have food with you i would let them try it so they under stand that your not crazy and only eat salad

Ya, at the moment I'm not telling anyone. So far I've just said, in response to weight loss, I'm just eating more fruits and veggies. Until I'm more confident or "schooled" in it, I don't want to explain. I understand the enzymes thing but I totally wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone where it makes sense. I've tried. On my husband. He just says, okay well your losing weight and your so excited about this, so I'll just join you and not get picky. :p
So I've just been saying, "oh no thanks, I'm good"

[MysticTree]

I think it depends who I'm talking to. Where I live is a place full of people eating different diets-very politically in a lot of cases. So saying I follow a raw vegan diet is not much of a shocker to people here - even if they don't actually understand what it is. Most people say "wow. well done. I couldn't do what you're doing"

Georgina

[GoingtoRAW]

I have also started to really pick and choose who I tell that I am following a raw diet because the people that I thought would be the most supportive and understand (particularly my cousin who is a health nut and teaching nurse who studies nutrition issues continuously), have had the worse reactions. She keeps telling me how I need to eat some cooked foods on a regular basis and that I can't be healthy eating only raw foods. No matter how many times I tell her how much better I feel when eating only raw foods she just does not get it. SO I would say you don't really NEED to say anything. Just eat what you eat!;)

[crystalmoon]

How about just telling abit of a fib & saying you are on a 30 day detox raw food plan...most people wont feel threatened by the idea that you are detoxing. Once they notice all the positive changes they may be more receptive to a fuller explanation of raw food as a lifestyle choice.

[MysticTree]

If people ask further questions, I just offer to lend them the book. Either they are interested or they shut up :rolleyes:

Georgina

[EZ rider]

Tell them your from another planet and they eat natural garden foods there.

[catscharm74]

I just tell them I had a serious health scare (I did) and that this way of eating is getting my health back on track.

[Riiiya]

i try to say as little as possible. to many people this is reeeeeally radical and almost "impossible":(

actually, when proposed some food i say no thanks- i don't want to spoil my appetite, i have a dinner with my boyfriend tonight (or smth like that):rolleyes:

So far i didn't have to tell anyone i eat raw unless they were my really good friends and actually could relate (they're not raw but are open to this idea at least). To others- it's not their business unless they're interested. If they are- i say i eat naturally, all kinds of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds- then i make recipes like pies, lasagnas and it makes me fee g r e a t- that's the key :D