? Going raw in a relationship ?

[prettyenough]

Hi, i just joined today and have all kinds of questions. My biggest thought about going raw is how i'd do it with my family...my partner specifically. He isnt interested in going raw atm and so i figure we'd be grocery shopping for my raw food and his 'other' food. We budget everything and i wonder if i can truly afford going raw? I have all kinds of questions about what to eat, what to buy, how to prepare, but i have a lot of resarch to do still. Id love to get started the next time i go grocery shopping which is next week..so i hope i can find some wonderful information online and through books, etc. If you have experience with all of this, id love to hear what you have to say! Thanks for your time :D :D ~Ashley

[JennaBoBenna]

Hi! Welcome!

have you searched through the threads on this board?? There is SO much information answering the questions you just asked :)

[prettyenough]

thats what im doing right now. i figured id post about what i was thinking as well though. im looking through others' posts to see if i can find some info!! thanks!!

[Snownoir]

Welcome welcome! I was in that spot for a bit. But I just made him lunch and green smoothies and he'd ask for more. Its the dinner part I have a hard time with. But its improving. If you don't have your questions answered enough by past threads, drop me a line, I'd love to talk about it. =]

[MiahTay]

In our house, breakfast and lunch are grab and go meals, so we all grab something different anyway. Dinner is the situation that needs a bit of delicate navigation. Ideally your family would agree to start the evening meal with a salad (then you're set) and just start making SIMPLE cooked things for their cooked portion of dinner. I typically eat juice in the morning, then some fruit mid morning, green smoothie for lunch, some raw nuts or some more fruit or another glass of juice for my afternoon snack, then have a huge salad for dinner. The funny thing that has happened in my family is that I make such yummy salad options the cooked food has become the side dish and the salad is the main event. Best of luck and if you work together I'm sure you can come up with something that works for your family.

Blessings,
Heather

[Snownoir]

Yummy salads huh? I can never have too many salad options. Care sharing your favorite?

[wiccedfae23]

about me and my newly vegetarian soon to be raw bf.....;)

Since i have been eating more and more of a raw diet i have inadvertenly brought my bf along for the ride! who doesnt love fresh juice or smoothies for breakfast? great salads or "wraps" for lunch also he is loving all the experimental items i am dehydrating. i say if he doesnt want to commit to this lifestyle then that is his choice, but i bet he will start eating better and better if you do! The downfall for me is that i feel like i am preparing more and more of the meals so that i know that i can eat them and that stinx! But at least i am helping to nourish not only my body but his body as well with beautiful raw foods. And yesterday he did make smoothies, of course he asked me step by step what to do but i think it shows that if it tastes good and makes you feel good eventually he will be sold! just do your best and make him realize that this is something great you want to do for yourself and i bet he will support you! I am new to raw as well and i am just taking it step by step!

[prettyenough]

im so happy to hear all of your replies! thanks! what are some of your favorite salads or smoothies? i figure thats what ill be starting off with..introducing to everyone..what i put in front of my bf he will eat..unless he tastes it and it sucks..i always test taste everything first anyway..so .. favorites?

[Riiiya]

Me and my bf don't have a common budget- he's quite supportive of my raw journey. he's not raw himself but LOVES to eat my raw food! garrrr! lol it's good though ... he loves my sushi (vegetarian of course), salads, salad dressings, and some smoothies! It works nice (unless we want to go out to eat errr ..btw when we do go to a raw restaurant *in chicago* he loves the food!!!!!!!!!) I don't necessarily push raw on him but like to tell him all the stuff i read about cooked& SAD diets... he listens, sometimes tells other people with a smart look on his face :D hardly implements the knowledge on his own, but loves when i do it for him :D

Sorry i'm not answering your questions, just sharing how it is for me and my special someone :)

[Eva]

My advice if you want it: Run your own race, and he'll run his -- you can be side by side in any case. And perhaps he WILL share some meals with you. Meat eaters can eat veggies too, just not vice versa with vegans and meat! Be strong in making choices that are good for you. No need for apologies or judgments.

And realize that you don't have to make fancy raw meals all the time. You may eventually find yourself eating less or more simply as your body becomes more efficient. I eat when my body asks for food, and I definitely eat less calories than in my pre-raw days even though I am very active. But I am vibrant, clear-minded and full of energy -- running on less sleep and less calories.

(Side note on the less calories -- this is somewhat recent and was not necessarily the case the first year I was eating raw. Please don't feel bad if you are "always hungry" in the very beginning! It's OK and normal. :))

[prettyenough]

My advice if you want it: Run your own race, and he'll run his -- you can be side by side in any case. And perhaps he WILL share some meals with you. Meat eaters can eat veggies too, just not vice versa with vegans and meat! Be strong in making choices that are good for you. No need for apologies or judgments.

And realize that you don't have to make fancy raw meals all the time. You may eventually find yourself eating less or more simply as your body becomes more efficient. I eat when my body asks for food, and I definitely eat less calories than in my pre-raw days even though I am very active. But I am vibrant, clear-minded and full of energy -- running on less sleep and less calories.

<>(Side note on the less calories -- this is somewhat recent and was not necessarily the case the first year I was eating raw. Please don't feel bad if you are "always hungry" in the very beginning! It's OK and normal. :))</>


i was actually gonna start a new thread to this..and if nobody responds i will...i hear a lot about eating all that you want with raw. but they still build up calories. how do you lose so much weight if youre eating so much? its just LESS calories than what you ate before, right? hm..??

[Jenifae]

My Hubby is NOT RAW. He is Happy for me and will munch on my goodies but, is not interested in being converted by me. LOL!
I do my thing and he does his. I'm fortunate because, he travels for his work daily (carpet cleaner) so, he usually eats out. Everything in the house is Organic and/or Raw. I will make him his Spaghetti or other things if he wants. I don't mind.........just because, I want to be healthier........he doesnt have to. Just eating Organic at home makes him a bit healthier and I am stricking his curiosity. But, I have to journey my path and not expect him to follow and Respect where each of us is at. It's okay.

I diffently eat more Raw food then I can eat of SAD food. It's amazing. And yes, still lose weight or just stay at my weight. Pretty kewl.
I think in the beginning at least for me as I've been transitioning I require more food to counter act the bad food. I still struggle a bit with going out but, not beating myself up anymore and not giving up either ;)

[Eva]

i was actually gonna start a new thread to this..and if nobody responds i will...i hear a lot about eating all that you want with raw. but they still build up calories. how do you lose so much weight if youre eating so much? its just LESS calories than what you ate before, right? hm..??

All right -- quick answer is: Your body knows what to do with the natural food. It can push it out easily in a much smaller period of time. You're getting nutrients your body can use, so your body doesn't feel like it has to hold onto the food.

I didn't really have weight to lose. I thought. But I lost about maybe 5-10 pounds around my waist and the rest of my body did not change too much except to become more toned. I ate MORE calories than pre raw when I was losing that weight. And lots of nuts, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, coconuts, etc. I was not limiting anything.

Now I just don't really need as many calories. I'm probably (although this is just guessing) down from 2500+ calories to 1500-2000 calories or less. And more active. And I'm not really losing weight, just becoming a bit more toned and I do more workouts using my muscles.

I hope that helps.... I'm off to some other tasks so if you "write back" soon, I likely won't see it for awhile. Just a friendly FYI. :)

[debbyd]

I had the same issue with a mate that was a strictly meat and potatoes kind of guy. I started just doing it myself and let him know that I had no intention of pressuring him to join me (that was a load off his mind!) After a few weeks I just talked about some of the ones I really liked, and asked if he wanted to try a bite. I started with some of the desserts, (he loved the raw apple pie) and after 2 months, when I had lost 20 lbs, and looked younger and had more energy, he came home from work one day and said "I ate all raw today". He actually joined me being raw for a while and lost 50 lbs. and felt better. He did not stay raw, but is more open to eating a variety and it worked for us. Best of Luck!
deb

[rawfoodistdavid]

My wife went semi-raw when I went raw and stuck with it, although she was used to veggie food even though nominally still a meat eater.

She often has some brown rice in one of my cold soups, while i'd be happy with a sprinkle of sprouts and seeds.

Ultimately, if you partner's okay with veggie food and you skill yourself in raw food prep to a reasonable level it should go okay.

If they're a meat-scoffing knuckle dragger that thinks lettuce is a pinko plot then it might be harder.

[roseyonnex]

My husband is not raw either. What I do is make him a like a casserole, or a huge batch of something that can be reheated well, once a week. Then he just is happy to eat off that. I don't have kids.

Of course, I try to get him to eat raw as much as possible, and I have found he really like the deserts. Also, he really liked the Avocado stuffed portabello mushroom recipe in Alissa's book.

[Jenifae]

My Hubby went to our First Raw Food Restuarant yesterday for our Anniversary. He is not Raw and still eats meat. He was looking forward to the experience and listens to me with cautiousness. Not fully convinced or willing to be converted. (nobody likes that)
Anyway, it was the most Wonderful and Fulfilling Experiences Ever!
The Food was Amazingly Delicious and the Atmosphere - Superb!
He said: "I'm sold now" :)
Now, it doesn't mean he'll go Raw like me but, he understands it better and is more open to it now.

[jacsam]

You'd love Alissa's book because it has weekly menus and even the grocery list for it.

[Jenifae]

I will have to purchase that soon.