The Freedom to Eat Raw

[livenraw]

AND A BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT

I will admit that I am far from perfect. This past year has been a learning experience of trial and error. I have also had quite a few slips & falls when it has come to trying to maintain a healthy, raw lifestyle. In fact, I had one of those slips last night but it was also the breakthrough moment I truly needed to understand that there is freedom in eating raw. REAL FREEDOM. Thank God for an intelligent husband who sometimes understands things quicker than I do!!!!!!

Anyway, on the way home from a long meeting, he said he decided he was 'going to eat tonight'. We are no longer heavy eaters, eating 5 course meals, etc. so when the dh says this, it usually means a burger & fries. A burger & fries has long been a weakness of mine so the more I thought about that, the more I wanted a burger & fries. So we talked about me having a burger & fries. And of course, there I was, trying to justify eating a burger & fries. "Well, as long as I'm not doing it all the time and not on a daily basis, then I don't see the harm in having one every once in awhile" was my justification.

And here came the greatest reply from the DH: "You think eating a burger & fries is your freedom when in reality it is your bondage. Your freedom is in eating a raw food lifestyle. That's where the freedom lies. You asked the Lord a long time ago the way to optimum health & He told you the way to go-raw foods. You have to stop looking at it as you won't eat xxxx again. That's when it's bondage and not freedom. Recognize that there is freedom in eating raw. And if you want to maintain optimum health, then maintain a raw lifestyle for the rest of your life.' I realized he was right, and we got to the place to order. He asked what I wanted. I said 'nothing after our talk.' He couldn't believe what I said but he still ordered me a burger & fries. And I did eat it. (and decided to not beat myself up for this. I'll just move on as this was another learning experience. Hopefully, the last one.)

Later on that evening, he told me that I finally had the breakthrough moment for which I've been waiting when I told him I wanted nothing to eat.

And the funny thing about this whole conversation was earlier, I had decided to make out my grocery list. By nature, I am a simple person & prefer simplicity when it comes to raw foods but have enjoyed honing my skills for making raw food recipes. So the one conclusion I came to: if I'm going to eat raw foods for the rest of my life-by golly-I'm going to enjoy them for the rest of my life and enjoy the freedom of eating them!

So now I've totally switched my thinking around overnight-the ability to eat raw is my FREEDOM. And it will always be my FREEDOM.

As the saying goes 'Freedom isn't the license to do what you want. It's the power to do what you ought.'

RAWK ON!!

[Coonlie]

Wow, great message and just what I needed this morning! I, too, have been trying to eat a high raw diet for almost a year now, but with many slips-ups, too. Just this morning I was praying that God would clearly guide me and give me a peace about eating this way, if it is His best plan for me. Your husband's words are what I needed, and I believe are God's answer for me. "You think eating a burger & fries is your freedom when in reality it is your bondage. Your freedom is in eating a raw food lifestyle. That's where the freedom lies." I've been a meat eater and meat lover all my life, especially poultry and I've been having a hard time this week thinking about Thanksgiving without turkey. Then I start thinking about what "I'll never be able to eat again." I am going to print out those wise words from your husband and put them up in my kitchen.

Thanks for sharing and maybe we can encourage each other to remember that we "asked the Lord the way to optimum health & He told us the way to go is raw foods." Let's remember that it IS our Freedom!

[4forme]

I am awe struck at the depth of this message. It's exactly the mentality I need to adopt. Instead of looking at what I cannot eat living this lifestyle, I need to look at what freedom it will/and is bringing me!
I feel silly saying this, but I am in tears right now, thinking of the implications this has had on my heart. I have been struggling with this for a few weeks, not having great support, and feeling pressure to prove it works, then letting myself down when I don't stick to 100%. I want my health back, as I haven't had it since I was about 14.
Thankyou so much for sharing such a personal experience!
Blessings, wendy

[sugarsnap]

What a powerful message. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
It is so very true. I think I will copy that down and print it so I may read it each morning. Have you told your DH how wonderful he is lately? :p

4forme: Don't feel silly, it broke me up too!

When you think about it. We do not have control of many things in our lives. What we chose to put in our bodies may be one of the few things we can control.
Have a rawkin Friday.

[EZ rider]

Freedom to eat the fresh raw foods gives me the freedom to live without sickness and disease and I love the way the fresh raw foods taste. I am a fresh raw foods eater.

[sugarsnap]

OK, OK,

"You think eating SAD is your freedom when in reality it is your bondage. Your freedom is in eating a raw food lifestyle. That's where the freedom lies. You asked the Lord a long time ago the way to optimum health & He told you the way to go-raw foods. You have to stop looking at it as you won't eat xxxx again. That's when it's bondage and not freedom. Recognize that there is freedom in eating raw. And if you want to maintain optimum health, then maintain a raw lifestyle for the rest of your life.'

I printed three copies and will this will be my daily affirmation.
Give that man a hug!:D

[4forme]

What a powerful message. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
It is so very true. I think I will copy that down and print it so I may read it each morning. Have you told your DH how wonderful he is lately? :p

4forme: Don't feel silly, it broke me up too!

When you think about it. We do not have control of many things in our lives. What we chose to put in our bodies may be one of the few things we can control.
Have a rawkin Friday.

Aww thanks! :) I am still really affected by this, and just wrote in my blog about it. I think this is the exact thing I needed to keep going and go at it with gusto. I have been very discouraged by "social obligations" and eating lately, and my dh says he supports me, but puts these obligations before my needs. He really isn't bad, and he's very loving ect. But, he doesn't follow this, thinking it's just another diet/phase that will pass.
Anyway, don't want to hijack the thread, just want livenraw to know what an impact it had on me! :o

[StarFire]

Wow.... :eek: and again I say... wow.... :eek:

I am one of those that prayed before finding Alissa Cohen and this lifestyle.

I was so desperate, so ill.... I knew if I didn't make a drastic change - Alcoholism would end up killing me. I sat at my computer overwhelmed by all the information on line...

I sat there crying -- and prayed... I prayed to be shown the path I needed to walk, I prayed for freedom from the bondage of food and alcohol....

I asked for guidance and understanding and that it would be presented to me in a very simple, honest and life changing – eye opening way. “Show me Lord – lead me and guide me…. Pluuueeeze…”

I sat there staring at the computer for a moment then typed in ‘weight loss testimony – photos’. Among the many websites there was a link to Alissa Cohen Raw Food Talk. It was like that was the only thing I could see on the page … I clicked on it and I began cruising around the website and was amazed looking at the before and after photos. Day after day I came back and just stared at the photos.

You see, it wasn’t just the weight loss, it was something else. There was something in their eyes, it was the glowing skin, it was as if JOY was shining out of them… I wanted that!

and ... here I am. Thank you so much for reminding me where my true freedom lies... Big Hugs to your husband... a wise man indeed! and thank you so much for sharing this timely word with us!

blessings!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/grouphug.gif

[beppa66]

What an awesome post. Thanks for sharing that & enjoy the freedom.
He (or she) whom has been set free is free indeed!

[Barbie2]

This post is exactly what I needed today. It is something I will need everyday. Your husband has helped many or us who are trying to decide what diet is right for us. I want to be healthy again. My diet needs to change and also hopefully my job will also change someday.

I need to become who I really am, not who others in my past wanted me to be. I'm 55 and just starting to slowly discover me. With my wonderful husbands support. Aren't husband wonderful! Isn't Raw a miracle. I was seeking and here is where I am beginning my journey towards the real Barbara. Okay now I'm getting corny. But I feel this is where I need to be right now, on Raw Food Talk, communicating with others who are seeking positive changes in their lives, too. Everyone here is fantastic!

[RawSweetie]

I would like to order one wonderful husband. :D

/end of threadjack/

[Weezo]

Wow... thank you for sharing this wonderful moment/new viewpoint on the raw life... like many others who have posted... this is just what I need at this moment! I will let raw free me!

(and to those of you who got choked up, it is not silly, I feel just as intensely, for raw is one amazing LIFESTYLE more than a diet, which can help you overcome all the unhealthy aspects of life that keep you from your TRUE self and happiness :) )

[River Mom]

I love hearing so many testimonies of how God helped them.

A-men!!!
Rm

[BDraw]

I just read this post in its entirety and left it only to come back. I too have to say "Thanks!". What a concept!

I went raw several years ago. And most of the time I am 95% raw, but lately I've slipped to about 75%. My body is not happy, neither is my spirit. Once again I will attempt to grab this freedom of eating raw.

I too have copied and plan to decorate my refirgerator with this "truth".

Blessings

[rawgreenyogini]

Well said.

Brings a tear to my eyes to read that.

I'm speechless and don't know what else to say....

BRAVO!!!

[lily]

That was very moving and helpful. Thank you for sharing.

lily x

[Nurse in the Raw]

[B]

And here came the greatest reply from the DH: "You think eating a burger & fries is your freedom when in reality it is your bondage. Your freedom is in eating a raw food lifestyle. That's where the freedom lies. You asked the Lord a long time ago the way to optimum health & He told you the way to go-raw foods. You have to stop looking at it as you won't eat xxxx again. That's when it's bondage and not freedom. Recognize that there is freedom in eating raw. And if you want to maintain optimum health, then maintain a raw lifestyle for the rest of your life.' I realized he was right, and we got to the place to order. He asked what I wanted. I said 'nothing after our talk.' He couldn't believe what I said but he still ordered me a burger & fries. And I did eat it. (and decided to not beat myself up for this. I'll just move on as this was another learning experience. Hopefully, the last one.)



I don't get it......profound words from the DH but he takes you to get a burger and fries? If he sees wisdom in what you are doing why is he trying to sabotage your efforts by # 1, ordering and eating something contrary to your new way of life, in front of you? #2 not eating raw himself, if God has shown you both the way to optimum health? That does not sound very supportive to me. That's like having a drink in front of an alcoholic, while "examining" the reasons why alcohol is bad for you.

I don't mean to sound judgmental.....it just seems a little strange to me.

[SuBu]

One of the things that has freed me from the idea of "I'll never be able to eat XXX again" is to reaffirm my decision that I CHOOSE not to have xxx at this time. It's not that I CAN'T have it; I choose not to eat it. I am on a journey and I would like to see it through. Believe me, this is pretty new thinking for me. I've always been one of those people who would feel deprived and go straight for whatever I felt I could not have. Oh, poor me...you know? Well, XXX will always be there. Some day in the future I might have it...but not today. I do appreciate what was said about freedom. My freedom is choosing to be in control--something I have never felt before raw. Thank you, Alissa.

[Frugal Raw]

WOWZERS!!! Now THAT'S DEEP! What a wonderful, wise man you have in your life! Thanks for sharing:D

[Gittel]

Livenraw, congratulations on turning the corner! Your husband's words are quite profound.

SuBu, you are very insightful. "I CHOOSE not to have xxx at this time" is incredibly powerful. RAWk on!

Gittel

[Colorawdo girl]

WOWEEEE,.....Just what I had been struggling around in my committment ot rawfoods...what way does God want my freedom to come...in rawfood and its out-of-the-ordinariness that brings health,well being and vitality or in the as-usual customary fare of the day that wreaks havoc on my health and renders me useless to do very much???? I got that over here for sure...thankx.
p.s. anoyone tell me what dh means....I see it so many times....darling husband,dead husband,divorced husband,......what is it?......where do we find the codes????

[Coonlie]

Well, artgirly, it can't be "dead husband" because her DH just spoke to her! :D
I don't know for sure what it means either, but I do know it's some kind of live husband. ;) :D :D

[amyambro1]

That really boosts my spirits! Even though we're proud to be raw, it's still good to be reminded of why we are! You should save that post in case you're ever asked to do a speech - What a great message for people to hear!! Thank you for posting that.

[livenraw]

Stacie, I do not see what my husband did as him sabotaging my efforts. I STILL could have protested & said no to the burger and fries. I had that CHOICE. But I opted not to. So that was my decision-not his decision. Had I said no, he would have said 'okay.' And that would have been it.

I asked the Lord the way to optimum health for me-not him. So that's why we both don't do raw although his raw food intake has increased up to around 60%. If he were to go any higher, he would weigh around 100 lbs because the only thing he likes when it comes to raw is lettuce, bananas, apples & raw honey. And that's it. I don't think that is enough to sustain him & I don't push the issue. He is eating a lot healthier now (no meat/no dairy) than he was 5 years ago (meat, potatoes, fast food, a lb of cheese a day, etc.)

Even though I totally believe in raw foods & that it is an optimum way to live for me based on my results, it may not be right for everyone.

[maui_butterfly]

Stacie, I do not see what my husband did as him sabotaging my efforts. I STILL could have protested & said no to the burger and fries. I had that CHOICE. But I opted not to. So that was my decision-not his decision. Had I said no, he would have said 'okay.' And that would have been it.

Even though I totally believe in raw foods & that it is an optimum way to live for me based on my results, it may not be right for everyone.

excellent thread, fabulous posts livenraw. you are really owning your own path and letting others walk theirs without judgement. what you experienced is a profound attitude shift. its really amazing how the OUTSIDE CONDITIONS don't have to change, only THE WAY WE PERCEIVE THEM. you can sit across from your husband having a burger and fries and have "the raw foods experience" just as surely as if you were at a raw foods retreat in a tropical paradise surrounded by other raw foodists with a team of raw chefs preparing a sumptuous all-raw spread. things are neither good or bad, but our thinking makes it so. thank you for sharing your inspirational story.

(on another note, i realize after eating raw foods that it is the best diet FOR ME. i do not presume to know what is the best diet for someone else. i don't expect understanding or help. and i find when i don't expect those things, i have them in spades.)

[justinesmith]

WOWEEEE,..... p.s. anoyone tell me what dh means....I see it so many times....darling husband,dead husband,divorced husband,......what is it?......where do we find the codes????

Dh is darling husband. dd - darling daughter etc.... :D

[Nurse in the Raw]

Stacie, I do not see what my husband did as him sabotaging my efforts. I STILL could have protested & said no to the burger and fries. I had that CHOICE. But I opted not to. So that was my decision-not his decision. Had I said no, he would have said 'okay.' And that would have been it.

I asked the Lord the way to optimum health for me-not him. So that's why we both don't do raw although his raw food intake has increased up to around 60%. If he were to go any higher, he would weigh around 100 lbs because the only thing he likes when it comes to raw is lettuce, bananas, apples & raw honey. And that's it. I don't think that is enough to sustain him & I don't push the issue. He is eating a lot healthier now (no meat/no dairy) than he was 5 years ago (meat, potatoes, fast food, a lb of cheese a day, etc.)

Even though I totally believe in raw foods & that it is an optimum way to live for me based on my results, it may not be right for everyone.

The question is and I will leave it at that.....would you have gone there on your own?

I think our spouses need to be more supportive by not taking us to places where we will be tempted. My husband did that at first but then learned real quick that the entire family can and should benefit from raw, not just me. I guess I see a man and wife as one so if God reveals something beneficial to either one, it should automatically include the other. Didn't mean to rain on your parade.....just trying to understand why some men think we women need the help and they don't because they are thinner. :confused: I keep telling my husband and son (both very tall and thin) that thin does not mean healthy by any means. You are what you eat.