friends

Sheik

Hi everyone :)

Lately I've been feeling a bit disconnected from my friends. I feel like they get annoyed with me declining outings for lunches/drinks and invting them over for a raw meal instead. I also feel like they are uncomfortable with me, like they think that I am being arrogant and judgmental of what they eat. Has anyone else gone through something similar to this? What did you do?

Sheik

thanks for all your advice. I guess what brings me up to this topic is that I recently went to a friend's birthday party with 20 of our closest friends. They served burgers, salad, and drinks. Salad! I asked the person who made the salad what was in it. She mentioned the ingredients and to my dismay, the dressing had sugar and a ton of it. I hadn't had any refined sugar for a year so I didn't touch anything except for water at the party. Everything seemed to be okay until the night progressed and people had a little much to drink. Then my friend came up to me and said that she was concerned about me.. blah blah.... I tried to explain to her, but she wasn't listening because of the alcohol. She expressed her concerns and said that I was different now. That definately threw me off.

I don't have problems going to a restaurant or bar with my friends because I usually bring something or order mineral water. And yes, as joanna pointed out, there's a lot more things that I do with my friends other than eating. But eating is a big part of being social especially with all these little get togethers my friends always throw. I did bring Ani's raw apple pie once and only a couple of people seemed to like it. haha!

Sheik

mikfizzle- sorry that you feel left out sometimes. Trust me, I understand! We're only doing what's best for our bodies. Hopefully our friends will come to understand that and support us, and not assume that we have an easting disorder.

Good luck to you on your raw journey- sounds like you're doing really well!

And yes, Ani Phyo's recipes are super amazing! I only have the first book though.

Sheik

Sonnenhut- Thank you! Yes, when it comes to family, it IS a big deal! My family eats a lot of rice and beef and pork (GROSS). We seem to have a problem at every gathering because I only eat what I bring. They ask if the food tastes bad, if I'm on a diet to lose weight, what's wrong with me, etc. etc... My mother LOVES to eat out and it's a constant battle for us because she insists that I order something more "filling." My friends on the other hand are pretty unhappy about the "change." At least now I know who my real friends are :)

That's awsome that your mother is going raw! I try to respect what my family eats even though it's very unhealthy for them. They are starting to become more open-minded and are even considering to include more veggies into their diet! Thanks for your input!

Sheik

I guess I could say that I am afraid of a lot of the foods that my friends eat, serve, and want to share with me. But I do love my friends. I hope it didn't come off as if I thought they were freaks or something. I truly love them all and respect their values and decisions. I know that I must be doing something wrong when I hear that I'm different to them now. I rarely mention my diet first, but I try to answer their questions the best that I can only if asked. The reason I decline invitations to eat at restaurants is because I've worked in an upscale restaurant in Los Angeles with high maintenance clientele before and even there, the food quality was pretty awful in order to cut corners and costs. Maybe I'm just more aware of those things. I suppose I could bring my own food, but I seem to offend them when I do that. Every time I hang with them things go smoothly until they want to stop at a cafe or grab a bite and I feel bad for saying no thanks.

Ah- I don't mean to be a pest or sound snobby.