Help I Am Starving

[Goddess_girl]

HELP.
I have just been in a BLAH mood.
I dont see anything good at the store to eat.
I have really stuck to the fruit aile lately, but i know I must get some veggies in somewhere. BUT nothing looks good.The fresh stuff is starting to Wann lately.
Any suggestions?

[Revvell]

If you were really starving you would eat anything and everything. Maybe it's time to go on a water fast? Most the time the body knows what to do ~ if we listen.

R.

[MoniDew]

Suggestion 1) change stores! or rotate among several stores, if you can. Sometimes, it's a matter of seeing something familiar in a new light.

Suggestion 2) You are getting bored because you have become repititious. Change your approach. Try a new recipe book. Play with several new ideas and combinations.

Suggestion 3) Invite company over for a raw potluck meal. You'll have interesting conversation, supportive interaction, new ideas, and - best of all - a great meal.

Suggestion 4) Take a break. Go out to eat at your favorite pre-raw place and enjoy whatever it is you've been denying yourself. Sometimes, we get the blah's when we think we can never have "that" again. Our raw choice becomes raw law. If it feels like you've been silently telling yourself that raw offers you no freedom to enjoy what you used to, that can feel like slavery. And nobody wants to feel enslaved to something. So, give yourself permission for the occassional indulgence (even schedule them, say once a week or once a month.) That way, raw remains a choice, not a law. Eventually, those indulgences will space themselves further apart and you won't need them so often. But don't allow yourself to internalize the "never again" voice! That's death. It's why we all fall off the wagon.

Suggestion 5) I agree with the fasting post. If you're just not into food right now, maybe your body is telling you something. Get quiet someplace and listen to it. Stay quiet until you hear what it's trying to say. Take an emotional and spiritual break along with your break from food, eating and meal preparing. We need that every now and again, too.

Hope these suggestions are helpful. Tell me what you think.

[Rawkinlocs]

MoniDew, I like your suggestions!

But this one:

Suggestion 4) Take a break. Go out to eat at your favorite pre-raw place and enjoy whatever it is you've been denying yourself. Sometimes, we get the blah's when we think we can never have "that" again. Our raw choice becomes raw law. If it feels like you've been silently telling yourself that raw offers you no freedom to enjoy what you used to, that can feel like slavery. And nobody wants to feel enslaved to something. So, give yourself permission for the occassional indulgence (even schedule them, say once a week or once a month.) That way, raw remains a choice, not a law. Eventually, those indulgences will space themselves further apart and you won't need them so often. But don't allow yourself to internalize the "never again" voice! That's death. It's why we all fall off the wagon.


doesn't work for everyone. It might work for her, though. But I just talked to someone yesterday on the phone about this very thing and how those "just this once" times often lead to downward spiraling and cooked-eating binges or justifying other cooked food choices.

For many, raw IS a law...a law of our bodies and what's best for it. If I went to MY favorite pre-raw place (IHOP...don't laugh yall!) I know I'd be in for it for atleast a week or two trying to stop craving MORE pancakes!

So I guess I'm saying that for many, this isn't a viable option as it would lead to a path of "Oh well...I ate that, might as well eat this..." and before long, they're on here saying, "I've been eating cooked food the past several months and feel awful, symptoms have come back and I'm finding it hard to get back to eating raw".

[MoniDew]

okay, point taken. I realize cooked food is highly addictive. And it definately is the law of nature.

But the blah's means depression! And I take that very seriously! Depression and a sense of deprivation cause high "drop out" rates among raw fooders. Many are much happier being "high raw" than 100% raw. They feel empowered by the choice. I offer this suggestion in the event she is one of these people, and hasn't discovered that on her own yet. I was attempting to deal with the EMOTIONAL aspect she's expressing, not the PHYSICAL (which I would agree with you on!)

Additionally, there is a very rebelious teenager within all of us, who, instantly upon hearing the internalized "no" asserts itself in a classic power struggle, "oh, yeah?! watch me!!" Suppressing that internal rebellion is often harder than giving yourself a wise parental, "go ahead, but it will cost you." And then letting yourself. At some point, we all either grow up and exercise self-control, or continue being rebellious teens. I gave her permission, because permission defuses the bomb. (I can, therefore I no longer must.)

For those for whom food addictions would pull them back into the cooked world, I would definately disregard the last suggestion. The whole idea of offering more than one suggestion is - not all suggestions apply to all people! So hopefully, one or more of them will, and please - FEEL FREE TO DISREGARD ANY SUGGESTION THAT WOULD NOT BE HELPFUL TO YOU! :) !

[Kris]

Suggestion 2) You are getting bored because you have become repititious. Change your approach. Try a new recipe book. Play with several new ideas and combinations.

I second this suggestion! It seems that we have been conditioned to think of food as a kind of entertainment, especially we adults who aren't usually interested in little league or cartoons. For busy grown-ups, a delicious and relaxing meal is often our idea of fun and we expect our food to be interesting and entertaining.

I find myself forgetting this all the time, and when I do is when I start to dream of cooked foods. Trying new recipes, treating myself to a new kitchen gadget or un-cookbook, and remembering to generally have fun with my food all seem to help reignite my excitement for raw. I'm not sure if you're in the same boat, but it's worth thinking about.

[Pailani]

What about green smoothies? They taste fruity but have the greens you need, too. And pretty much anything you can find in the store works.

[Autumn]

I don't know *anyone* who has tried every fruit and veggie there is. Soooo, why not pick a couple things you've never tried before? You don't have to get fancy and do a recipe, but just adding some new and fresh to your repertoire just might give you the pick up you're looking for.

[theresaann]

I say do a fast, if not a water fast then a juice fast, for as long as you can. See how you feel after that.

[nemo]

i third the 'fasting' suggestion... if you're having some sort of emotional reaction or 'boredom' it's a sign that you're eating for some other reason than hunger.

from what i've seen among rawfoodists this is the biggest pitfall... face it we use food for so many other reasons than just nourishment.

eating 'just that little bit' of cooked food is way more trouble than it's worth, 2 weeks of cravings for one small 'taste' of whatever is no great solution IMHFO...

yep, fast or mono-eat for a bit, and REALLY bore yourself LOL... then when you finally are back to eating whatever it was you'll be like 'YES!!'

nemo