What Helps You Co-Exist with Cooked Fooders?

[robh]

I have issues being raw in a world where cooked food is the norm. For example:

1.) Going out with friends frequently involves food or drink. If we go out, there is a good chance that I may have to have a glass of water as my meal. If I do not explain the reason, I seem cheap. If I explain, I look crazy. I do not like to lie. In all scenarios, I am not fun to take out.

2.) Going on vacation can send a raw foodist into an environment where he's starving in a land full of temptation. How do you fix that?

3.) When your spouse isn't into raw food, you cannot throw all the cooked food out, you cannot encourage your kids to be raw, you have to endure the sites and smells of cooked food on a daily basis. I like to lean on this as an excuse for why I backslide so much, but surely someone else has succeeded in this situation?

I have only been raw for a few months, but I can feel the pressure.

Do you have any tricks or advice or methods to dealing with a cooked-food society? Should I just stay home and lock myself in a room for meal times? Take a walk when the family sits down to eat? Sit by myself in the movie theater so I don't have to see the snacks go back and fourth?

I love what raw does for me and I'll never give it up, but I need to learn how to deal with all the cooked fooders around me.

[MysticTree]

I don't know. Sometimes it seems easier than others. Often there is no apparent reason for succeeding or indeed for failing.

[walnutty]

Pure determination!

My son lives on pizza, cheeseburgers, Coke and ice cream. Pizza is
my favorite food!

I just have to suck it up and stay true to what I want for the long term.

I don't go out to eat, at all! It would just be too hard!

[Harmony_me]

Hi robh,

I am a mom to two kids and a husband who are not vegetarian, much less raw. I make a meal for them, and a different one for myself. I have shifted between a more vegan (30% raw) diet and a 90-100% raw diet in the last several years. I began this journey almost 8 years ago, and spent a year about 80% raw and two years 100% raw. Here's my tips:

1. Man - I LOVE to eat and HATE watching other people do it while I'm hungry!

Make up an index card (I used card stock and printed from my computer) that says:

"Due to health problems, I can only eat uncooked fruits and vegetables. A salad with any of the following ingredients would be wonderful: romaine lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, avocado, berries, peppers ......(etc - put in raw ingredients you like not ones you don't). I'd be honored if your chef would be creative and make me something unique. Thank you!"

I made several of these cards on bright yellow cardstock and carried them with me. Many times it will not come back to you once it goes to the kitchen. Sometimes, chain restaurants will say they cannot do this because of their order system - just ask to speak to the manager. Also - it's a good idea to put a max price as I've found that they sometimes put the order in for the $15.99 fajitas salad and then charge you to take the meat out and put "extras" in. It's really none of their business WHAT health problems, or even whether there are any - I just found that any other wording opened up unnecessary dialogue and less successful results :-( If you feel you are lying, change the wording from "problems" to "issues". Your "issues" are whatever is making you pursue this lifestyle. As far as your friends' questions.......think up something funny, like "symptomatic oven aversion".

2. Find some raw recipes that are easy to make and that you LOVE. This takes time, effort, and experimentation. Like anyone on ANY diet - tried and true favorites save the day. However, if you LIKE what you're eating in front of the "cooked food bunch", you won't mind a bit.

3. Buy a couple of large plastic food containers and a cool looking lunch bag and bring your favorites to parties or meals out where you won't like the options.

4. Another "eating out" option: I used to order the side dinner salad, bring my own dressing in a little container, and once I ate the salad - pour my other food (that I brought in the lunch bag) onto the plate. As long as you're with a group that is ordering, it should be acceptable to the restaurant.

4. For traveling - I really like lots of nuts, so I would soak lots before a trip and bring them in baggies. Once at my destination, I'd buy a small bottle of raw apple cider vinegar and bring it in my little lunch bag with the nuts when eating out. Alternatively, you can just ask for lemons in the restaurant. Use the card, order a nice salad, ask for olive oil and top with the ACV and some nuts.

5. For movies, bring a little bag of baby carrots.

5. Finally, to deal with the "pull" of cooked food around you.........I began a raw food lifestyle due to some pretty severe health issues. Everyone has their own motivation, but your dedication is directly tied to your motivation. For me, each item of cooked food represented misery, sickness, and depression - where each item of raw food represented hope, health, and happiness. Although the pizza looked good, the related outcome make me run FAR away!

Hope this helps! Whatever you end up doing - try to find happiness in that choice :-)

[mamajane]

1.) I loved an idea I read in a book (not sure if I can say which one here) that entails making a 'raw food' card. It basically states my name, that I only eat raw foods, and lists those that I like. I didn't know if I'd dare, but last time my friends wanted a girls night out, I dared give it to the waiter. Apparently the cooks were *thrilled* to have some free reign and creativity over a dish and I got a heaping plate full of an amazing salad with an amazing dressing. It was sprinkled with raw seeds and some dried fruits. Really good.

At a less formal restaurant the waitress let me build my own salad and I had a tiny babyfood jar of homemade dressing in my purse. Next time I'll bring some dried fruit and seeds to put on top, but it was really good too.

Luckily my friends are sensitive and aware (I'm not the only one with weird eating habits) so when we all go out together we try to find somewhere to go that will have food we can all eat.

2.) So far I've only been camping for vacation, and posted here and got great ideas. It's worked for short trips to the inlaws and my parents as well, in a neighboring state. I can make/bring stuff I can eat and make do.

3.) My husband is eating raw with me, but he plans on integrating some cooked foods when he hits his target weight. The kids have been enjoying green smoothies but I've been making 'normal' meals for them as well. It's tough, and I'm a newbie (short of 2 months) but right now my motivation is high and fueled by how great I'm feeling and the weight I'm losing. I hope I can maintain for the long term.

[robh]

MysticTree, I guess we all have our ups and downs. :)

walnutty, you are an inpiration, thank you.

Harmony_me, I hear what you are saying about motivation. Cooked food makes me depressed, stressed and angry. Imagine going through life unaware that the food you were eat was causing you mental issues! Now that my eyes are open, there is no turning back. I'm raw for life. I just need to sort out how to keep from back sliding.

mamajane, I remember you from another thread. Congrats on going raw and congrats on getting your husband to try it also. I wish I could get everyone to try it!


Thanks so much for the ideas. I especially like the card idea for going out to eat.

It struck me that someone that eats cooked food can leave his house without having to worry if he'll be able to eat something for dinner. He can stop on any corner in any town and find some cooked food to fill his belly.

For a raw foodist, it isn't that easy (unless you're going to eat weeds or something). The whole thing is frustrating, but it's a problem we all share.

If anyone else has more ideas, I'd love to hear them.

[lafsalot]

If you love raw and are reaping the benefits of it, why do you feel that you have to defend and/or explain it to others? It is only when our perception of ourselves is so weak that we need others to agree with our position, that we find things difficult. Remember, the only opinion that matters, is the one you have about yourself.

[Living Food]

I feel too amazing eating the way I do to eat any other way. I have no desire at all for cooked foods now, I would probably throw up if I ate some anyway.

Not sure if that helped, but at least you can take it as inspiration that you can get there someday.

Ann Wigmore came up with a recipe called "Energy Soup" that she claimed would take care of cravings within a month or so (if I remember correctly).

The most important thing is willpower, and remembering the benefits of raw food vs the drawbacks of cooked. Willpower is like anything else, the more you use it the more oyu will have. Every time you resist the impulse to eat cooked food it becomes more of a habit and easier to do, and every time you give in to the temptation it makes it more likely that you will do so again - keeping that in mind might help you to resist giving in.

[michigan roman]

our society has become acustomed to eating way way way too much , along with eating a terrible diet .
so living amongst this society its very difficult to get to or any where near eating optimimally .
i dug and dug away at staying raw forever , and kept backsliding .
then i said dammit everyones eating crazy crazy amounts of food and becoming soft weak diseased beings from doing so .
so ive got to put the brakes on the amount of food i eat big time .
so i decided to start fasting every week . i started at 24 hours for afew months , then upped it to 48 hours every week .
then made it 48 minimum with as many more days that i could tack on . arriving at a point where im very content now after
like 10 months of this mode to live in rich raw strained juices and nut / seed milk with fruit smoothies strained for 5 days
each week then only eating raw solid foods 48 hours every weekend . im thinner but most of it is all the flab off midsection ,
but im just as strong and energized everyday running my landscaping business . so ive gotten used to eating way way less ,
and in doing so ive also destroyed a whole bunch of cravings for unhealthy cooked slop . now my will power is way more massive
and i can laugh at bags of potato chips and stomp on them til theyre fine powder , lol . but thats truth , my will power against cooked
foods now is massive because ive gotten used to fasting and can see it now as heck with that unhealthy stuff - and in the first place
i dont have to eat a damned thing and am good on just ice water . its a great feeling to have an iron grip on appetite .
so to me regular fasting is a great tool , yes difficult but its just like being a wrestler and wanting to get bigger / badder / better = you have
to lift weights / work out harder . well for improving diet / health lifting weights is fasting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
heres link to the ' monday fasting club ' outlook i arrived at : http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?66844-lt-lt-lt-lt-lt-the-monday-fasting-club-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt&highlight=%26lt%3B%26lt%3B%26lt%3B%26lt%3B+monday+ fasting+club+%26gt%3B%26gt%3B%26gt%3B%26gt%3B

[Raw Angel Mom]

1.) Going out with friends frequently involves food or drink. If we go out, there is a good chance that I may have to have a glass of water as my meal. If I do not explain the reason, I seem cheap. If I explain, I look crazy. I do not like to lie. In all scenarios, I am not fun to take out.

If i am stock to order only water, i will order an entree for the people that i am with. This way, everyone is happy, the restaurant is making money, the waiter will get a tip and you get to enjoy your water. You can say that you are more then fine to be there with your friend and socialize with them. You can explain briefly that you have health issue and you are trying a natural alternative or whatever reason you want to say.


2.) Going on vacation can send a raw foodist into an environment where he's starving in a land full of temptation. How do you fix that?


Alissa, recommend to carry snack always. There are bag that are design for men. As a women, i have my purse but for you, you would need a men bag. Also, eat before you go out. It could be snack or what ever is handy.


3.) When your spouse isn't into raw food, you cannot throw all the cooked food out, you cannot encourage your kids to be raw, you have to endure the sites and smells of cooked food on a daily basis. I like to lean on this as an excuse for why I backslide so much, but surely someone else has succeeded in this situation?


I remember when i first decide to become a simple vegetarian, i was in the same situation except that i had no children then. All it did, is that it help me to have a tougher skin and i was able to resist temptation anywhere from practicing from home. You can see this as a great challenge versus a burden. In truth, it will help you more then you think.


I have only been raw for a few months, but I can feel the pressure.

Do you have any tricks or advice or methods to dealing with a cooked-food society? Should I just stay home and lock myself in a room for meal times? Take a walk when the family sits down to eat? Sit by myself in the movie theater so I don't have to see the snacks go back and fourth?

I love what raw does for me and I'll never give it up, but I need to learn how to deal with all the cooked fooders around me.[/QUOTE]

[Harmony_me]

now my will power is way more massive
and i can laugh at bags of potato chips and stomp on them til theyre fine powder , lol

LOL - well said Michigan!

Great contributions, everyone! mamajane.....you and I have read the same book :-)

I wanted to add that I started raw in the winter - not an ideal time for me since I am always cold :-( I invested in a dehydrator (a BIG stretch on the budget!) and that was what got me through, because the flavors of the food do come out more when they are not at refrigerator temperature.

Having a dehydrator also makes it easier to prepare the type of snacks that can curb your cravings if you are out without food options. I made a lot of flax seed crackers. Also - sweet potatoes, sliced thin and dehydrated can be used at Mexican restaurants with the salsa. That and a salad was my choice when eating out Mexican :-)

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

When you really know why you are doing this there won't be a problem. People might think you are crazy at the start, but when they see that conviction in your eyes and see how good you are doing and hear you talk about why raw food diets are good and the disease in society...people start to listen.

l am around when people cook nice smelling meals (all my old favourites), but all l do is make sure l am not hungry and that l have food on hand and that my blood sugar is stable so l don't crave crazy foods. The folks which eat these cooked foods basically get the pleasure of eating the food down (takes most people 10 - 15 minutes to eat), but then they are stuck with the unhealthy disease causing food in them for the rest of the day or night and won't have the feel good ways l have. Why be a slave to your nose and taste buds when there is such a heavy price to pay??? Aren't we worth much more than to give in to such a compromising lifestyle??? Why not start developing new habits instead?

lf people invite me to dinner they will know l am a raw fooder and that l will not compromise one little bit. l will tell them that l eat differently and eat according to what the recent science has proven ideal for health, and l will fully back up why l do it if asked any questions.

The thing is....most people make bad food choices either through ignorance or because they feel they aren't worth the effort, big deal!...doesn't mean l have to go down that lower road that will eventually rob me of my physical strength, mind and spirituality. l want nothing but the highest path so l can function at the highest level, and enjoying eating hot chips for 5 minutes isn't enough to make me wanna pay the price to eat such rot.

The key is to stop the cravings (stabilize blood sugar) and to change your thinking. lf someone is cooking a nice smelling dinner and you feel like eating it, then it's time to break out the kelp, fill up on a potent smoothie and take the chlorella and put those feelings to bed.

l've been to parties where everyone is eating nice smelling cooked food and drinking, yet l would eat a big plate of sprouts. No big deal....it gives the people the opportunity to ask questions and for me to explain what the sproutarian diet does. No-one laughs at me or thinks l am a joke, and if they did...it's them who has the problem. When people see that you don't make a big deal of raw, they won't either...just do your thing and they will do their thing.

Eventually your friends will know you as the bloke who eats the raw foods. You have your reasons for doing it and all reasonable people will respect your decision. lf people get offended by you eating raw food then they really need their ego checked.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

So many people die of dreadful diseases because they ignorant, lazy and slaves to their stomachs, but you have been given something very special (raw) which will help make your later life much easier. Being a slave to your stomach is too big a price to pay considering the consequences that occur as a result. Master the mind and be in control...raw is the very start of this.

No-one will ever have complete control over me ever again and l feel free as a result. lf the governments start banning small farms and backyard farming (yes legislation has been passed which allows the U.S.A the power to do this...see Codex) and makes all our foods GM, l can always walk away from society and live off the weeds and grasses if necessary. lf the leaders can control our food supplies they can control the world because food effects the mind and body which can make us dependant on government (see the teachings of highly regarded brain doctor Dr Russell Blaylock). And the thing is...because of the food that we are now eating, much of the public has lost the ability to think for themselves...they believe everything the politicians and media tell them...they believe the government is here to look after the public. l refuse to be mind controlled any longer, and it gives me a real kick that the authorities aren't pushing me into that box of no return that nearly everyone in modern socities fall into. Box of no return = mind control, lesser ability to reason and understand, relying on other people when you get sick, relying on other people to provide food for you, being broke, disease etc. No-one has to buy into that garbage lifestyle if they choose to rise above it. The system doesn't work, so why go into it like a cow going to the slaughteryard. Head to the meadows, not the dungeon of disease and mind control. The dungeon might have nice tasting food, but that is the only good thing it has.

Dr Russell Blaylock talks about how all these comfort foods are purposely being processed to dumb down the public so they are easier to control. lf brains are buzzed out on chemicals and GM foods and asparteme and MSG, then naturally people will need stronger minded people to guide and control them because they can no longer make good decisions. This 60 seconds of youtube really sums it up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8kgJfw699E&feature=related

Dr Blaylock also gives some good lectures on vaccines and nutrition and behaviour. He knows what's going on.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Pure determination!

My son lives on pizza, cheeseburgers, Coke and ice cream. Pizza is
my favorite food!



When people ask if l miss those foods l always say: "i've had over 40 years of enjoying those foods, now it's time to move onto something different".

We've all had those unhealthy foods for years, but seriously...when do we move on from it? We can't enjoy those foods forever, so why not move on from those foods while we still can build our health. We could easily go on and enjoy those things for the next 40 years, but they are never going to be easy to give up, so why not give them up now and be done with it and avoid the long term consequences.

[Harmony_me]

lf the leaders can control our food supplies they can control the world because food effects the mind and body which can make us dependant on government (see the teachings of highly regarded brain doctor Dr Russell Blaylock). And the thing is...because of the food that we are now eating, much of the public has lost the ability to think for themselves...they believe everything the politicians and media tell them...they believe the government is here to look after the public.

Well said, Mr. Raw! Government control of information on health and control of our food supplies is leading us to be a very controlled society. No one can say that the young man who just enacted one of the worst mass murder incidents in the US (in Colorado) was not affected by something (probably his food!).

[robh]

Thanks everyone for their perspectives. To be honest, it sounds like we are all in the same boat. I think my biggest issues right now are restaurants and vacation. That's less about cooked fooders and more about the society in which we live being geared toward them. I can adapt.

Thanks for the responses.

[robh]

... was not affected by something (probably his food!).

hahaha that was the first thought that came to my mind when I heard. "Well he clearly wasn't a raw foodist"

[walnutty]

I think my biggest issues right now are restaurants and vacation.



I can relate. I LOVE going to Vegas, but I am terrified to go because of all the food!

[luv2laugh]

You've already gotten some great advice, but I'll add on my .02.

1) Restaurants - Love the idea of the card. Just hand it to the waiter and ask them to give it to the chef. Don't explain to friends/family unless they ask. If they do, you can tell them how excited you are about eating raw and how much better you feel. A big thing for me though was feeling like I was wasting money. I had to rearrange my mindset so that if they charge me $15 for something worth way less, I am reaping the benefits of good health. It's worth it. Same with the ridiculous portion sizes. It seems like a waste to throw it away and not eat it all, but really it's investing in your body. Well worth it to toss it.

2) Vacation - if possible, stay somewhere with a kitchen. We do timeshares and always get full kitchens. We do our grocery shopping and although we normally eat out sometimes, we can prepare sack lunches for day events and normally eat at home for the most part. Also, condos and through vrbo (Vacation Rentals By Owner) you can get nice reasonably priced places with kitchens.

When it comes to family members, it can be frustrating. It seems like when I was overweight my husband wanted to help out, but now that I'm trying to be healthy, he feels the need to counter balance that by tempting me. It's an adjustment for him too. He took my out to eat for my birthday and he was so "sweet" ordering me all my favorite appetizers. He was surprised when I didn't eat them even though I've been doing this for two weeks now. Yesterday a family member was visiting and he took them out to breakfast. When I ordered a bowl of fruit, he made a point to offer me some of his pancakes and huevos rancheros. I just tell him the end result of being healthy is so much more important to me. At home, I just make simple meals for me and then his regular meals for him. Right now, I feel good I don't feel like I Need to be 100% raw and don't mind tasting foods. Like at my birthday lunch, I took a tiny bite of the appetizers and that was it.

Hope that helped just a tiny bit.

[michigan roman]

" its a great feeling to have an iron grip on appetite .
so to me regular fasting is a great tool , yes difficult but its just like being a wrestler and wanting to get bigger / badder / better = you have
to lift weights / work out harder . well for improving diet / health lifting weights is fasting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

aboves from my previous post this thread , just wanted to isolate it because after re reading i see it as very true / important = fastings a great great health tool ,
even when theyre just short but habitual / weekly fasts because the great thing they accomplish is improving appetite control = very very important

[mamajane]

It struck me that someone that eats cooked food can leave his house without having to worry if he'll be able to eat something for dinner. He can stop on any corner in any town and find some cooked food to fill his belly.

For a raw foodist, it isn't that easy (unless you're going to eat weeds or something). The whole thing is frustrating, but it's a problem we all share.



I'm still so new at this, but I feel downright panicky if I need to go somewhere. Just packing for a simple overnighter has me blending smoothies to put in mason jars, getting raw nuts in travel pouches, squirreling apples away... it's kind of crazy! But everyone else can just stop at a diner and I can't. So I've become a bit obsessive about packing along food, even on short trips running errands around town.

[michigan roman]

you know the 16 oz plastic jars with screw tops you buy roasted shelled peanuts in . well ive got a bunch of those that i fill with homemade trail mix . they carry around easily , then you can just ' drink ' the mix out of jars very effortlessly . between the sugar in dry fruit and protein / fat in nuts / seeds the trail mix packs a punch . plus i carry fruit such as bananas with me . i can go for weeks on trail mix and bananas . now make a nut or seed milk to carry along in a water bottle and your totally under control . and for the savory tooth make tomato juice with whatever in it to carry along , i add garlic clove / parsley / a jolt of hot sauce . can make raw granola bars too

[walnutty]

Alissa Cohen, in her first book, "Living on Live Foods", stated that she took her home made fudge balls with her everywhere for the first year she was raw!

[walnutty]

I am actually quite the home body (due to Asperger's Syndrome) so when I go out I make little quick trips to either Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Otherwise, I am home which I do believe makes it a little easier. If only my son didn't live on pizza and cheeseburgers! Ü

[chrisfires]

My go to tip when I am forced to be around cooked food - I think of 2 friends, my age, that died from colon cancer. To the end they stuck to SAD & chemo & surgery.
"Gee I'd like to try some other way but my doctors said...."
Remembering that is all it takes for me, pizza just isn't worth dying for!

[happylife]

Harmony, Very good advise. I like to call ahead when going out to eat. That way I know what they will have to offer and we can get my order all set. Seems to work just fine for me anyway.

[delmar]

I have issues being raw in a world where cooked food is the norm. For example:

1.) Going out with friends frequently involves food or drink. If we go out, there is a good chance that I may have to have a glass of water as my meal. If I do not explain the reason, I seem cheap. If I explain, I look crazy. I do not like to lie. In all scenarios, I am not fun to take out.
If you really believe the raw food lifestyle is truly the best way to live, you will live that way. If you don't you won't. Never let anyone steel your joy. If people think you are crazy, embrace it! I am going to choose to be the most fun person in the room whether or not I am able to eat with them.

2.) Going on vacation can send a raw foodist into an environment where he's starving in a land full of temptation. How do you fix that?

3.) When your spouse isn't into raw food, you cannot throw all the cooked food out, you cannot encourage your kids to be raw, you have to endure the sites and smells of cooked food on a daily basis. I like to lean on this as an excuse for why I backslide so much, but surely someone else has succeeded in this situation?
My wife is just beginning to become interested in some raw foods. To be honest with you I can't imagine that I will ever get to 100% if she doesn't come aboard. Still life is too short to live with guilt. I will eat the best I know how and I will be happy with that. I sprout every day and I juice a couple of times a weeks. That alone takes me way beyond SAD

I have only been raw for a few months, but I can feel the pressure.

Do you have any tricks or advice or methods to dealing with a cooked-food society? Should I just stay home and lock myself in a room for meal times?
It seems to me like this would make you feel like you are depriving yourself. That doesn't sound too healthy to me. Your focus needs to be on what you are gaining instead of what you are loosing. Here is a thought. The act of eating something that is not healthy for you is what really deprives you. It derives you of your health. It deprives you of reaching your goals. It sounds as though it might even be depriving you of your self esteem.

Take a walk when the family sits down to eat? Sit by myself in the movie theater so I don't have to see the snacks go back and fourth?
My family and I have not purchase snacks at the theater for many years because I have a (very rewarding) low paying job. The best trick I know of is to eat right before you go!

I love what raw does for me and I'll never give it up, but I need to learn how to deal with all the cooked fooders around me.

You don't to learn how to deal with them as much as you need to learn how to deal with you. What others believe is not the core issue.

[delmar]

...pizza just isn't worth dying for!

Knowledge is power!

[robh]

I apparently did not subscribe to this thread. heh :)

Thanks to everyone that posted. I think we all share these common problems and it sounds like we have all come up with similar solutions.

[Harmony_me]

I like to call ahead when going out to eat. That way I know what they will have to offer and we can get my order all set. Seems to work just fine for me anyway.

That's a great idea, happylife! Much of the time it seems I'm going with 30 minutes or less notice with a group and I have little control on the choice of restaurant so I just travel prepared. However, I will now try to call ahead even still - you never know and every little bit helps! Thanks :-)

[MysticTree]

We don't eat out much. Even when we ate cooked food we were usually disappointed with the quality of the food and always felt we could have done better ourselves so eating out isn't all that important in our world.

[ReneeH]

Just to add to the comments... For going out, I have definite places I can go as options. I view my local grocery store as a "to go" fast food place... Just stop by, grab a Banana and go!!!! I Jove Jamba Juice... I love Salada... So, I don't feel like there's no where I can go eat out, if I need to.

As far as the family... Many times they eat raw with me, but there are times I have to cook for them. When I do, I cook fast and RUN!!!!! I don't stay in the kitchen basking in the aroma of the cooked food. Sometimes I sip on a Smoothie, or eat fruit while I'm cooking. That helps me not to nibble. Also, I make my raw food FIRST. That way in my mind I detach myself from the meal I'm having to cook...it's NOT for me. My food is waiting for me.