Raw food girl in Chicago/ looking for support

[LiveOne]

Hi everyone,

My name is Lane.. I am a 25 year old female living in the Chicago area. Is anybody else here in Chicago or the surrounding areas?

I've just finished a pretty extreme body cleanse program to help with kidney problems and my naturopathic doctor says I need to stay all raw for a few months and this will dramatically increase my chances of healing. I'm very "gung ho" on this and have done well so far with giving up meats, dairy, sugars, etc. But I'm having a hard time giving up cooked stuff.

I've been able to go a few days eating raw and doing a few months is daunting already, but the bigger problem is that I am the only raw food person in my household. Everybody is inviting me to Christmas parties and eating junk food all around me. This is torture! The analytical part of me says that there must be an easier way. I am dedicated and determined to get through this and I must keep on going, but I just need a healthy dose of moral support.

So I'm looking for a "raw foods buddy" and also some suggestions on surviving the holidays - ie, what are some "fun" things you can make that are raw, organic, etc., and actually taste good? If I could make myself a big huge holiday feast it would take some of the strain off. I mean... how do people do this when they live with people who are eating all kinds of meats and desserts and everything right in front of them? It's really hard. I wish everyone would just go away, and take their junk food with them... but they are my family and they can't.

I'm really looking forward to meeting you all and getting "on the bandwagon" so I can make it through this rough time.

Thanks all,

Lane :(

[misslinda]

~@~@~@~Warmest Welcome Liveone. ~@~@~@~

I'm sorry I'm not in Chicago but I am a 29 yo female in Washington state. Can I ask what type of kiney concerns do you have? Do you have sensitive issues with blood sugar? Reason I ask is I am looking for people who are similar to my situation--if you don't mind me asking.

Congrats on giving up sugars, meats etc that's a HUGE accomplishment in itself--the rest will be a "piece of cake" no pun inteneded :p

[LiveOne]

Hi Linda...

thanks for the warm welcome! Actually i just finished posting a reply to your other message about the ER. Please read - it may help.

My kidney concerns - well it's kind of a long story but basically I had recurring kidney infections and suddenly it got really, really bad. I was told my right kidney wasn't working at all. I was told I'd have to have it removed and I would never have a right kidney again! Now I know what everybody says, "you'll be fine with just 1 kidney". But I was not of that mind. I am scared to death of surgery and would do anything not to have it. So I got in touch with this naturopathic doctor who put me on a cleanse program. Turns out, i had a lot more problems than just that... while backtracking through my symptoms earlier in life and also talking with the doctor I remembered I've also had a lot of hormonal problems, bad skin, mood swings, hypoglycemia, all kinds of things - I have also had issues with blood sugar, when I don't eat for a period of time I get REALLY cranky. So I did the cleanse to tremendous results. Most important thing I found was to drink a lot of water and when you're hungry, EAT! Don't starve yourself.

I'm now doing raw foods (trying to be 100% but sometimes I slip up and have some vegan cooked) and also seeing a chiropractor and accupuncturist. My naturopath and these other guys say that the body can rebuild itself if you just give it what it needs. They say anything's possible. I believe this but I'm not "out of the woods" as they say.

The thing is I don't have a big problem eating raw if everyone just keeps their junk food out of my sight. I was really fine for a while... I went a whole week doing raw a while ago. It's just the holidays that screw it up and people keep saying "come on... come to the restaurant with us" etc. So it's kind of annoying me but I think I must be vigilant and tell them to bug off. :p

well there's my story - email me anytime.

Lane

[Jay]

Hi Lane,

welcome to this board!
I'm a 26yo female living in Belgium (so nope, can't help you there in Chicago) but I do want to tell you this:

I too still live with my familymembers (mom and dad) and they still eat cooked vegetarian food, and sometimes I join them at the table, sometimes I don't because it's too hard! They know this lifestyle (my brother is raw vegan for a couple of years now) so they are okay with me not always joining them, they know it's tempting and encourage me to stay raw, because they see it's working for me.
You CAN and SHOULD make a bunch or raw foods for the holidays, if you have a recipe book like Alissa's, and some equiments to make stuff, you'll be fine, just experiment, make it a few weeks before and see how you like it, try to find some dishes you really adore! Like when I say of a dish "man, I could eat this every day" you should make that dish a staple!

I made the raw fugde today, and brought it to a potluck, people went mad! They all liked it so much, I thought I would have leftovers, but nope, it's all gone! The recipe is in Alissa's book, and there's another thread in the recipe section about it, so go check it out!

Lots of luck and remember, step by step, you can do this, don't worry too much about the slipups, just get on your feet again and keep moving forward!

We'll be here to support you! If you have any questions, just ask, okay?

Best of luck!

Joke

[misslinda]

I'm happy that you have found a team of doctors that are encouraging you to take charge of your health. What kinds of progress have you made as far as the list of medical conditions?

a votre sante,
linda :)

[yeahbethany]

I'm in Chicago! I'm a few months shy of 23 yrs old...

Glad to have you on the boards, Lane! There is actually a decent sized raw community in Chicago, with 2-3 potlucks happening each month (one in Hyde Park, one or more in the northern suburbs/north side) that I know about.

I agree, cooked food is the hardest to give up! Here is my advice for going to parties and holiday dinners: you have to do everything you can to avoid feeling deprived. a few suggestions:

1. eat beforehand, so you are not hungry when you get there.
2. bring some food (maybe to share!) that you really like, and fill your plate with that.
3. perhaps (for parties), bring some things like almonds or dried fruit to munch on, so your hands are kept busy!
4. eat afterwards.

The most important thing, I think, is to bring some food that you would really enjoy eating. This way, even when people are eating "your favorites," it will be easier to deal with not having them when you have something you like.

When Matt and I went to visit my family for thanksgiving, we made a lot of dishes: savory sage croquettes, mock mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce, kale salad, fennel salad, apple pie, and pumpkin pie. We ate all of that, and my family had some as side dishes in addition to their cooked foods.

We are going to visit Matt's family for Christmas, and his family is a little less adventurous when it comes to food, so we probably won't make as much. We will bring some food to share though, as they are curious about our diet. We are going to bring raw lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, spinach salad, and dessert (raw brownies and/or apple pie). It seems like a lot...but its important that Matt doesn't feel deprived when faced with all the Christmas comfort foods he used to eat. So we will all share a meal together, and they will eat the cooked, and Matt and I will eat the raw.

Do you have a food processor? They are really worth it for whipping up some great holiday dishes. Any other gadgets? If we know what you are working with, we can definitely make suggestions.

Send me an e-mail sometime (yeahbethany@hotmail.com) and maybe we can meet.

Good luck!
-Bethany =)