New and Need Help!

Hello,

I'm Cara a 21 year old student and desperately trying to go and stay raw.

Changing my life style however has not proved so simple. I have given up smoking and drinking but am finding it difficult to maintain the diet and balanced food-combinations due to a few major road blocks. Growing up in an Italian American household was basically the equivalent of living above a bar to an alcoholic, my family think I'm crazy seeing as cooking is a massive part of our culture. My friends also think I'm mental as well as my boyfriend who is meat-and french cooking crazy. A self-confessed former foodie, being around all of this cooking is quite hard to resist. The only thing keeping me going is realising the health benefits once I completely make the change.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to start?

Comments

  • my friends also think im crazy for going raw, and most of them are vegans. my girlfriend is vegan and loves to cook so shes mad too. i just kind of ignore them since i know what im doing will help me in the long run. they are just going to have to deal with it.

    another thing you can do is try and make a raw meal for them, something "meaty", and see if that changes their minds.

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Hi Cara, that sounds pretty difficult but I have a couple of pieces of advice.

    Don't make a huge deal over going/being raw as this tends to make things worse, just tell people it's decision you've made because it makes you feel really good.

    People often react badly because they feel they're being judged and they know their own food choices are far from ideal.

    Make sure you read loads about raw as this will help you answer any questions when they arise (and they will!). It's good to be prepared when people ask you the typical 'what about protein, what about deficiencies, blah, blah, blah'.

    If you're going to friends/family for meals, etc, take along a nice raw dish or two and offer it around.

    I'm not 100% raw so the cooked food I eat tends to be when I'm with friends/family but it's always vegan and as unprocessed as possible. This makes things much easier for me but I understand it must be really hard being 100% raw and having to deal with the huge lifestyle and relationship changes it can bring about.

    I hope this has helped a little and good luck!

  • camiheartsrawcamiheartsraw Raw Newbie

    I LOVE food and decided to throw energy into making things that were even better than cooked. It's not as hard for me because I"m allergic to eggs, soy, gluten, corn, etc. so the on-the-shelf options frankly didn't taste that great. I know I've hit on a great recipe when my husband and family love the dish - and sometimes lick the plate :P There are some great recipes for "noodle" dishes and the desserts are fantastic. My family stopped questioning what I was doing and actually started offering to buy me equipment and going shopping with me when they saw my health improve. I have systemic lupus and you wouldn't know it anymore except a rare day here and there. They were very meat and potatoes, but they don't question it anymore. They're not standing in line to adopt the lifestyle, but at least they are very supportive now! My husband and I co-exist peacefully. He makes his meals and I share mine :)

  • Thank you all! These suggestions do really help! :)

Sign In or Register to comment.