The Youngin's Thread

[Random Violin Guy]

For all you spring chickens out there! Discuss whatever... what do you think is easy/tough/different about being raw and young?

By the way, my name's Eric, I'm 21 years old, and I've been raw since February. I'm a vegan, environmentalist, and animal rights activist, born and raised in Wisconsin. I've gotta admit, some people think I'm kinda nuts for going raw in the middle of the Wisconsin winter. But thinking back on it now, maybe I won't need to eat cooked for warmth this next winter. Maybe I'll be raw from now on...

Who knows what the future will bring?

[barose]

I'm 28.

I think the easy part is not waiting until I'm at a point in my life where I'm really ill to start. Sure I have health issues and was worse off 7 years ago actually, but I'm glad I have a better chance of not dealing with some of the things people I know who are twice my age deal with.

[RawGoddess13]

Almost everyone I know drinks a whole lot. No offense guys, but most of the single guys I know don't even know how to cook, let alone uncook. They eat lots of take out, fast food, & frozen dinners, so I applud all the young guys for being raw & on this forum. I think one of the heardest things about being young & raw are finding like minded people in my area around the same age. I am still hoping to meet one.

[RawChicky]

For me, it's hard being an 18 year old raw vegan girl because people assume that if i won't eat out and i only eat fruits and veggies, I have some sort of eating disorder. My parents think Raw foodism is a cult and I am brainwashed. My friends try to understand, but they clearly don't and we don't talk about it much. The hardest thing for me is getting support I guess. It's also hard because any time I have a possible health issue, the first thing people blame is my "crazy diet." AND, even though I've gained about 7 pounds on raw, I'm "malnourished-looking and too skinny" to some people. I disagree, I'm actually very muscular. I think if I was a boy, people would just leave me alone about the way I eat and look.

Peace :)

[barose]

Right now, its not really that hard....I think I would have had an harder time if I was doing this 10 years ago.

I never had younger friends. I've been in the professional working world since I was 19; married and divorced by 23 and so on. Most of my associates are 35-90 and think I'm nuts with this raw thing! They love to eat fresh baked bakery bread and drink wine but don't understand why I cant live that way. I'm young! I drink wine every now and then (hey, this is California!) , but thats the only thing I really do thats a part of my old habits and not nearly as much as they do.

[Random Violin Guy]

yeah I agree, RawGoddess13... my biggest vice is the occasional beer with friends. I'm switching over to wine, but I'm not quite ready yet to give up all alcohol.

[hypnocmt]

I grew up in Northern Wisonsin, and was a vegan in the late 8's and early 90's when people thought vegetarians were in sme sort of cult up there.

(What???? No DAIRY???? No BEEEEEEFFFF????)

It was challegning back then to get vegetarian food...forget aboout eating out! So, some friends and fellow veggies sarted a coop. We had great bulk buying power, and we went a few steps further. OUr friend Lenny was living on an old farm, so we did what little we could to grow veggies in the summer, and grew herbs and dried them.

We also started a vegan dairy co-op, in which we would each take a turn making TONS of nut or soy milk and then delivering it to fellow co-op members.

Somehw this made being vegan in the land of meat and cheese much easier.

As far as those Wisconsin winters on raw, I wouldn't sweat it. Freeze berries if you grow them (easy if you have the space) and dry some herbs. MAke lots of raw vegan chili and you'l be in fine form!

(One of my fave winter treats is cauliflower mashed not- taters (or tater-nots as I call them) topped with "creamed corn" - corn blended with olive oil and a dab of nut milk, salt and pepper. (very buttery tasting!)

I started raw in the winter and it was no big deal...just makes summer even easier!

As far as the drinking thing goes, who cares what anyone else does or drinks??? If you like wine, enjoy it and learn abut it to pick up ways to savor it more. Learning about wine is really an inroad to learning about other cultures, geography, ecology, etc. Great, educational and enjoyable hobby when partaken of in moderation.

Same could be said of beers, or premium spirits of any sort...scotches whatever. The key is to remember that there is a diff. between a connoiseur and a gluttonous hog.

When I am in California, I find that most models and actors whom I know are veyr health conscious and have early, early call times..like 5am-6am. So...it is very much young, "hipster" behavior to limit one's intake, and drink as much Evian and Peligrino as alcohol, if not more.

[greenfeline]

I am not sure if I am still a spring chicken (everything is subjective), but I am 29. I feel better than I did when I was younger, probably due to working out, eating better and not partying anymore. People think I am a little strange about my eating habits, but they know I am not the type just to follow some fad diet. It is okay, if you look at the all great minds of history, they all go against the grain. Society catches up later.

[aililiu]

im turning twenty in a couple of weeks :) and ive only been raw for about 3-4 weeks... not very long i know but this is the lifestyle for me. i find it makes it harder to go out to dinner with friends.. even when i was a cooked food vegan it was difficult... not because I minded, but people think that you're not going to have a good time because theres not anything on the menu for you.... i dont mind having to ask for a special made salad. i havent had trouble with it so far. but people assume its going to be too much of a hassle and so dont make plans.

im still living at home and my parents are definately concerned, although they're not trying to stop me or anything. they know i feel good about it and that im trying to do it to achieve optimum health, not lose weight or anything, so they're not interfering.. although my mum worries that i feel deprived.. soo not true.

my best friend came home from uni not long ago and when she saw how much my diet had changed she cried and cried and told me she felt like this was forming this great division between us and now so many of the things we liked to do together were no longer possible. i was a bit put out that she thought that so much of our friendship was based on food.

i never drink and really dont want to so i just never go out to the bars. im just really not into that scene.

but its true that the more 'restricted' my diet gets, the lesser my social life gets as well. i am an introvert but it can get a bit lonely. i agree with rawgoddess... it would be fantastic to meet like-minded young people where i live.

[dreamrawalwz]

I'm 20 and going down to college in the fall. I'm sure the atmosphere will be much different. My parents and family are understnading, but I'm not sure how other 20 somethings will view it. Im sure better than older generations. I don't have a social life either and never really went out to eat in the first place, so that's not a problem NOW, but in the fall I don't know what will happen!

[eatyourbroccoli]

hello guysss

im 20.

the hardest part being raw for me is when people either fuss over me ("well what on earth is SHE going to eat!?!?") after i already tell them NOT to worry and that ill be fine.....and when people dont respect my firm decision to be raw and cant understand why i cant have "just a little bit of pie" or "just a scoop of cheesy mashed potatoes"

i really wish we were more of a "live and let live" culture. i KNOW we are in comparison to many places in the world, but i still think we have a ways to go

[Firicia]

Wel I am 21. I am still just starting up, but have been experimenting in this for a couple months.

I think the big thing will be going out for dinner with friends and ordering a salad. I'm not too fond of salads yet, lol, I find if it's not organic (which it like never is at resturants) then I can actually taste the chemicals and don't enjoy it. So I think going out for dinner while people are having my old faves might be tough.

But ya, my lifestyle is just turning out to be very different than my peers. I don't like going out and partying all the time, never much enjoyed drinking, and I have dreams of running my own buisness soon. I would love to meet some more raw foodies, I actually especially worry about dating someone who isn't one hoenstly.

But not getting to eat my old fave foods and feeling a little messed up when I eat out with friends doesn't even compair to what I am hoping to get out of being a raw foodist: i.e: The "Glow", weight control, feeling great and having energy, feeling sexy again and alive, longer life, less health problems, and actually I think feeling unique and like I'm not part of the masses has some appeal;)

Wish me luck, day 2 of the rest of my life is upon me

[eatyourbroccoli]

Wel I am 21. I am still just starting up, but have been experimenting in this for a couple months.

I think the big thing will be going out for dinner with friends and ordering a salad. I'm not too fond of salads yet, lol, I find if it's not organic (which it like never is at resturants) then I can actually taste the chemicals and don't enjoy it. So I think going out for dinner while people are having my old faves might be tough.

But ya, my lifestyle is just turning out to be very different than my peers. I don't like going out and partying all the time, never much enjoyed drinking, and I have dreams of running my own buisness soon. I would love to meet some more raw foodies, I actually especially worry about dating someone who isn't one hoenstly.

But not getting to eat my old fave foods and feeling a little messed up when I eat out with friends doesn't even compair to what I am hoping to get out of being a raw foodist: i.e: The "Glow", weight control, feeling great and having energy, feeling sexy again and alive, longer life, less health problems, and actually I think feeling unique and like I'm not part of the masses has some appeal;)

Wish me luck, day 2 of the rest of my life is upon me

firicia where in canada are you?

[RawChicky]

hello guysss

the hardest part being raw for me is when people either fuss over me ("well what on earth is SHE going to eat!?!?") after i already tell them NOT to worry and that ill be fine.....and when people dont respect my firm decision to be raw and cant understand why i cant have "just a little bit of pie" or "just a scoop of cheesy mashed potatoes"

i really wish we were more of a "live and let live" culture. i KNOW we are in comparison to many places in the world, but i still think we have a ways to go

I can SO relate to that! My grandpa asks me EVERY time I see him to eat pie or icecream or cookies or whatever. Maybe its his old age lol but its like it doesn't register in his head that I don't eat certain things. Especially with being vegan, people are like, "Just a TINY bit of milk/cheese/egg isn't goping to kill you, just eat it!" like they get some satisfaction from me eating it. They are always like, "why don't you eat dairy, an animal didn't DIE for that food!" I just tell people I don't support animal SLAVERY either.

[lissomllama]

I'm 20 and very happy being all raw. No worries here, just bliss. Only the good stuff matters anyway. I'm glowing, I'm young and I intend to stay this way, no matter what age I am based on some calendar. I think we need to break down age barriers and live the best way we can strive to and stay vibrant and young throughout ALL of our years.

~Om Shanti~