It's not worth it

[chilove]

Hello all,

I've been reading all the posts from people who have been struggling lately, and especially with the holidays coming up I wanted to offer this thought that might help people resist that cooked meal that is tempting them.

Keep in mind that the pleasure you get from eating a cooked meal is very, very brief in relation to how long it can make you feel bad. Eating a meal takes 30-60 minutes maybe. That is such a short amount of time when you consider that it can cause you to feel sick, irritable, depressed and craving more cooked food for several days. It's really not worth it, especially when raw feels so good and is permanent as long as you stay raw.

Take advantage of the abundant health and happiness that is our natural birthright!! Stay raw! :-)


Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[brwnrawgirl]

Just curious... how long have you been Raw? And what are you plans for Thanksgiving? Are you cooking for family?

[faith4u]

Thank you for that Audrey. I feel absolutely the same way. I have no desire to eat anything different than normal this Thanksgiving.

The thing that bugs me the most after eating cooked food is that I don't sleep well. I guess it also really bothers me that I get super cranky and crabby.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Right on Audrey.

I think the worst thing is to eat something just to please or appease someone else, especially if you don't want it. Why put yourself through all that just to shut someone up?

People won't think you are being rude or ungracious if you don't eat something that will make you sick, whether it is an allergen or cooked food, it'll still make you sick. A true host/ess would feel bad if you ate something they made, which made you sick.

The best thing to say if "no thanks" is proceeded by "but, why not?" is "it'll make me very sick" that is a safe response and nobody will argue with that, IMO.

[star1919]

Thanks for this thread... it helps with all the upcoming holidays


Also to add, I think part of being a good guest... is to share ahead of time, that I eat a fairly restrictive diet... (if they don't already know). That way, they don't feel bad for all their efforts... in what they prepared. And, I don't feel as pressured to eat what is there.

I usually just say that I mostly eat fresh, raw fruits and veggies. I offer to bring something... which works well. The longer I'm raw... the more people in my life fix great salads... have fruit there. I find that friends and family are very nice about it.

[chilove]

Hi brwnrawgirl,

I've been raw for 2 and 1/2 years and I am having a raw thanksgiving with a friend of mine while my partner eats her cooked vegan food. I'll be visiting my folks for Christmas and they are used to me eating differently since I've been a vegan for 13 years. Luckily it's not an issue with them. I find that preparing a beautiful fresh salad or fruit plate is always appreciated and always gets eaten up quickly! :-)

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[greeninloanageles1]

Thank for advice - I use this method myself sometimes, but I seem at certain point get cravings really bad when all my reasoning is out the window. I think this is when addictive substances are leaving my body.
But for Holiday social pressure cravings this is good enough!

[Nik]

But, what if eating a cooked meal or partially cooked meal DOESN'T make you feel sick? Some cooked things make me feel sick and some raw things make me feel sick. But not everything cooked makes me feel sick or bad.

However I totally narrowly limit what cooked foods or what foods total that I will eat, or won't eat. So I totally hate the pressures of social situations. I hate going out to eat, I hate eating at other people's places or getting served any food. I want to just go to the market, buy my food, know where it was grown and if it's organic, and if it's a mixed raw or cooked item, know what all of the ingredients are. I'm a total label reader, and avoid a lot of things even if they are vegan. When you go out and get served food I have no idea what is in the food, how it was cooked, what it was cooked with or made with (if raw). I feel like a control freak, but I hate taking those chances and not knowing or knowing how it will effect me. But yet since everyone knows that I do not eat 100% raw, it makes it really difficult to turn down their food or come up with another excuse. So far it's just been that like I ate a really late lunch or something and ate too much so I'm still full, so I can have an excuse to eat as little as possible. Or that I feel sick and so I can't eat etc. I feel horrible making up all these excuses. Maybe I should start planning short fasts around all the social occasions and obligations I know come up, then I can say I'm fasting. I'm already not good socially and this just really makes me odd and seem removed I guess. I hate it. I hate that everything revolves around food.

[VeryBerry]

Nik,

You don't have to explain yourself to anyone in social situations, what you chose to eat is no one business but your own. I just say "No thank you" if I don't want something. If they ask why I just say "I don't want it right now". You don't owe anyone an explanation, they are the once behaving inappropriately by try to push food.

[chilove]

Hi Nik,

I know how you feel. I used to feel very shy and uncomfortable in social situations. It's odd that I seem to be more outgoing now, another benefit of raw? :-)

Avoiding eating at all is another way to handle social situations. FOcus on the company and the conversation instead. I do this sometimes and just say, "No thanks, I'm not hungry" when I'm offered something. I've never had anyone get upset about it.

If you stay raw long enough you will get sick when you eat a cooked meal. Believe me! :-)

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[brwnrawgirl]

Hi brwnrawgirl,

I've been raw for 2 and 1/2 years and I am having a raw thanksgiving with a friend of mine while my partner eats her cooked vegan food. I'll be visiting my folks for Christmas and they are used to me eating differently since I've been a vegan for 13 years. Luckily it's not an issue with them. I find that preparing a beautiful fresh salad or fruit plate is always appreciated and always gets eaten up quickly! :-)

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

Thanks for sharing chilove :) I was curious because I beginning my Raw Journey again and look forward to hearing more and more about people enjoying the holidays but are raw while doing it. It helps me to believe its possible and not unusual.

[JinxieKat]

Nik,
Even if it doesn't make you physically sick, your mental and emotional reactions around not eating what you wish can be labled as feeling ill as well. Besides, if after you politely say 'No thank you' they continue to pester you with questions they are being rude, despite their well meaning intentions. There is no need to be rude back, but a simple explination will work a whole lot better than a complicated one.

Jinx