What REALLY works!!

[rawpriestess]

I went to a lecture by Paul Nison last night, and it was his usual, where he tells his wonderful story about how he cured himself from Crohn's disease, which is IBS, or Irritable Bowel syndrome, and Ulcerated Colitus, he spoke about so many things, and he was wonderful.

He has a wife now, a sweet young woman, who is perfect for him, and he looked great.

I have heard him speak a few times, and each time I walk away with some new information, although his lecture is the same, so I must be progressing.

The ONE thing that I really HEARD this time, was what he was saying about all other diets, the Beverly Hills Diet, Atkins, the South Beach diet, etc. I'm not familiar with any of these, so I can't comment, but they aren't raw, so I'm not interested in them.

But I was interested in what he had to say, you see he said that they all work to a degree, not because of what you eat on the diet, but because of what your are eliminating from your diet, AND the fact that when you go on a diet, you are actually attempting to take care of yourself, trying to focus on your body, your sleep, to have less stress in your life, etc.

This made such great sense to me, as I had realized in my past, that it didn't matter which diet I tried, they all worked for me for a WHILE, about 2 months, and then something happened, I started to get used to the diet, and to start cheating, it even happened with the Raw diet/lifestyle.

So, for me, I can handle just about anything for 2 months, but we'll cover that in a minute.

So, he was explaining that on all diets, you are eliminating several things, too much sugar and too much starches which turn into sugars, which fuel any yeast or candida in your system, also you are paying attention to your body, and attempting to feed it good nurishing foods.

This made such sense, It was like a light bulb going on in my brain.

Now about the cheating, he also said something totally profound to me, he said, it isn't about being perfect, he said it is about being happy.

He also said if you are going too fast of a pace with your raw food lifestyle, you will cheat on your food plan/diet, because you will have either too severe of detox, or you won't be happy about your foods or the way you feel, if you are going too slow, you won't have enough changes in your body and you will feel like it isn't working, again, this was inspirational to me.

he said "Go at your own pace" what ever that is, if it is too difficult to stay on, then don't go so fast 100% raw, he said you will get to where you wish to be eventually, but don't push yourself so fast, that you cave in and cheat, and then go on and off and on and off your diet.

he said it was better to be only partially raw consistantly than 100% then not, then 100% then not.

I must say that I agree, I do believe that the 100% raw food lifestyle is the perfect diet for all beings on this planet, however, I myself, have had challenges with being 100% raw, then eating cooked, then 100% raw then eating cooked, and feeling really terrible about it.

so, I have now totally changed my outlook on what I believe.

Although I believe that 100% is perfect and I may eventually get to that point, that being a happy person is more important to me, so I will eat what I want raw being most of what I eat, but I will not condemn myself for eating cooked, I will no longer feel guilty, or ashamed if I am not perfect.

Wishing you all the joy and bliss life can offer, any responses to my post will be welcomed, I know that many have different ideas, and thoughts, and I would love to hear them.
Rawpriestess

[Doe]

Sounds right to me RP. It was soooo much easier to eat raw foods when I was blissfully ignorant of there being a raw food diet. Does that sound weird? I knew fresh fruits and vegetables were healthy. And that if I ate them it would help me lose weight. So I ate the things I loved: tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, about anything that is normally put into a salad.

Truthfully, I felt sooo much better before finding out about people who live always 100% raw. Although by that time I had already spent some months 100% raw because that was all my body would accept at that time. When it decided to accept cooked again that is what I wanted. Not back to my former cooked state. It had already been ... hmmm ... maybe 3 1/2 years since I had eaten mostly cooked. Then I probably spent another half year or more researching raw.

It's a pressure thing. Not that anyone else has been pressuring me, I have been pressuring myself. Raw is good, cooked is bad. That translates out to if I want to be good I cannot eat cooked.

For example: I once did a volunteer job for 19 months without ever filling out the papers to make myself official. I loved the work, truly enjoyed every minute of it. Then I let myself be talked into just going ahead and filling out those papers. All of a sudden I had to be there, had to spend so many hours doing this (which was way less than I had been spending). There was no longer any joy in my work. The first year was stressful. The second I started feeling like I was falling apart. I felt like I was in a vice and became very ill before quitting.

This is the same thing. When eating simple raw foods because I wanted to they were amazing. If I felt like cooked, that was ok. Now for more than a year I've been trying to make myself only eat raw, never cooked, and there is no joy. I set myself up to fail.

I guess that's how some people feel about marriage or any other commitment.

I truly love raw foods and helping people. Is it each moment a voluntary gift, or is there some pressure involved? That's the difference that makes it either fun and exhilarating or a burden.

Thanks for the post,
Teri S

[cactus]

I just had to say thank you for that post raw priestess, I am going to print it out for my mum, since I have been raw she has seen the change in me and she thinks its wonderful, she is diabetic with a whole host of other troubles and she knows that raw is the way to go, so she started it and went well for a while and felt fantastic, but then she fell into a few old habits then she got the guilt's and said oh Ive done it now I may as well go back to the way I used to eat and so each time she does and each time she comes back because she feels ill and the cycle begins again,
I am lucky because years ago I did a seminar about over coming over eating, it was 15 years ago,long before I knew about raw food, but it stayed with me forever, It taught me how to stop feeling guilty, and how to live my life without the all or nothing diet attitude, you know the one where you say, oh Ive eaten a piece of cake I may as well have the whole cake, so I was able to incorporate that into my raw life years later, I know with out doubt that 100% raw is the very best you can do, but every human being is different and not all can cope with the 100% way all at once, even though its best, I can tell from they way some people post when they slip that they feel incredible guilt, but guilt and bad feelings are also bad for the body, my father died of cancer a few years back and at the time I was reading as much as I could on things that make us ill, and I read a medical paper about the proven effects of our brain and our feelings on our body, we all know that when we get nervous some people need to go to the toilet, or when we get stressed (as with me and my ibs) it can play hell with our stomachs, and the acids we make even give us ulcers, so surely, doesn't it make sense to just do the best we can and be happy, if we make a mistake learn from it and try understand why we did it, but just let it pass, loose the guilt and remember life is about being happy and looking after our bodies in the very best way we can, after all we only have one and its very special and unique :)

[sport]

I agree with everyone about the guilt thing and think that feeling guilty about eating a little cooked one day is worse than the eating of it but I want to discuss some other points.
Since joining this board and as a result of my reading I have been led to believe the following.
1. Our body sees cooked food as alien and will continue to fight against as long as we keep inflicting it on it and this can not be good.
2. Our digestive system builds up a meucos defense against cooked food and this will not be totally removed untill we have been 100% raw for some time.
3. If we have been raw and the defences are removed then our bodies can beter digest our food and gain far more neutrients from it.
4. If we then eat something cooked then the alien fighting forces are immediatly called out from there base and launch an attack and the result will be a return of the dreaded mucous.
5. If you want to gain the best possible benifit from your food then there is only one way to be and that is 100% raw.

As I said, I totally agree with the guilt thing. It serves no purpose. If you do happen to eat cooked (or any other naughty thing that you should not do) get over it and move on, but do not loose sight of the ultamate prize. 100% raw

[yumyum]

Thank you for the post, Rawpriestess. I agree that it is important not to punish ourselves and thereby enter into a vicious circle of self hate. Positive thinking is what will lead to better things.

It's wonderful, that Paul Nison has found a woman to love and marry. That's great news.

As I see it, this board is for people learning to be raw. And for people who are still learning while being raw. No one is the ultimate expert. Everyone knows something about something. Following their own path. I agree that 100 % is the best way to live, but I also know that humans must be allowed to live and learn without punishment, just like Alissa teaches in her book. Sometimes I think people forget, that she teaches people to be raw and she sticks by her clients when they suddenly go back to cooked. She supports people, and she herself came back to raw after giving up on it once.

I hope people will stop the self hate and self incrimination, and try to stay positive instead. A positive frame of mind makes it much easier to eat raw, is my experience.

Peace love and all of that. :)

[sweetgoddess]

Great posts RawPriestess and Sport.


RP, I would say you were destined to be at Paul's talk! AMazing realizations you had from that experience. I think it is just fabulous. I have also heard Alissa speak about how hard it is on your body going on and off and on and off 100% raw.
I am glad you opened your self to an experience and gained so much from it. Thank you for sharing it with us!
I was delighted to meet Paul and his wife when I was in L.A. with Alissa. He looked so radiant and he and his sweet wife just glowed with love. awwwww....so sweet.

We are happy to have you back here sharing your experiences with us RP! :)
Keep growing and growing!
Hugs~
Carmel

[JMD]

RawPriestess!

Thanks for this post! I am glad you shared your views but also that he cured himself of IBS. I have it so bad...and it is worse now that I am 100% raw...and I eat super plain :confused:

I am going to have to see if he has literature so I can hear his story and recovery. I was just wondering if raw is the best for me with IBS/IBD.

Thanks for showing me another step to study before making a decision.

JMD

[girl007]

Fabulous- thanks for sharing! I think what you said is right on!

[tvillemom]

Thank you RP!! I really needed this today. I stayed 100% from Dec. 1st-the end of January....but have filtered off, and am having a hard time letting go of the SAD...really SAD junk food I've allowed back in. I've done some soul searching, and I'm not really sure WHY I gave into cooked food. I know some of it had to do with this really depressed feeling I was having around the end of January. I'm not sure if it is seasonal, or if it had to do with the fact that I FELT like I could not enjoy going out to eat with DH and enjoy a dinner out every once-in-awhile. I just felt like I could not enjoy eating a salad out, when it was a special occasion (does that even make sense?) Anyway....I've definitely let too much junk back in, and now I feel bloated, and nasty physically, but also even harder and more dissapointed in myself mentally. :( I trully feel like crying. I really needed to read this, to remind myself that I AM ON A JOURNEY, I'm not perfect, but I'm learning what triggers my cravings, and I know...I KNOW what to eat to make me feel young and vibrant, and healthy! I will not punish myself anymore, as that kind of attitude will only make me more miserable, and take me on a very sad path to depression. I've been there, even though I've never been diagnosed, I know there are times that I am probably clinically depressed....not to ramble...just for those of you who may read this, remember me in your prayers.
Wendi

[livingatthetop]

100% raw yea thats it. I AM STRIVING TO STAY 100% RAW AND ALTHOUGH i Might slip up now and then 100% raw is the only way to be.

Like anything in life you can't half way do it in my opinion,others might think differently and I respest thrir opinion.However I think for me and what im trying to do as far as my health 100% raw all the time is what I am striving for.

Sincerely Shernell


100% raw,100% raw,%100%raw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[mommamia]

RP:

A great post. A thread above discussed staying on 100% raw and I replied that I don't always but I WON"T feel guilty. That is what other diets do to me. This is not another diet. It's a way of life. That takes time. Bottom line is that raw feels great and if I stop or slack off my body knows! I've learned more about my body in the last 2 months than my entire life.

What an encouraging post. Just be happy. I like that.
I'll be copying this and pasting to some family members, if you don't mind!

Thanks so much,

[misslinda]

he said it was better to be only partially raw consistantly than 100% then not, then 100% then not.




Christine, you went to the lecture!!! I wanted to go so bad.
Thank you so much for sharing the insight. I have this internal fear lingering after I fast that "what if" if go off track.......so this really simmered that "unsettling" feeling.

Ciao bella,
ml :)

[Raw Jewelrylady]

RP...Loved the post... too much "guilting" going on...It accomplishes nothing.. I like what Mommamia said about learning more about our own bodies...etc...thanks for starting this thread... :p

My 2 cents.......I was doing some cleaning yesterday & came across at least 30 or more ( afraid to count) different "diet" cookbooks.

My new Motto is..."It's NOT about DEPRIVATION ...STUPID".... :) Raw is working for me...nothing else has...tried all of them..will I eat cooked food...probably..but my body aches if I do..so right now I just take it day by day. the less I obssess about my vision of "wrong"-the more I do "right." does that make sense??? anyways..love this thread.. :cool:
Lana

[mommamia]

the less I obssess about my vision of "wrong"-the more I do "right." does that make sense???
Lana


Yes, it makes a lot of sense ~~guilt rarely works as a motivator. In fact, when I am motivated by guilt I consciously turn around and do the opposite. It's kinda a attitude of "oh, yeah? Not gonna play the game." So when you let go of the "have to's" and "shoulds" and start doing what your body needs and wants it's so easy!~~well, usually ;) Hard to put down all that ingrained information and cravings about food overnight. On another thread (or was it this one? can't find it) that really parallels this conversation someone quoted TimmyC saying "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." We are in this for the long haul not the short. So relax because you'll get frustrated and burn out otherwise.

[jorjeni]

we only use 10% of our brain they say. Just think if we could use 100% how wonderful life would be. It seems for the most part when we are trying to do something that we KNOW is good for us that 10% is used to make us doubt, to make us worry how are we gonna eat like this for the rest of our lives, what are we gonna say to people about what we are eating or not eating.

Last year when I tried to do the 30 day challenge I was doing great until the second week. I was at work and my line was running good so I had 12 hrs to do nothing but think and my 10% got to working it's evil and I freaked myself out so much I stopped being raw that next day. I actually started thinking how bad my life will be being healthy LOL!!! I mean I wouldn't have an excuse anymore for why my house is a mess. I mean now that I am sick and can't walk up the stairs let alone do house work I have a reason to be lazy. I wouldn't have at least 1 day a month off from work without getting into trouble. Because I have a chronic health condition that flars up 1 or 2 days a month I get those days off from work and my company can't fire me for it. If I get cured by being RAW I wouldn't have that excuse either. How am I gonna find a man that isn't gonnd think I am nuts for eating like this??? LOL!!! Like I would cook for him anyway :p :D . Also if I lose the weight too fast I dont' have the money to have surgery to get all the extra flabb off the list goes on and on.


This time I have gotten to the point where I am sick and tired of being sick and tried.

So I have started out doing what I feel comfortable. I have cut all processed foods from my diet first. Then I started with just a RAW breakfast. In less than 3 weeks my body has said to me it wants a raw lunch and snacks too. As for cooked foods I still do eat them but my body is wanting less and less of it on it own.Like yesterday I ate on a piece of pork chops all day. That was enough to satifiy me 1 pork chop eaten throughout the day I took a bit when it was cooked then a few hours later I took another bit when I got to the last bit I didnt' want it so I gave it to my dogs. When the crazy thoughts start to pop into my head I push them back down. I have not taken any medication for my illness for 2 weeks now!!!!

The best thing I am doing this time is not letting my brain put me down. So what I ate that pork chop it took me 5 hours to do so and everything else I ate that day was RAW that is better than what I was eating 2 months ago. If I would have had anything RAW 2 months ago in a whole week would have been amazing. The people at work complaining about how bad they feel and here I am jumping around and they want to know what I am on cause they know I have medical problems and I normally would be moving around slow as a snail and now I am running around they think I have some new drug. I do RAW FOODS get you some today :D

[Purl]

It's wonderful how we all seem to be having the same revelation! Here's a copy of a post I made a few days ago-it's from my journal:

It's been a week or so since I last posted in my journal. I've cut myself some slack while I learn how to do this whole raw thing. I have found that if I stop feeling guilty for a few bites of cooked food, then I stop giving the cooked food POWER in my life. It's really the guilt that causes the downward spiral for me. Yesterday I had popcorn again. But everthing else was raw. Today I have had all raw, and I will probably make it all day. If I don't, most likely the little non-raw will be 1 TBSP of roasted almond butter. I feel better and better on raw and the better I feel, the more I am drawn to raw. I have noticed my skin is getting better and my ds said last night "Mom, no one could call you fat anymore." What a confidence builder to know that my 8 year old is aware of the changes in me! It makes me WANT to make him proud. I think I just need to stop having such a negative attitude. I'm not perfect. My "slip-ups" are pretty small-it;s not like I go to McDonalds and eat 2 double cheeseburgers and a supersized coke. I eat in the realm of healthy cooked food. When I remove the guilt I feel free to CHOOSE raw, rather than feel oppessed by it, which leads to negative thinking, which, in turn, leads to guilty, sad, uncomfortable feelings that I "mend" with overeating.


Okay. Class dismissed.

[yumyum]

Jorjeni, that is so positive! I can relate to how your body tells you it wants raw, and how cooked isn't as interesting anymore. I think it is really cool, that you have come so far, and that you follow your own heart and body. And now you no longer need medication and run around. That's great! :) Thank you for sharing.

Purl, that's true for me too; the more raw I eat, the more I want to continue eating it and feeling better. And I also agree, that there is a difference between having a little non raw almonds, and eating a lot of fast food. The body has a much better chance of getting rid of a little bit of non raw, than a whole day of eating fast food. And even if people do eat fast food one day, then the body can still get rid of it, and go back to healing. Sometimes raw food is two steps forward and one step back, but it's still moving forward.

I am really enjoying this thread. We do need to learn to love ourselves. When I started out, I hardly ever ate fruit and raw vegetables. I shuddered at the thought. Now I have no problem drinking white cabbage juice by the glas. lol! This is definatly a journey, and a positive one. I am amazed of the dedication that is needed to go on, and to deal with the sorrow and the dark stuff that I used to try to forget using food, but feeling healthier also gives me more energy to deal with it. So it's okay.

Very cool thread :)

[JMD]

I love this thread!! For me, guilt is like taking a rocking chair to travel on the highway...you get nowhere fast and just go back and forth stuck in the same spot. I find I do better when I don't panic, try to figure it "all" out in a day, and change things to fast or often. I am learning to be more simple clean and honest in all I do and it really works. Again, it is about the food but really it is not. It is fuel to help me to love myself others and live day to day trying to exist in a joyous accepting state of mind. The cleaner my food the clearer mind becomes.....:) Now if I could put that energy to loving my thighs:) lol

JMD

[Rawkinlocs]

Thanks so much for sharing this experience RP!

I hate that I missed it now...not only because I missed out in Paul's insights, but also because I missed on the chance to finally meet you in person!

But there'll be another opportunity, I'm sure! Thanks again for sharing!

[solchile76]

I love this thread. Ya know when I was trying SAD diets I would always feel guilty for eating "off the plan". Raw is a way of life not a diet so I don't have the same guilty feelings when I eat a cooked meal. I will be 30 years old in August so I keep in mind that I have been eating cooked food for 30 years. A transition to 100% raw will not happen in a few months for me and I am comfortable knowing that.

[RawTruth]

I agree with everyone about the guilt thing and think that feeling guilty about eating a little cooked one day is worse than the eating of it but I want to discuss some other points.
Since joining this board and as a result of my reading I have been led to believe the following.
1. Our body sees cooked food as alien and will continue to fight against as long as we keep inflicting it on it and this can not be good.
2. Our digestive system builds up a meucos defense against cooked food and this will not be totally removed untill we have been 100% raw for some time.
3. If we have been raw and the defences are removed then our bodies can beter digest our food and gain far more neutrients from it.
4. If we then eat something cooked then the alien fighting forces are immediatly called out from there base and launch an attack and the result will be a return of the dreaded mucous.
5. If you want to gain the best possible benifit from your food then there is only one way to be and that is 100% raw.

As I said, I totally agree with the guilt thing. It serves no purpose. If you do happen to eat cooked (or any other naughty thing that you should not do) get over it and move on, but do not loose sight of the ultamate prize. 100% rawI think this is very important to learn and keep in mind. (By writing this, please know that I am in no way condemning or judging anyone.) I know Paul and Andrea and I know that they're both completely raw, so I kinda want to mention that, in his talk, he always says the 100% raw is where it's at. I also know that it's important not to beat yourself up or self-guilt -- in all aspects of life. For some people, knowing exactly what's going on in their bodies when raw food and when cooked food are eaten (especially alternating the two) helps them stay 100%. Fred Bische (Paul's associate) talks about this, too.

It's all good stuff -- and extremely beneficial for everyone to educate themselves. Get Paul's book(s), Fred's, Matt Monarch's (they're all on the same page ... and in the same business venture, I believe) and see what they have to say.

[Smoothie]

Rawpreistess...I'm so glad you're back. I had been away for awhile but I noticed when I came back that you hadn't been posting. I got use to seeing the "old Standers" like you and RawTruth and I missed seeing your wisdom.............

[misslinda]

Bumping this one up. :cool:



I'm concerned about newbies or rawbies who are in the yo yo syndrome. I was guilty of myself when starting raw and suffered more physical consequences .........so to prevent yourself from creating more health issues or frustrations, this thread was very insightful and helpful!


Besdies, Rawpriestess always has a way of saying it with love and care. :)