stuck at about 97% raw on account of dark chocolate & f'ing peanut butter

[lambe]

i am not very happy about this.

going raw has been a HUGE accomplishment, as i work at a coffee shop & have given up two of my favorite things for this journey -- coffee & soy milk. seriously. temptation every day. but, i manage to avoid it as i really dont need coffee, it was a minor addiction, not even a craving, & the soy milk just went on top of it.

i also managed to replace rice, a huge staple in my diet, while embarking on raw, no problem.

i cant, however, get over chocolate. it's not every day. but it is a couple times weekly. it's when im at the store & buy my fruits & buy a little square of fancy dark chocolate too to bite on on the walk home.

i simply have peanut in my house, so sometimes i spread it on bananas. i know i could dump it, but my roommates eat it too. & it's so good -- the all-natural, great kind that's salty & sweet, perfectly.

i've tried thinking of replacements -- apples with honey on top, bananas with honey, et cetera, for when the sweet tooth bites. but what im really trying to do is invoke the voice that got me to quit coffee. it seemed like cake then. i just quit, telling myself i didnt need it, i didnt want it, it was just habit. i cant find that voice when i think about chocolate. or peanut butter (though i want peanut butter much less frequently).

if you've had this problem, what psychological mechanisms have you used that helped you defeat the cravings? i've tried brushing my teeth in the past, as i've read that that sometimes cures a craving. it doesnt with chocolate. i want chocolate mint afterwards.

[Tiffany]

Although its super expensive, you can get raw dark chocolate that is better (I mean BETTER!) than the cooked. UliMana truffles is one I can think of. Many online raw sites sell sweets and chocolate bars and here in Ojai a local woman makes amazing raw chocolate sweets - even peanut butter cups with raw pb. Ojai Chocolat online store: http://www.storesonline.com/site/1324711

You can make your own, too. Check out the recipes section of this forum.

You can also buy wild jungle peanut butter (raw).

But, I just use almond butter in place of pb. Its so yummy! Cashew butter is also totally divine.

[Dimond]

Simple solutions. You don't need to get over chocolate, just get it raw. You can make your own or buy it premade. Instead of peanut butter, use almond butter. Raw snacks are the easiest to find substitutes for. Having all kinds of raw treats on hand is the key to getting over cravings. Or at least not have them affect you much.

[lambe]

eep, i thought peanuts were toxic raw? if there is really such thing as raw peanut putter i would be elated with glee for so many days. i like almond butter alright, but i get sick of it really quickly (after a bite or 2)...which may be a blessing in disguise.

peanut butter is simply very close to my sweet heart.

[Dimond]

You may like almond butter better with agave and/or salt. Raw peanuts are rare & expensive. But if it helps you out, it may be worth trying. The longer you're raw, the more your tastes for things will change.

[RawHeaven]

As I'm typing to you I'm eating a bowl of raw chocolate banana ice cream. It is the one thing that has helped me bust my chocolate cravings. And I agree, raw chocolate is by far 1000% better than the chocolate we are so used to.

I have some form of raw chocolate maybe once every week now as opposed to daily. I only need a little bit. Um, I was a chocoholic!! When I lived in SF I would be at Ghiradelli Square twice a week buying bags of chocolates because I worked near the place where they sell the chocolate. Then I'd go home and eat the entire bag of wrapped chocolate! :eek: I can't really tell you when the shift occurred, I think it basically just has to do with my body telling me what it wants and me listening.

Even grabbing a handful of raw cacao nibs and sprinkling them with agave will begin to satisfy you I bet.

The more raw I become, the simpler I want to eat. Nut butters and fats and chocolate - I can't believe I'm saying this! lol - I no longer want or need too much of. It's becoming harder for me to digest fats, my body wants lots of greens right now.

So maybe your body just needs the antioxidant power of chocolate right now. Give yourself a gift though and eat the real deal - the raw cacao - you'll be in heaven and so will your body.

Can't help you with the peanut butter. I stopped eating it a long time ago. It used to break out my skin big time.

[subbacultcha]

You can get raw wild jungle PB, but it is super expensive. You should try cashew butter, to me it is the closest to PB. You can get raw chocolate or make raw chocolate brownies, macaroons, etc. with raw chocolate powder. Or what I did when I first started eating raw was to use roasted cocoa powder in raw brownie and fudge recipes. Even though it's cooked it's only a small amount and stopped me going for cooked chocolate.

[rawstrength]

Peanut butter and chocolate were my addictions when I was a cooked vegan. I went raw and stayed chocolate and PB free for 2 weeks. Then I discovered raw chocolate, yum!

I've been raw for four months with a few slips every now and again. Since going raw, I've had peanut butter twice and cooked chocolate once. They tasted terrible and I didn't really want them.

You can do it! Just quit the chocolate and the peanut butter. Go for raw chocolate and make some yummy raw dips and spreads.

Have you ever tried 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, soaked, blended with 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbs. honey, and 1 tsp. sea salt? It's delicious for spreading on apples and bananas. It doesn't taste like peanutbutter, but it tastes good, it's rich and it will satisfy your need to snack.

There was once a time when I couldn't open my cabinet without grabbing a spoonful of peanut butter. Now I open the PB cabinet all the time, and the PB doesn't even look like food to me. I push it aside and go for my hemp powder or some raw chocolate.

The need for PB and chocolate will pass once you stop feeding it with your mind, spirit and actions.

[raven]

There are some great raw chcolate bars on the market and making your own raw chocolate will cost you a lot less. There are a lot of recipes on this site and others. As for peanut butter, it wouldn't be so bad to have a single vice but peanut butter has mold and aflatoxins (sp?). Artisana makes many delicious nut butters - though they may not be peanut-y. They have cashew, macadamia, almond, as well as a number of spreads containing goji and other ingredients. Check out their site and maybe you'll find something that you can use instead of p.b.

Don't be hard on yourself. 97% is awesome.

Suzy

[lambe]

Peanut butter and chocolate were my addictions when I was a cooked vegan. I went raw and stayed chocolate and PB free for 2 weeks. Then I discovered raw chocolate, yum!

I've been raw for four months with a few slips every now and again. Since going raw, I've had peanut butter twice and cooked chocolate once. They tasted terrible and I didn't really want them.

You can do it! Just quit the chocolate and the peanut butter. Go for raw chocolate and make some yummy raw dips and spreads.

Have you ever tried 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, soaked, blended with 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbs. honey, and 1 tsp. sea salt? It's delicious for spreading on apples and bananas. It doesn't taste like peanutbutter, but it tastes good, it's rich and it will satisfy your need to snack.

There was once a time when I couldn't open my cabinet without grabbing a spoonful of peanut butter. Now I open the PB cabinet all the time, and the PB doesn't even look like food to me. I push it aside and go for my hemp powder or some raw chocolate.

The need for PB and chocolate will pass once you stop feeding it with your mind, spirit and actions.

that sunflower spread seriously sounds perfect for me; inexpensive, salty, & beautiful. thank uu!

[hibisanpo]

r.s~
i had some sunflower seeds soaking and just made this spread.... but are your measurements right? i love salty stuff, but this was toomuch for me.
i used about 1 cup seeds (double what you called for), added water to desired consistency, then added 1 T.honey and 1 t. salt. salt city! i added a little more honey to offset the saltiness...
okay! anyway, thanks! this spread IS really good, i think i will make it often..
i would just suggest adding the salt gradually!

[Raspberry4]

I love raw desserts - I cannot seem to (selfishly) give up chocolate. I eat it everyday.

However, I am going to try to give up desserts for the remainder of Lent. I seriously have to break my darn addiction to it. I feel like I deserve it or something. So I have to work on that. I am full of addictions, one step at a time I guess.

[lambe]

r.s~
i had some sunflower seeds soaking and just made this spread.... but are your measurements right? i love salty stuff, but this was toomuch for me.
i used about 1 cup seeds (double what you called for), added water to desired consistency, then added 1 T.honey and 1 t. salt. salt city! i added a little more honey to offset the saltiness...
okay! anyway, thanks! this spread IS really good, i think i will make it often..
i would just suggest adding the salt gradually!

make sure you do 2 TABLEspoons honey
& 1 TEAspoon salt

[iamacranberry]

i am not very happy about this.

going raw has been a HUGE accomplishment, as i work at a coffee shop & have given up two of my favorite things for this journey -- coffee & soy milk. seriously. temptation every day. but, i manage to avoid it as i really dont need coffee, it was a minor addiction, not even a craving, & the soy milk just went on top of it.

i also managed to replace rice, a huge staple in my diet, while embarking on raw, no problem.

i cant, however, get over chocolate. it's not every day. but it is a couple times weekly. it's when im at the store & buy my fruits & buy a little square of fancy dark chocolate too to bite on on the walk home.

i simply have peanut in my house, so sometimes i spread it on bananas. i know i could dump it, but my roommates eat it too. & it's so good -- the all-natural, great kind that's salty & sweet, perfectly.

i've tried thinking of replacements -- apples with honey on top, bananas with honey, et cetera, for when the sweet tooth bites. but what im really trying to do is invoke the voice that got me to quit coffee. it seemed like cake then. i just quit, telling myself i didnt need it, i didnt want it, it was just habit. i cant find that voice when i think about chocolate. or peanut butter (though i want peanut butter much less frequently).

if you've had this problem, what psychological mechanisms have you used that helped you defeat the cravings? i've tried brushing my teeth in the past, as i've read that that sometimes cures a craving. it doesnt with chocolate. i want chocolate mint afterwards.

I have to distract myself...ie, find something social to do. Then I'm not able to sit around and crave things. Otherwise I cave.

[ulimana]

im not sure i could do without chocolate either. it's definetely possible to find organic and raw suppliers ;)

[hibisanpo]

uh YEAH....

a little t. = teaspoon
a big T = tablespoon.

i did the appropriate measurements

[rawstrength]

uh YEAH....

a little t. = teaspoon
a big T = tablespoon.

i did the appropriate measurements


Sorry about that! I should have put salt to taste.
When I excersize in the heat I sweat and lose a lot of salt. Hence I crave salt, and everything I eat is a lot more salty than most people like.
:p

[Pennypower]

All I have to say is:

http://www.gnosischocolate.com/
:D :D :D :D

[lambe]

Sorry about that! I should have put salt to taste.
When I excersize in the heat I sweat and lose a lot of salt. Hence I crave salt, and everything I eat is a lot more salty than most people like.
:p

that's funny cos i had the exact opposite problem when i made this spread yesterday. too honey-y for me.

[rawstrength]

that's funny cos i had the exact opposite problem when i made this spread yesterday. too honey-y for me.

To each her own :) . Just adjust the seasonings until it tastes right to you.

[jah]

I've been raw since August. These are my 2 vices also. Damn Smuckers! I mix it with honey and eat it right out of the jar a little at a time until its all gone. I really like it.Very hard to break this habit. With chocolate it was interesting for a while I'd go to the store and eat the whole bar. then one day the cravings just stopped. Now if I could just get rid of the peanut butter I been in the perfect raw food heaven

[lambe]

that smuckers peanut butter! what the heck! too good to be real.

[Snoozy]

I made something really good and chocolaty tonight. I got it off of another website. Her recipe started with dates cut in half and stuffed with almond butter. Then she covered them with this mixture and chilled. I just made the mixture and ate it out of the bowl. I was surprised at how chocolaty it was using carob (really raw carob) powder.

1/4 cup raw agave
1/4 cup coconut butter
3-4 Tablespoons really raw carob powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Mix all up in a bowl. You don't even need equipment for this one. It's good right away or after sitting in the fridge. It reminds me of eating uncooked fudge/chocolate cake batter. It felt very naughty! :D

[ulimana]

there are some amazing raw hemp and sesame butters too.