A new challenge, no3

Today's challenge is all about other people,and the fears they may reflect for us when going raw- what will you eat?, what about protein?how can all those greens fill you up? blah, blah, blah.
Ive found, both personally and in my coaching, that the more sure we are of what we are doing, the less it is possible to be knocked off course by the doubts/negativity of others.It's really all about education. For example, if someone shows concern about your protein intake and it causes you doubt then you are not certain enough- in other words you need to check it out properly, get some advice and reassure yourself. When I first became vegan I was very pleased and proud of myself and i allowed that to carry me for a while. However, when people asked me questions regarding vitamin B12, and calcium I began to worry a little. I hadn't checked this out in my eagerness to become one of the super ethical people, and doubts started to creep in. 'Why did so many vegans look pale and tired?, will I lose my energy and vitality?' Fortunately I had the wherewithal to check the details, and consequently I now have a sound knowledge base for my beliefs, I'm always open to the opinions of others but I don't allow fear to knock me off course.
So my advice is to get some knowledge. However right on and ethical things are, you absolutely need to know that what you are doing wont harm you in any way.There are many sources of information out there- check out some raw forums, go to talks, workshops and courses, read books etc. bear in mind always that often people have an agenda of their own-so you need to read widely and often. And in the end allow your own intuition to guide you- learning to meditate and be still can be enormously helpful in allowing you to be strong in the presence of fear.
Thats all for todays challenge, I hope its been helpful, not only on your raw journey but in all areas of your life.

Challenge no.2

My second biggest challenge with being high raw is the time factor- all that chopping, soaking, sprouting, blending and so on. Then when the meal is prepared I'm hungry again an hour later so it all begins again!!
Fear not, there are simple ways around this

• Equipment- it took me far too long to realise that equipment and gadgets have a massive value in the raw kitchen. I used to have just a juicer, blender and a good set of sharp knives and it took me forever to create my meals. The purchase of a good food processor and a mandolin has been a revelation. I use my processor to chop my leafy greens etc and the mandolin to cut other vegetables. My favourite kale salad now takes minutes to prepare where in the past it could take me half an hour just to chop the kale into tiny pieces. My advice is to buy the best equipment that you can afford for your stage of the raw journey. Which price range to buy into very much depends upon your personality. If you are the type of person who would join a gym then hardly ever go, even though you've paid up, then maybe don't buy the most expensive equipment to start with. However if you're like me and think 'well I've paid for it so I'm jolly well going to use it' then buy the most expensive and let the thought of the money you have spent motivate you to make the most of it!
• Prepare ahead- it wasn't until I attended a raw food prep course that it really sank in that it is actually possible to prepare lots of raw food in advance and just keep it in the fridge. All it takes is a couple of evenings a week and you can make food for the next few days. Allissa Cohen is big on this- her raw for 30 days programme emphasises the fact that you can make your meals for the week in a couple of sessions. All you have to do is turn off the TV ( or lose your addiction to surfing and you tube) a couple of times per week.As long as you can keep your food cool then there is no need to be a slave to the kitchen.
• Simplify your diet- with the proliferation of delicious raw gourmet demos and books these days its easy to forget that some of the healthiest and simplest food can be simple beyond belief. A green smoothie takes seconds to prepare and will satisfy you for hours, how long does it take to peel a banana or orange?
• Keep your kitchen space tidy- committing myself to tidiness and sticking to it has been a revelation for me. Not that it was a grime palace before but keeping every thing tidy makes you far more likely to want to get to it in the kitchen ( steady!!).
• Write a planner- well I had to put this in, I am a coach after all! Making a simple list of what to soak and when will hugely help you organise your living foods kitchen, if its just an idea in your head that you need to soak some seeds to sprout then you may keep putting it off. You can swap and change what you soak but you will soon get into a routine and it will become as ordinary as it was to remember to take tomorrows dinner out of the freezer.

That's it for now, I hope these time saving tips help you. Above all bear in mind that saving or improving your health is worth all the time in the world, and time is free along with fresh air and love

Hallo Sweet Readers- challenge no.1

Hi all
I'm beginning this new blog to record my adventures and experiences as I adopt a 100% raw diet. I've been high raw for a long time ( years) but have only just decided that now, with my children almost grown and my teaching of rawism expanding, is the right time to move to being raw every day. So far its been great. My challenges in the past have been many and I'll blog about how I deal with different aspect of them over the coming blogs. So here's today's challenge.

Being tempted by the food I cook for others ( family). This is an issue for many people who are trying to adopt a raw diet while living amongst 'normal' people, and its not only the smell and familiarity of cooked food that can tempt us.

• There is the emotional aspect to consider, food is for many people a symbol of love and nurturing and others may feel rejected if we turn away their offerings. An example ( after all this is about real life stuff, not someones theory of how it should all work out)- my daughter is studying 'Food' at school(although to be honest how they get away with calling most of what they are asked to prepare as food I don't know- but that's for another post!). All of what she prepares is vegan- the teacher calls it her 'restricted diet', cheeky woman!- and some of it is raw, however she did create and cook a recipe that was vegan but not raw, she was very proud of it and desperately wanted the opinion of all her family. This was a couple of months before I went 100% so it wasn't too much of a problem to taste it. the question is, what would I have done this week? I have explained to both my children the reasons behind my rawism,and they are both supportive and eat mostly raw at home. What would you have done?? I guess some people probably need to have their feelings a little hurt!, but sometimes a genuine offering of love needs careful handling.
• The temptations of smell- sometimes that meal we prepare for others ( or that they prepare in our space) smells so tempting that we can convince ourselves that a little bit wont hurt. Ive found that the best thing to do is to prepare my meal first so that its not too bothersome afterwards, and having lots of motivational writings posted on the fridge etc remind me why its so important to heal myself of all unhealthy addictions