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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI work at a Hogwan in Seoul, a private English academy, and recently my students started asking about my green smoothies...I really like to encourage them to ask questions and think for themselves, so I told them what was in it, and asked for their thoughts.
They surprised me with, "The other teachers should eat this good food, teacher."
Then, they started talking about how the other teachers might then have good energy levels, clearer skin, healthy weights, healthy appreciation for life, etc etc etc...
it was SO nice!:) I was really pleased by how these kids saw the unfortunate lifestyle choices of my colleagues, and compared me favorably with them. They're probably, next to my fiance, the most pro-my-diet-choices group I've come across yet.
It was a supportive chat, and a really great day:) I thought I'd share...it's not every day someone says something positive about raw food, or a shockingly green smoothie!
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ps, don't sad people at work make you want to make-over their diets? I mean, they CANNOT feel wonderful, eating the way they do...surely they NEED my help! That's me feeling very superior talking you know...but it's kind of irking me that I feel I can't mention it...or, shouldn't, to avoid hurting anyone quite deeply...
That's great your students were so supportive and understanding.
I totally understand where you're coming from in regards to the other teachers but I think it's important not to come across preachy or judgmental as it can turn people off. I sit next to a hugely obese girl at work and she eats some cr@p. I totally ignore this despite finding it very hard to watch. Having said that, she sees how I eat and I've noticed she is eating more fruit and slightly less rubbish. She even joked the other day that she should pay me to make her healthy meals/snacks! I would love to do this (if I actually had the time that is).
If my workmates ask me questions, I'll answer them and give my opinion but I wouldn't try to force the issue. People need to want to make the change themselves.
I actually feel very sorry for a couple people I work with. You can just tell how unhealthy they are. I know exactly what they eat..mcdonalds drive thru for breakfast..diner cafe food for lunch, its all just so unhealthy. You can see it coming thru their pores. When you're raw you just have so many realizations..my face always used to be reddish and uneven. After being raw for basically 3 wks, i had the most clear, even skin, it was amazing! You can actually fly right thru the 3 o'clock slump without feeling like you need a nap, or big mug of coffee. You want to shout at people all the things we know! Too bad its just not that easy :(
Oh yeah, everyone else gets that 3pm slump and I'd completely forgotten about that until the other day when one of my workmates said he needed a sleep and wished he had more energy (at bang on 3pm). He eats stodgy pasta microwave meals for lunch and I just thought 'well that's why you're knackered'!
Contrary to my previous post, I did actually say that maybe a different choice of lunch would help with the tiredness but he shrugged it off and said he 'needed the carbs for football later'. Hahahahahahahahahaha!
First, just wanted to say hi! to Seoul... I lived there several years ago for a year after college teaching English and learning Korean. (I lived with a Korean family).
Also, I should probably reserve my judgment on other peoples' diets until I have stuck to this raw food diet for a while and have confirmed that it is in fact a superior diet, but... yes. For example, my assistant, who is probably about 40 pounds overweight, has been on a meal replacement diet through her health insurance for several months now. She eats nothing but shakes and bars... Wouldn't it be much more enjoyable to eat fresh foods instead? And even more importantly, I don't think my husband will ever try a green smoothie or quit eating meat and refined carbs. He HAS to have meat in almost every meal and loves pasta with heavy cream sauces, with bread on the side, etc. I am trying to keep very quiet and let him see (hopefully!) that with time, my physique, my skin, my energy levels all will improve, and maybe I can get him to incorporate some more raw foods into his diet, although I think for him to get even to 50% would be completely shocking to me.
crispypear, one of my close friends has been on that diet (only shakes/bars) and it's so hard to watch. She did drop a couple of stone but she looked so ill, her skin was terrible and she was almost passing out all the time.
She eventually came off the diet and started eating quite well but her weight has crept up and I'm now very worried as she's developed an eating disorder. She has gone back to only eating shakes/bars in the week then binging on junk food at the weekends. It's really hard seeing her do that to herself. She knows my way of eating and I've hoped some of it might rub off on her but her eating disorder is too much for her to cope with at the moment. Luckily she's started counselling so I hope that will help.
Know what you mean about your husband, its the same with my BF. He did see all the benefits I was having after going high raw and even started having green smoothies for b'fast with me...but he's kind of sunk back into his old ways of white toast, cheese sandwiches and stodgy meat&pot meals again. Its hard but I can't control him and wouldn't want to either. I'd love him to want to be healthy...but he doesn't.... :-(
Tabbycats, what a wonderfully encouraging story! Your students are lucky to have someone like you who is willing to engage them and get them thinking about the impact of food. And you're lucky to be surrounded with such beautiful open, souls (seouls?).
Aww, this makes my day/night.