Be tottally honest

[Tenuho]

on a raw food diet..

do you ever feel like you are suppressing yourself?

sometimes i really dont want to eat ''another'' salad for dinner lol

and i think eating raw food is great it makes you feel good and everything....its just this slight issue of 'control'.....

im sure some of you dont have this....just wondering is it just me or what?

[Dimond]

Never!! I LOVE raw food and each year it gets better. There are tons of choices. Just as many as there are unhealthy ones. The key is not to limit yourself and have many options. One meal doesn't work, have 10 other options lined up.

[Happy107]

at first i was all about it. no one could get me to eat one thing that was bad for me..but there were times when i would "reward" myself. And then I would think why am I "treating" myself to bad nutrition?? Why am I allowing myself to give my body something I positively know is bad for me? Sometimes I lose sight of why I chose this lifestyle and thats when I eat SAD stuff. Keep focus on why you are doing this and see if that helps

it definitely takes discipline to do this but what goal in life doesnt? The people that are eating SAD either don't know what good nutrition is or choose not to care. I chose not to be part of either of those groups.

As for eating "another" salad..we've all been there..lol. I am all about spices. My spice cabinet is overflowing with soooo many different varieties because I figured out that I wasnt really missing the actual food but the flavor. So when I am craving indian, I pull out my curry and cayenne and make a raw indian dish.

Hope this helps!! Stay strong!! :)

[green jeanie]

yeah i am so low maintenance with how i eat but raw recipes are tasty! i make them with or for other people and i am like.......oh haha i could be eating this good all the time......instead of just plain blueberries or a head of kale ;)

but i love the simple it seems

and the raw priestess brownies...nice and simple :p

[margoss]

That's why I'm 95% raw. Most of the time 100% but if I want something bad enought, a little will do me. I've been swaying less & less. I went to Pizza Hut with someone & ate only from the salad bar...didn't crave the pizza. That was a first. There are so many good recipes in raw though that if we experiment enough, we won't feel deprived.

[ShelShel]

Actually, I adore eating raw...except that I'm surrounded by SAD eaters who want me to partake! :rolleyes: And to be honest, when it's my immediate family on their way to Pizza Hut...I want to join in. In the spirit of the food, eating and sharing. It's a tough place to be and why I'm not at 100% again. I keep trying. Frustrated.:o

[green jeanie]

as i have been unfolding and learning through this healing process around nourishment i will say this.....

do not deny yourself nourishment. in whatever form it takes.

for some people food is the fixation for nourishment and there is a guilt associated with allowing nourishment PERIOD and that all becomes projected onto food. that is a push/pull scenario of great tension and struggling

your life has worth and you deserve to feed life as it flows through you without that stress.

yes, what we eat impacts all aspects of our integrated whole self and health but what we do to deny life force impacts us even worse than pizza

be good to yourself. eat what you feel is going to satisfy you. so that you are sustained to celebrate this awesome life


xoxoxo gj

[EZ rider]

I find that by keeping any and all cooked food out of my diet the cooked food cravings are basically gone. However once in a while, which is usually measured in months, I still get a craving for something that is not a part of my raw food journey. I have been all raw for just over 2 years now and I have found the cravings are like echos in that they are fading in intensity and frequency as I stay raw longer. Hopefully the cravings will completely muffle out in time. When I do get a craving I find that they are relatively weak at this point on my path to better health & wellness and can be resisted quite easily by putting the "right" blinders on. I realize that SAD people have to put on SAD blinders and ignore the sickness and disease that putting the wrong fuel into their bodies creates as a result. I choose to see that the food I eat creates good health when I make the "right" choices. Sometimes for me that means putting on my RAW blinders and just moving through the distraction. Its getting easier with time and as I exercise my will power I find my mental "muscles" getting stronger and the cravings getting weaker.

[Tishi]

I have young kids so It's extremely hard for me to stay away from burgers, pizza & fries. I've been enjoying raw so much lately that my body hardly ever craves cooked foods. Green Jeanie is right though, it's not about food, it's about nourishment. Do whatever makes you feel good and don't feel guilty about slip-ups...

[coco]

i feel the total opposite, i have young kids and they make it super easy for me to stay away from junky foods. the idea of them eating it hurts me too much to allow it. (no judgement! they still want ice cream w grandparents and i occasionally let them have it!).
at first i was thrilled with raw, it made my choices so simple! no longer swimming in a sea of endless options and having to pick something, i knew exactly what was available and it was clear and limited (compared to having worked in the restaurant industry for many years). while pregnant though it was very difficult to nourish as well as fill myself up and i began to include many cooked foods on a regular basis while still eating all that i had before pregnancy. Hungry!
now i don't pressure myself at all. if i feel like having not-a-salad i just do it. if family are going out i go and make the healthiest choice possible from the menu. at friends houses i eat what they serve (within reason). it's not a problem for me. i am attracted to lovely, health-giving foods and that's what i mostly eat. i aim for excellent health, not perfect health, and i am attaining that. it's a good life, i am happy and satisfied.

[Poke Salad]

The one meal I still struggle with is eating a plain salad for dinner. That alone just never seems satisfying.

And yet if I was to go for a heavier gourmet raw dish based on nuts I would feel yukky because I've been high raw for long enough that I gravitate towards simple dishes. Eating lots of nuts just makes me feel heavy now.

So what ends up happening some of the time is I cook 10 small potato & sweet potato wedges in the oven to dip my guacomale in and that's the only cooked I eat.

I don't know how to get around this or even if I should. Frankly, I suspect it may be healthier to eat a little bit of cooked veges rather than eat heaps of nuts.

[Amberly]

I feel suppressed when I eat cooked food. Sometimes when I am around cooked stuff that I once enjoyed I feel restricted. But when I eat it I feel terrible and helpless and just want to lie there. That is suppression. It makes me remember that, for me, raw food is freedom. Sometimes I have to have a little cooked to remember what raw makes me free from. And I don't eat salads very often.

Good luck finding your path. I know it's not always easy.

[DebB]

on a raw food diet..

do you ever feel like you are suppressing yourself?

sometimes i really dont want to eat ''another'' salad for dinner lol

and i think eating raw food is great it makes you feel good and everything....its just this slight issue of 'control'.....

im sure some of you dont have this....just wondering is it just me or what?

I understand Tenuho!

I use a lot of greens in my green smoothie, so the last thing I want to eat is a lettuce salad for lunch or dinner. I have a salad every day, but they're veggie salads, not lettuce... I've only had 1 small lettuce salad (last week) since going raw. *Ü*

[revdrcyn]

I make a lot of recipes to keep it interesting. Even though I work nearly 60 hours a week, every week, plus 10 hours a week in the gym, I find the time to play around with some of the "gourmet" raw stuff. I am amazed at how simple it is to prepare.

I am having SO MUCH FUN with Alissa's book, with preparing her recipes, that I do not feel suppressed at all. If anything, I feel self-indulgent!

Besides, the food is SO GOOD!

[katchmoleen]

I never eat "lots of nuts" but I do have some nuts or seeds at every meal. It is the difference for me that allows me to be creative and makes my food satisfying. If I had to measure out the nuts, it is probably no more than a half a cup a day, which I don't think is a lot. But it allows me to have a creamy sauce or a good dessert or whatever. For me it makes raw possible.

[TP]

I haven't felt suppressed yet, after a week 100% raw. I think for me it has a lot to do with how I am feeling. I feel so good right now... dropping weight, and feeling that raw energy, that the smell of my wifes baked chicken tonight didn't bother me at all. I enjoyed the smell but didnt want it bogging me down.

My last raw adventure in 2006 was a different story. After about 7 months raw I really hit a plateau and remember fairly often feeling deprived and suppressed. I started letting in some cooked stuff here and there and then went crazy while on a week long vacation in Hawaii, and then never found my way back to even moderate rawness after that. The 40+lbs I shed so fast came right back on and it's taken me this long to finally find my way back...

That said, I feel much more relaxed this time and appreciate the experience I have.. And I've been thinking along much the same line as what Coco said so well. On one hand I feel like a big problem for me last time was all the pressure I put on myself to try and be 100% raw.. On the other hand I feel like a big problem was that I didn't stay 100% raw and that reactivated my addiction to cooked food. But for me, with my non raw wife and kids and social dynamics (like a gourmet chef MIL), I know there will be times when I will be making the healthiest choice possible... I would love to stay 100% raw, but I just don't have it in me to fight for it in every circumstance. So I want to be and hope I can be like Coco! :D

[Misoi]

on a raw food diet..

do you ever feel like you are suppressing yourself?

sometimes i really dont want to eat ''another'' salad for dinner lol

and i think eating raw food is great it makes you feel good and everything....its just this slight issue of 'control'.....

im sure some of you dont have this....just wondering is it just me or what?

I completely understand. When I was restricting myself it was such a power struggle. The "no you can't have that" voice was not a fun one.

I've found I'm quite content on a 90-95% raw food diet. The other 10-5% usually consists of healthy meals such as hot soups (lentils, tomato soup, veggie soup, etc) or whatever else I can think of that won't derail me. I still treat myself on special occasions like birthdays and holidays with the really "sinful" foods, but I'm happy with my decision since it's once in a blue moon and I still feel amazing from eating mostly healthy. =D I wish you luck on your journey and hope you can find a balance that will make you feel healthy, whole and happy.

[klomasius]

You know.... you'd think I would have this problem, and I think I did at the beginning!

But now, really, I could have a salad each day ad nauseum and it just doesn't seem to bore me.

I think it's the subtle difference in each salad that makes it, different greens, different other veg, different salad dressings, high fat, low fat, seaweed, sesame seeds, nuts, avocado etc.

I think many progress to a certain stage that raw just seems limitless. It does to me. I think genuinely to myself, 'I can have ANYTHING raw vegan!'

The cravings go away, I am currently baking cookies for my son's school fete tomorrow (I had to go out and buy flour, sugar etc) and the whole house smells like cookies. I'm not tempted at all! I looked at the ingredients as I was making them and thought 'this isn't food'.

It does get better!

[Raw Angel Mom]

I think this is why that anyone who start in raw food should follow Alissa Cohen foot step. Once you learn to eat those gourmets dishes etc.. no way you feel deprive,,lol.... I certainly don't. I eat what i want, how much i want and i don't deprive myself. The food i like is raw food, lol...

I like Alissa's approach because the part of us that make use choose the right thing or not is our mind. Once we can prove to ourselve that this is confortable to be on raw food, the fear or doubts goes away.

Eat, eat and eat.

Of course, you go through a phase to heal your cravings, but once they are heal, you are ok.

[holistica]

on a raw food diet..

do you ever feel like you are suppressing yourself?

sometimes i really dont want to eat ''another'' salad for dinner lol

and i think eating raw food is great it makes you feel good and everything....its just this slight issue of 'control'.....

im sure some of you dont have this....just wondering is it just me or what?

EVER? Yes. Now and then when it's the end of the week and we don't go grocery shopping until the next day, I feel like maybe the last of the salad mix isn't my first choice...

And I'll admit, when there's a birthday party or big family event or something, I'll let them cut me a big slice of cake... But when I deviate from raw, I NEVER feel as good as when I'm 100% raw. Feeling "suppressed" by salad at the end of the week does not out weigh the benefits.

[RawKnitster]

I know what you are saying, and I would have that problem if I didn't purposefully keep switching things up. I have a list of "go to" favorites that I will make when I can't face another salad. Different type of salads also keep my diet pleasurable. I make plenty of raw treats, too. I've been known to skip a meal in favor of dessert.

If you are feeling suppressed and not enjoying raw food, it is time to get creative. In my opinion, food is not just fuel or nourishment, it is a gift to be enjoyed. And that is how I stay raw. :)

[ginadj]

I'm with you on the whole psychological aspect - I'm just a thinker that way! but in the end isn't always about how it feels - regardless of how we get there. Those that are all raw, knows what that feels like and opts to continue feeling that way!

now on another tangent - the part that gets me all the time, and it bothers me - the whole idea that only now in our modern world where we can get all these wonderful things to nourish us all year round - that is what makes this whole raw idea possible - I mean the first 1700 years of living I'm sure they weren't feeling this good, they were just glad to have food! and that is supposed to have been wrong and SAD??

[GlimR]

Sometimes....but all I know is that when I decide to eat something non-raw, vegan, etc...I feel like crap afterward as opposed to how amazing I feel eating raw, fresh food.

Gina...my understanding of SAD is the stuff this country has been ingesting since the 50's/60's...a drastic change from the previous centuries.

[anniez]

I absolutely do not feel suppressed. It is true that sometimes I can't face another green salad, but that is never a problem. I make a soup, or a veggie salad with whatever is in the fridge, or (one of my current faves) spiralized veggies with marinara or a cheeze sauce, etc. At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes my body screams for a green salad. Go figure!

At 66 years of age, I have been raw for a year. I have gone from a size 20 to a size 8. I will NEVER go back, and I will never allow myself to feel denied.

I wish you well in your journey. You've received lots of encouragement here. I hope it helps you.

Annie

[snoops]

I had the exact same thoughts/feelings last weekend. The salad I was eating was tasteless, the raw enchilada that I loved the first couple times was blah. I have had a big salad everyday since mid August when I embarked on my raw till the equinox journey and I was SICK of them. Never really liked them in the base case.

So instead of figuring out how else I could prepare the foods, I fell of the wagon and started eating crap. In retrospect maybe my body was just saying enough food today. But I read it as don't like this food find something I like. Gotta learn to start understanding my body and not over riding its wisdom.

So after 5 days of SAD I'm back and trying new recipes. Yeah many of them are ugh but you just gotta keep going till you find ones you LOVE. I have been wanting to answer this thread all week cause I so understand your feelings. But I didn't want to write till I'd figured it out for me first. I have - for the moment anyways. Just keep trying.

[annavon]

I have to admit that when I first tried raw, I felt this way and then quit. I re-started with a new mind set that I was making choices, whether good or bad and I had to live with the consequenses of my decisions. I find that with just some mental adjustment, that I no longer feel that way. I refuse to allow it.

[T-Bird]

The thing is that eating in human culture is about much much more than food/nourishment.

It's socializing, sharing, rewarding, indulging, celebrating, commiserating, mourning, nurturing, in many ways, just BEING a member of the culture.


It's not about eating cooked food, it about being so separated from the rest of our culture that's hard.

I'm just back from a road trip - family vacay up to Mackinac Island - lovely place BTW, highly recommended. My skin is totally glowing from all that fresh air.....

HOWEVER - there is nothing vegan there - let alone raw. I brought lots with me, but not enough. And my avocados didn't ripen - that made it tough.

I dealt with the hunger, so you're a bit hungry, so what. I've fasted, I can deal.

Here's what's tough:

Walking down the quaint old fashioned main street, a fudge shop every 50 feet, funnel cones, ice cream shops, etc. etc. My kids are not raw, but we do stick to vegan, so no treats for them:(

No 1-2 "nice meals out" like I remember as a kid. No pizza night.

I remember these kinds of things being present and bought much more frequently on vacay. I still remember. It's part of the entire vacation experience. And it was totally missing this vacation.....

And that's just on a vegan level.


And then the road tripping itself - an 8-9 hour drive.

It's allo about the stops for meals or a small treat when you need a bathroom break. But not for us....

Now, if raw was more prevalent - there wouldn't be an issue. If there was a fabulous "raw" version of something - just one dish - at most restaurants - it would not be an issue. If there was a few raw treats at the sweet shops - not an issue. If every 50 or so miles there was a raw cuisine fast food type place with such quickies like almond pate with chopped veggies wrapped in onion bread and in a paper you could eat while driving.....there would be no issues.

It doesn't make it any easier - I don't think, but it's important to understand that this has NOTHING to do with the food per se - it's about social isolation - and isolating yourself deliberately - and just not having any choices sometimes.

So, the actual question of taste and chewing and what is in your mouth is practically nothing, IMHO.

[Stina]

I just wanted to say what wonderful, thoughtful replies. This board is so supportive!

[freshlight]

if you change your thoughts, then you'll start enjoying raw so much that there'll be no more space for feeling suppressed.

It's fun :)

[Thick]

I have a list of "go to" favorites that I will make when I can't face another salad.

Oh, I'd love to read your list!=)

[HereAndThere]

Sometimes....but all I know is that when I decide to eat something non-raw, vegan, etc...I feel like crap afterward as opposed to how amazing I feel eating raw, fresh food.

Gina...my understanding of SAD is the stuff this country has been ingesting since the 50's/60's...a drastic change from the previous centuries. Agreed, although I put the SAD trend... or the starts of it to be further back than that. Possibly the 20s/30s and for some things, even as far back as the mid to late 1800s... :eek:

But back to the question: I'm too new to have gone though any of those feelings with raw, but as a strict vegetarian, I can tell you I've had the feeling plenty of times. Everyone else is eating their SAD foods and smacking away, while the little voice in the back of me is whining because I can't have any. "Yes, I can have it, I choose not to have it" is the little smart-alek voice that replies back, and as much as I hate that expression, I know I do have to choose - either I choose their foods and the awful feelings that come with it (stomach being torn up, etc), or I choose my foods and keep experiencing the benefits from it. When looked at in that light, the choice became the no-brainer. They don't call it the SAD diet for nothing, ya know...

Now that I've started into raw, I made myself a promise that I would not adhere to a strict set of rules; I would eat what my body asked for, as long as it was vegan. So far, it's asking... no, screaming for raw so that's what I need to give it. And so far, I'm having the time of my life giving my body what it screams for. Talk about a happy win/win situation. :D

So I guess my answer is yes, there are times I feel deprived but no, not enough to want to go back to that sort of SAD life (they don't call it the SAD diet for nothing, ya know).

[SekhemNefer]

on a raw food diet..

do you ever feel like you are suppressing yourself?

sometimes i really dont want to eat ''another'' salad for dinner lol

and i think eating raw food is great it makes you feel good and everything....its just this slight issue of 'control'.....

im sure some of you dont have this....just wondering is it just me or what?


Well, I eat 100% for like a week to almost a week then I get sick and tired of it. And I want something un-raw, not necessarily SAD, but just something cooked.

For instance, I haven't eaten rice in almost a year. I had rice for the first time and realized how much I love and miss eating rice. I used to be guilty over this, because I was trying to live the raw purist standard. However, I think I better be realistic in life. There are tons of food options in life. I think it is better to eat raw most of the time, yet to have to give up foods, because I am not allowed to having something cooked is almost seeming a little extreme for me. I am trying to find balance in my life without feeling guilty about it.

You know, sometimes, I want some cooked beans, rice or Ezekiel bread!

[katchmoleen]

You want to know what is restrictive? To wake up in the morning so brain fogged and wracked with joint pain you can't accomplish anything, even though your house is a mess and your kids want to do something fun.
Restrictive is being so heavy your feet absolutely throb by the end of the day and you can do nothing but sit in the recliner and moan.
Restrictive is going camping and knowing you cannot go on that hike because you do not have the energy. So you stay behind and let everyone else has the fun.
Restrictive is knowing that you are going to end up with high blood pressure and diabetes like everyone else in your family, if nothing changes. Your grandmother and all her sisters died from diabetic complications, and your mom and 4 of her 5 siblings have it.
Restrictive is wondering when the migraine will hit and what you will miss out on because you are lying in bed with a cold pack on your head, almost crying with pain.

Raw food restrictive? Nah. It has set me FREE!

[rawrawks]

Great point Katchmoleen

[hilarya_m]

I ocassionally do feel that way. With a craving, I usually wait a few days to see if it passes or try to replicate the dish raw. When it just hasn't worked out, I allow myself to eat what I want id I really want it and not feel guilty about it. Then I go right back. Do what works for you, but 'cheating' is a slippery slope.

I do agree that high raw kills all cravings, I just don't find it really feasible trying to have a social life with SADDIES and traveling for work, I end up making concessions for about 85-90% raw and the cravings do come back.

The only consistent SAD thing I allow myself is cooked hummus. I actually never eat lettuce for dinner, only for use as a lettuce wrap or similar. I eat lots of veg but only lettuce salads at my office because I have to, it's all they have raw!

My husband (after 5 weeks raw) is now eating chicken (cooked) and fish (raw) again, and I have no desire to eat it and I don't want that to change. My vegan diet and ocassional cooked cheats = 10-15%. Sometimes, it makes me want to do a juice fast to get back on a pure track and loving 100% raw but this works for me now.

[T-Bird]

Excellent point, Katch, and it brings up a point I've pondered on raw for a while.

The vast majority of those who can be 100% easy do so from some point of desperation - health, weight, maybe vanity, who knows.

It's difficult to set yourself so much apart when there's nothing pressing - like a diet when you're trying to lose 5 pounds as opposed to trying to lose 100. It seems like more of a choice....

Again - I think it's the social restriction, and needing to plan so much more to make sure you have something......

When there's a raw cuisine place in every strip mall - no probs.

[iluvmangos]

You want to know what is restrictive? To wake up in the morning so brain fogged and wracked with joint pain you can't accomplish anything, even though your house is a mess and your kids want to do something fun.
Restrictive is being so heavy your feet absolutely throb by the end of the day and you can do nothing but sit in the recliner and moan.
Restrictive is going camping and knowing you cannot go on that hike because you do not have the energy. So you stay behind and let everyone else has the fun.
Restrictive is knowing that you are going to end up with high blood pressure and diabetes like everyone else in your family, if nothing changes. Your grandmother and all her sisters died from diabetic complications, and your mom and 4 of her 5 siblings have it.
Restrictive is wondering when the migraine will hit and what you will miss out on because you are lying in bed with a cold pack on your head, almost crying with pain.

Raw food restrictive? Nah. It has set me FREE!

Amen, sister!

[green jeanie]

amberly

you nailed it. that is my experience too.

anything but raw for me right now and i am a subjecting myself to mental and spiritual suppression of my positive life force

it is a distinct 100% clarity

amazing really