Raw Food Rant
I read once that Mother Theresa was invited to an “Anti War Rally”. She refused. When asked to attend a “Peace Rally”, she gladly accepted. Seems like the same thing but one has negativity (anti-war) built into it, the other positivity. With that in mind, I want to comment on what I see as a tremendous amount of negativity and judgement in the “raw food world” but I am going to try to do it in a positive way.
It seems that everyone has their own idea of how you should eat. One “expert” says you should eat 12 avocados a day and no fruit. Another promotes eating bananas. Lots of bananas. Some say no fruit, others no grains. And the saddest thing is if you don’t do it exactly the way they say, somehow you are not doing it correctly. There is a lot of judgement and blame going on there. We already judge ourself harshly enough. Do we really need some else declaring us a failure if we don’t follow their dictates? So many of us (I include myself in that) already have a messed up relationship with food. Do we need to punish ourselves even more if we “fall off the wagon”?
It has always been my belief, here at Rawmazing that everyone is welcome, no matter where you are on your raw food journey. If something you read here or see here inspires you to add just one healthy thing to your diet, I am happy. I love raw food. I believe in raw food. I also believe in sanity and support. You will find both here.
At Rawmazing:
1. Everyone is welome, no matter where you are in your food journey.
2. You will not be judged. Even if you are eating 5 steaks a day. All you need here is a desire to learn about eating healthier and incorporating more raw foods (and less processed foods) into your diet.
3. You do not have to be 100% raw to receiving benefits from adding raw foods into your diet (but you really should try it sometime.)
4. We understand that everyone is at a different place on their raw food journey.
5. We don’t believe in terms like “falling off the wagon”. Implies failure.
6. We believe that food is an important part of life first, nutritionally but also sensory, culturally and simply for enjoyment!
7. No one has all of the answers. You need to figure out what works for you.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Nae76 wrote on March 29, 2011
Awwww, I love this! It’s nice to come to a place and NOT be judged. So glad that people are supportive!
Laura wrote on March 29, 2011
Hi Susan,
I totally agree with everyone here. Being RAW is your own choice. When you talk to others about your choice and get negative comments simply move on to another subject of conversation. Don’t let anyone cause you any self doubt regarding your thoughts about being RAW. Your health is the most important thing, listen to your body.
God bless everyone,
Laura
Joylene wrote on March 28, 2011
Thank you Susan for such a positive and thought provoking post. If only we would remember to respect each other and the place we are at in our individual journeys…. Not everything works for everyone in the same way! But we are all the same in one way… we want to be loved, respected and supported. Thank you for a beautiful site that fills me up… in more ways than one!! May God bless you x
LoveFeast Table wrote on March 28, 2011
I love your positive guidelines! So inspiring! ~Chris Ann
Raw Michelle wrote on March 28, 2011
What I don’t like is someone telling me that I’m making the wrong choices for myself and my family by choosing high raw vegan, when I haven’t even said a peep to them about their choices. That’s one that still irks me to this day and it happens a lot.. People start inquiring, I explain a little.. they want to know more, then they start judging and I’m put in a position where I feel like I need to defend my choices.
Susan wrote on March 28, 2011
I get that a lot. In fact all the time. I can really relate.
Jennifer wrote on March 28, 2011
Your support and attitude is wonderful. Thank you!
Ludia wrote on March 28, 2011
Aah…..your common sense…….I bask in it.
Thank you, Susan.
Ludia
kelli wrote on March 28, 2011
amen!!!
Stacy L wrote on March 28, 2011
100% agree! I can’t believe some of the hate that is out there. It’s FOOD people, just FOOD. It’s so audacious for anyone to think they can judge another, especially based on the food they put in their mouth. However, I do think that some of the blame lies with the raw foodists at times too. There is such an importance placed on the percentage of raw you eat. “I’m 100%, I’m 95%, I’m only 50% or so.” Why the fixation on the number? Just do you. Do what you need to do to take care of you – period.
Then there is the other side – sometimes I think that people are secretly glad to see you fail. If they find out that someone who they believed to be full raw start eating other foods, it’s like they are validated in not following the lifestyle themselves.
So much hate.
S