Many of you have been asking me questions in the comment section that I can’t help but put up another “self interview” so I can answer them for you. So please forgive me if I appear to be delusional and humor me for a bit, okay?
As you all know by now, I am extremely passionate about two things that have emerged this year. Can you guess at least one of them? (Hint: It “started in September 2008.”)
Still can’t figure it out?
Okay, how about this….a good handful of you have been following me on this thing and you’re trying it out for yourselves.
Give up?
Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you guessed correctly: the raw food journey!
The other topic has to do with something I announced the beginning of this week. (Hint: It’s in the last gratitude post.) The first commentator who guesses the right answer wins a prize (yet to be determined but the prize will come from the answer given).
So what will today’s “interview” be about?
RAW FOOD!
Now, I realize not every one of you are into eating raw food exclusively but I’m assuming that most of you are at least interested in losing weight, increasing your energy ten-fold, waking up more alert, experiencing clarity of the mind and sporting a healthy glow?
Most people want these things. I have accomplished all of that plus so much more since changing my dietary habits over 3 months ago. While I’ve been chronicling my experiences, I haven’t really defined what exactly it means to eat raw food or how it’s affected my life in other ways.
So today I’m going to put up a couple of questions that some of you have been asking me lately. Let’s do this!
1. What is Raw Food?
It is uncooked, unprocessed food. I mentioned in the last post that this way of life is fast catching on and sooner or later the media will start labeling it the “plant-based” diet. Just the other day I saw David Wolfe, the biggest raw food guru on what looked like “Entertainment Tonight.” (I was at the gym running on the treadmill and didn’t quite catch the name of the show).
Uncooked and unprocessed foods are for the most part, natural plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables. It helps if you buy organic because there are no pesticides or other chemicals involved. By definition, uncooked foods means nothing is heated above 42 C/118 F degrees. That means if you make “raw soup” for example (which could be a blend of tomatoes, carrots or whatever you desire), it cannot go above those temperatures because otherwise it’s no longer “raw.” (More on this in the next question)
2. So if you eat raw food, you must not be eating cooked meals. Why not?
At this stage of my journey, while a substantial portion of my diet includes fruits and vegetables, there are occasions when I will order chicken with my salads, especially when I’m traveling. But when I’m home, I’m pretty much eating between 90 to 100 percent fruits and vegetables.
If you heated your foods above 42 C/118 F degrees, the live enzymes are killed off. Enzymes are used to help digest your food. We are all born with a reserve of enzymes but they are gradually depleted over a person’s life. When you are eating meat (or anything that’s cooked above those temperatures), there are no live enzymes in the foods to assist with digestion. What happens is the body’s reserve of enzymes are being used instead. Along with that, the body is consuming enormous amounts of energy to digest those “dead foods.”
Have you ever felt lethargic after eating a heavy meal? Ever wonder why? It’s because your body has to work harder to digest what you just ate! On the other hand, plant-based foods are full of live enzymes, making digestion easier, faster and more efficient.
There are other things that happen when you eat cooked meals but suffice to say that cooking destroys the life force. Eating cooked food is like eating “dead meat.”
3. If you’re eating primarily fruits and vegetables, where are you getting your protein?
Would you believe it if I told you that you do not need meat to maintain an adequate intake of protein? Most people don’t know that - – when I tell them I’m on a raw food diet, that’s usually the first question they ask. (Photo: alaskaveg*n)
Raw food has twice as much protein as cooked food so you’ll actually need less! All the green leafy vegetables I use for my smoothies and salads have a ton of minerals and protein all of which more then exceed the daily minimum vitamin/mineral requirements.
For example, the average percentage of calories from protein in green leafy vegetables ranges between 35 to 50%! Unless you just eat fruit and nothing else (not much protein in them), it’s very hard not to get more than enough protein from your green leafy vegetables, certain nuts and seeds (among other things).
4. Is eating raw food safe? I heard you can get e-coli from eating spinach!
One day I was at a coffee shop on my way out when I noticed a man reading a book that led me to think he was a raw foodist. I can’t remember the title but the cover had a photo of vibrant fruits and vegetables. So I asked if he was.
His immediate response was, “Heck, NO! I don’t want to expose myself to e-coli!”
He isn’t the only person to think that way. My mom warned me of the same thing when I first told her about going raw.
Folks, this “outbreak” happened in 2006. Not long afterward it was reported that eating spinach was safe again – take a look at this two year old article from a medical news website: “Fresh Spinach Safe to Eat Again.”
Unfortunately, that spinach scare (initiated by the FDA, believe it or not) may have done more harm than good because it’s indelibly imprinted on the minds of many people like my mother and that man from the coffee shop.
Here check this out: “Spinach scare may have done more harm than good by discouraging consumption of healthy greens.”
5. Okay, so what do you eat on a daily basis?
My raw food diet is actually very simple. Even when I was eating “SAD” food (Standard American Diet), I never cooked up a storm or made elaborate plates for myself unless I had company over. I’m pretty simple when it comes to preparing meals.
Generally, I start off the day with a cup of green tea (no more coffee!) followed by a green smoothie using my Vitamix (the ingredients of which change daily except for some kind of green leafy vegetable that serves as the base ingredient like spinach, kale, red leaf or romaine lettuce).
A mid-morning snack might consist of superfoods like a handful of gogi berries with cacao beans or barring that, a frozen banana. Lunch would usually consists of a spinach salad or a variation thereof. A mid afternoon snack could be a juice drink, depending on my inclination to make one. Dinner is any one of the above or something out of a raw food cookbook if I’m feeling adventurous.
6. My God, you’re depriving yourself of life’s pleasures like coffee and cigars!
The old Stephen smoking a cigar at brother's house.
I have to smile at that one because just the other day I was talking to someone from church who I used to hang out with who said to me that I was depriving myself of life’s simple pleasures like coffee and cigars.
When she said that, my first response was that it was her, not me, who felt that I was depriving myself because if she were in my position, she’d feel that way. In other words, she was transferring her feelings to me.
To be honest with you, I really don’t feel that way at all. When I stopped smoking cigars and drinking coffee, it was a natural byproduct of the new lifestyle. It just clashed with what I was doing and I knew it.
I never said to myself, “I’m going to quit smoking cigars and give up coffee by a such and such date.” It just happened naturally. I still have a bag of unused coffee sitting on the shelf in the refrigerator – I see it every morning and not once have I felt the need to make some. As I type this blog post, I’m in a coffee shop – the wonderful aroma of coffee doesn’t entice me into wanting a cup. Isn’t that interesting? Especially after YEARS of starting off my mornings with a hot cup of steaming coffee. Miraculous if you ask me!
Not long after I started drinking smoothies in the mornings, I saw an incredible increase in energy that lasted me throughout most of the day. Isn’t that why we drink coffee in the first place? For the caffeine? To stay awake?
So, no I don’t feel I’m depriving myself of cigars and coffee!
7. I understand some of your friends no longer hang out with you because they think you no longer have anything in common with them. Is that true?
Yes, it is. I used to hang around with a certain person a lot before I decided to embark on this dramatic switchover from the SAD to raw food diet. I remember one day she was over at my house visiting. It was right around the time I was making the dietary transition.
I was preparing myself an avocado with cherry tomatoes sandwich and asked if she wanted one. Her nose wrinkled in distaste and she appeared to take a step backward saying, “There’s nothing in there for me, is there?” I got the distinct impression this was a bit too much for her to digest. Understandable. I thought she’d get over it.
She never did. A week turned into two into three. Never heard a peep out of her.
Today we are no longer hanging out. It was a choice both of us made, really. What we once had in common, we no longer do. And it wasn’t isolated to our different eating habits either. My whole way of being (physical, mental and spiritual) has also gone to another level. It’s like shedding old skin and emerging as a different person.
Left Behind
She even commented the other day, “You don’t drink coffee anymore? My GOD, I don’t even know who you are anymore!” Radical changes like that tend to scare your friends off because you’re no longer the same person they knew. Yes, it can happen. (Photo: rebelshootsfan)
I asked why she was distancing herself from me to which she replied that she “didn’t want to get hurt.” I was saddened to hear that but I also understood. She was choosing to stay where she was while I moved forward with what I needed to do with my life.
When anyone makes a dramatic change in their life, whether it involves going into business, taking on a whole new physical fitness program, eating different food or changing careers, it’s inevitable certain people will get left behind because it’s part of life’s natural ebb and flow.
It’s like this. An alcoholic decides to clean up his act and gets sober. How does he improve his life and stay that way? Not only does he go to AA meetings but he also leaves behind his drinking buddies because otherwise he’d slide backwards.
Because I no longer eat SAD food, I’m now wanting my circle of friends to be those who understand what I’m going through and eat healthy alongside me. I can’t be eating burgers at fast food joints anymore. My friend made a good point when she asked, “Tell me Stephen, do we have anything in common anymore?”
Point well taken.
Food for thought: I have a couple thoughts I want to leave with you today:
1. Have you ever made a dramatic change in your life (hopefully for the better) only to find that some of the people you once hung out with have made a decision not to go with you on your new journey? How did you deal with that?
2. Have you figured out what my other passion is? (The first commentator who guesses the right answer will get a prize from me – the prize is directly correlated with the answer).
3. Have you thought about buying a Vita-Mix for your kitchen for the holidays? If you order your Vitamix through me, you get FREE SHIPPING! (a savings of $25). Click here for more details.
If you liked this post and you want to be notified of the next one, subscribe via Email or Full Text RSS Feed. I would love to have you as part of the community!
11:54 pm on December 9th, 2008 1
Stephen, I used to love guessing games as a kid, so if I had to guess, it would be the beginnings toward having your book published, fulfilling yet another longtime dream.
It was a toss up between that and all the folks you met in Chicago at the conference. People who had only been online friends, but came to be very real friends. But I’m sticking with my first impression for purpose of this game.
9:50 am on December 10th, 2008 2
Stephen,
Very good explanation of your raw food journey!
Sorry, but I don’t agree with those people who stop being your friends simply because you’re eating raw foods?! I am sure they can find other things interesting to do with you… like going hiking, watching movies, playing games, traveling, etc.!!
I don’t see what the big deal is to judge someone by what he/she eats and stop being friends for that very reason?! That does not mean that those people should follow the similar diet just to stay friends…
Shoot! Looks like Barbara beat me to it about the guess of publishing your book. But another guess from me would be…ummm… flying as well as owning a plane??
9:58 am on December 10th, 2008 3
@ Nita:
I agree that people shouldn’t stop being friends just because I’m eating differently but I suspect there was more to it than that for this person.
She also told me that I’m doing a number of things that she isn’t doing like speaking professionally, going to places like London at the drop of a hat, carrying around a Blackberry, eating a drastically different diet and working out often – all of which are the things that are not of interest to her, I guess. That’s okay – it happens.
Bottom line? It was a combination of things that led to the separation of our friendship.
I won’t be commenting on the guesses of readers about question number 2 above until I collect enough responses to reveal the ANSWER! Stay tuned!!
12:04 pm on December 10th, 2008 4
Stephen,
It seems like your friend is drastically stuck in her ways and shuns change. Speaking professionally is very admirable and feared by many, you have my respect for being yourself and tackling the task! Flying to London at the drop of a hat is incredible! That’s my kind of thinking as well!
It seems like you are just upgrading more and more and she is stationary.
I’m sure she is a great person, but hey, you have to grow. I support your growing 100%. Kudos on the raw food diet! I’ve been 50% raw for the past 3 months. At the very least, I have a green smoothie in the mornings! I’m kicking it up to 100% here soon and I’m excited to see my improvements.
Keep moving forward,
Curt
2:51 pm on December 10th, 2008 5
@ Curt:
While my friend chose to remain where she is, I told her that I loved her as one of my greatest friends and always will. I respected her wishes to stay at a distance and have moved on.
Congratulations Curt, for bringing in raw food to your life where it makes up about 50% of your diet. WOOT!!! You’re way ahead of most people! I’m proud of you. Keep me posted, I’m VERY interested in knowing how you’re doing. If you have any questions about it, I’ll be happy to share my experiences with you. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out for you, okay?
Have you guessed what my other passion is? I hinted at where you could find the answer in the article. I’m still waiting for the right answer. Hehehe.
3:14 pm on December 10th, 2008 6
You’re getting passionate about your new raw food website?? Or the new on-line businezz?
5:15 pm on December 10th, 2008 7
Stephen,
Just had to jump in here again.
I have to tell you, the discussion about your friend is a familiar one to me. I’ve been round that block for lesser and greater reasons than changing what I ate. But for purpose of commonality, I’ll tell you my food version.
I embarked on a vegetarian diet in the 1970′s. You would have thought I had grown two heads the way people treated me. After many years, I did go back to eating some meat, poultry and fish. But once again in 2000 I returned to my vegetarian diet. There were definitely times it seemed as if people, even in the year 2000, had been living in a cave, not heard of people eating this way. The judging of what I ate was too often a topic of conversation, where I felt uncomfortable. I needed to move away those folks.
The thing is, it was never about the food. It didn’t bother me to eat with others consuming whatever they chose. I didn’t lecture, cajole, even inform. I actually think that’s where the separation starts. When you try to share with a friend your new interest, or when that interest places restriction on your interactions. For instance, I don’t think I would have walked away from the people I did, if they just allowed me my food choices without constant scrunity/comment etc..
What it is about, I think is having a particular variety of relational foundation, however. The food thing (or exercise or books or religion, pick your topic) would never have been an issue if…and that’s where you have to look and be honest. We would have found new ways to enjoy time spent together, depending on the depth of the connection, depending on what we wanted or needed. I needed to be left to my choice of food without judgement. So maybe just a matter of seeing the relationship for what it was, a friend you met for coffee or burgers. Those kinds of friends are always going to be part of our lives, because no one person provides us all our various needs/wants. In this case, sounds like maybe a social friend, someone to get outside with, enjoy a restaurant. And maybe not the same person you share your troubles with or someone you’d go into business with. Each relationship shares unique characteristcs, just like you bring what is unique about you, she brought what was unique about her and the relationship created the third form of unique.
I honestly don’t think your friend is anyone other than who she wants to be and that can only be construed as a good thing. Staying true to oneself always supersedes adapting things not in alignment with that attitude.
3:34 pm on December 11th, 2008 8
I had recently been wondering about changing yourself when you are in a relationship. For example, if I want to go raw but my girlfriend doesn’t, we will run into the same problem you and your friend had. Or perhaps she wants to start an exercise program and I don’t. Unless we are both on the same page, one of us is being held back. And neither of us can force the other person to stay on the same page.
4:38 pm on December 11th, 2008 9
I have no idea for an answer for question #2, but my husband and I have experienced a major change in our lives and we have lost or drifted away from friends from a certain period in our lives.
Let me state that I have friends that go back to elementary, college, I am friends with many of my old bosses from decades ago. So I value my friends I love the range of backgrounds and experiences they have.
But the saddest for me is loosing what I thought were close friends from a very tiny village where we raised our kids for about 10 years. We were part of a community. It was great, you could just pop in at someones house for coffee, we helped each other, supported each other. Back then husband and I were really broke, but we made it. We loved our lives. My son who is now in college was shocked to learn from my brother that we were poor back then. He didn’t know it. He says that he had the best childhood. We lived on about an acre of land that backed up to a forest with a pond. The rest of our neighborhood was farm land. Well, husband and I were struggling with bills trying to figure out where we were going and what we were going to do. I started working on websites, back in 1995. Just plugging away. As time went on husband quit working for his father and we bought a print shop. We loved it. Still broke, but felt like we had more control over our destination. We loved our community. Eventually I had to get a job outside of our company, and because of my business experience and web experience I got a job as a webmaster for a major sized county. In spite of my 150 mile a day round trip commute, we were still close with our friends. After a couple of years of the drive and realizing that our current community wasn’t going to be offering jobs of any sort let alone the pay – our family said good-bye to our home and village. I was still in communication with friends, it was a little harder, but I could still pop in when we went up to see them.
Then it happened. I got a job in the Governor’s office. At first my friends were thrilled, but as soon as I got into office with the Gov, I was blown off. Now understand we still have friends from our old village and we still visit a couple times a year. BUT there are some friends who seem to not wish to see us anymore. I am still me. I still craft, do dumb things, make mistakes, raise my kids – but for some (and it has been over 6 years since I took this job) I realize that the old days are gone. They were a wonderful time and place. I feel bad that I make them feel uncomfortable. It was all fine when we were struggling and they were helping in little ways and we would help them, but now – with that part taken out of the equation, there isn’t much there to hold it together.
My family has made their way in our newest community, and have made friends. Life goes on, I cherish the friends I have and the wonderful memories of friends that were. I wish them only the best.
6:12 pm on December 11th, 2008 10
@ Ned:
The lesson I’m learning here and am trying to impart is that we have to take care of ourselves – for me it’s getting healthier and eating better. The lesson I was trying to impart is that sometimes when we go to the next level for our life, some people don’t want to go there with us. They feel they don’t have anything in common with us anymore (or vice versa). What I’m trying to say is we need to do what’s right for our own physical, mental and spiritual well being.
If that means getting sober or eating better or changing careers or starting your own business, then that’s what you have to do. I see too many people not wanting to move on because of the fear of “losing their friends.”
My goal is to align myself with those who have a similar mindset for success. I do not want to hang around those who have different goals (or lack thereof).
Let’s see if I can put it in another way. Suppose you decide to adopt a different belief system where abundance is indeed possible but you’re hanging around people who think negatively or who don’t take risks to achieve success. You could decide to hold yourself back and continue to hang around those people or you could decide to move forward and let go of those who are consciously or subconsciously holding you back.
Does that make sense? And it’s true you can’t force anyone to stay on the same page but there are plenty of people who can and are willing to be on the same page as you – they’re out there. We just have to set the intention of attracting the right people. What we put out, we get back.
6:18 pm on December 11th, 2008 11
@ Barbara:
Thanks for jumping in again – that’s one of the greatest things about this community. I love how people like you pipe up whenever there’s something you want to say to contribute to the ongoing conversation. More often then not, it leads to a fascinating discussion.
I can understand your need to your choice of food without being judged. Absolutely! It’s our bodies we are putting this stuff into, not theirs. You’re right – it’s just a matter of seeing the relationship for what it was. The friend that I was talking about was and continues to be a wonderful person and I still love her inner spirit. I told her that I will always cherished what we had and that no matter what, I still love her as a good friend. She indicated likewise. We departed amicably with an understanding. But it was definitely time to move on. She made her choice and I made mine.
Very good point when you say my friend was just someone who she wanted to be by staying put in the zone where she felt comfortable and in alignment with what she perceived as God’s will for her. I applauded her for that. And likewise, I was moving on to a different level to pursue what I perceive is God’s will for me.
So we’re both doing what we think is right for ourselves which simply means going separate ways. That’s life, right?
6:25 pm on December 11th, 2008 12
@ Miss Niss:
The answer to question #2 can be found in the last gratitude post I did earlier this week. Wink, wink. But one of the commentators has already given the correct answer but I am not pinpointing it just yet. I’m curious to see if you and others can figure it out.
First of all, thanks so much for pouring your heart out with your story. It was utterly fascinating. Read a book, ending in a climax with “Then it happened…..” WOOT! Great job.
Allow me to say why I think some of your friends blew you off after you got in the Governor’s office. I know exactly what happened. Because of the change of “status,” some people blew you off becuase they now perceived you as being “snooty” or “up there hobnobbing with the rich and powerful.” Whether that is true or not doesn’t matter – that was probably their perception and they probably felt that you were now “acting better than them” just becuase you were working for the Governor.
Does that make sense?
Sometimes people blow you off even when you become successful because they think they’re not good enough for you anymore even though you never said any such thing. Other times it’s because you’re now perceived as being a snob who can no longer be bothered to hang around them.
Make sense? Yes, life goes on and yes I also cherish the time spent with friends I had in the past, including this woman. Good person. Different values, different objectives, none of which are compatible with mine.
6:34 pm on December 11th, 2008 13
Ah, Stephen, you said it yourself, she went her way and you went yours, meaning neither one of you ‘stayed put’. Staying true to oneself is not the same as staying put. That seems to be simply your perception or maybe desire to have influenced your friend’s eating habits to match yours, an effort on your part to retain the friendship, maybe? Or see the world through your new view?
6:41 pm on December 11th, 2008 14
@ Barbara:
You know, it’s possible that I subsconsciously wanted her to eat healthier. There were times when we’d go out to eat and I’d ask that we go to a place that had healthy dishes. Nothing wrong with that but I’m willing to consider the possibility that subconsciously I was asking her to match my eating habits. Hmmm…..but I never forced anything on anyone.
Like how I’m doing it here in the blog. I am merely sharing my experiences with everyone and letting them know how it’s helped me immeasurably. Whether or not readers adopted this way of life was always up to them. But when they wrote to tell me they’ve increased their intake of fruits and vegetables, of course, I was always very excited to hear that and encouraged them to stay on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Kind of the same thing.
The friends I do have hanging around me understand the need to eat at places where I can make healthy menu choices. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves- McDonald’s is not exactly the healthiest place to eat but if worse came to worse and I had to go there for some reason, I could always have one of their salads, right?
It’s all a matter of making choices. But you pointed out some very interesting things. We all have our way of perceiving things. But I have no regrets about embarking on this path because it’s taken me to another level that I never dreamt would happen. You already know about the benefits of my new dietary habits so I won’t repeat them here but they are reasons enough to continue this path I have chosen for myself.
3:09 pm on December 14th, 2008 15
Stephen, I have found that a lot of people, if not most, don’t like change in their lives in any form. When I started writing my blog and growing again spiritually, my friendship with my best friend changed dramatically. For awhile, I thought the friendship was going to end completely because I was moving forward and my friend was standing still in her comfort zone. She hated my new online friends and even advised me that I needed to be careful or I might get hurt. I sat her down and told her my time of standing still was over. I told her she could stay where she was or come with me. I still consider her a friend but we have let go of some of our closeness. We don’t see each other or talk as often as we once did and that is ok. All relationships change or they die.
In the beginning, I wanted to drag her along with me every step of the way down the path that I have chosen. I soon realized that wasn’t fair or the right thing to do. I chose for myself and she has to choose for herself. We all want our friends to be as happy as we are. It doesn’t work that way. We all have the right to choose for ourselves the path that our lives will take. Sometimes that means that we lose friends. When that happens, we grieve and we move on.
As we change, new people are attracted to our new attitudes and new beliefs.
3:22 pm on December 14th, 2008 16
@ Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker:
You said it rather eloquently. It’s a very strange place to be though – you feel sort of weird because things are different now and I just have to live with the new reality. This is not the first time it’s happened so it isn’t completely strange for I’ve experienced it before but it’s still a strange thing to go through.
I am comforted by the last sentence “As we change, new people are attracted to our new attitudes and new beliefs.” I have begun to see that happening already and so that’s encouraging. I thank God every day for helping me co-create new circumstances, new people, new events and a new way of life on the basis of the choices I’ve made in response to my inner intuition. I’m grateful for the new path I’ve set myself on and like you said, that can involve losing people along the way.
9:12 pm on December 14th, 2008 17
This is very interesting Stephen.
I must admit the idea of a completely raw-food diet is not particularly appealing to me, but I am certainly interested in increasing my energy levels, waking up more alert and having greater clarity of mind. So I might follow some of your tips and add more raw foods to my diet (I particularly like the idea of replacing coffee with a smoothie).
And yes, I have also experienced what you have with losing connections with people who I was once very close to. As you say, it’s just part of the natural ebb and flow of life.
3:24 am on December 15th, 2008 18
Thanks, Stephen, for the response.
This is an area I have a lot of difficulty with… letting go of people who are going somewhere else and not following where other people think I should go. Part of the problem is I don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings. The other part is approval seeking behavior. I guess that is really the problem overall: putting social acceptance above self-actualization. I feel a blog post coming out of this one.
6:59 am on December 15th, 2008 19
@ Ned:
Ned, I don’t remember where I read this but it made a very powerful impact on me. Since I’m going on memory on this, I am going to paraphrase it. Here goes…..
We do not need to worry about hurting other people’s feelings (bear with me on this for a second) because when we speak the truth about what’s true for ourselves, we need to let other people deal with it the way they know how and not shelter them from anything because they are fully capable of handling it. Their spirits are much stronger than we give them credit for. In other words, we don’t need to process or help them process their feelings. When we walk around being afraid of hurting other people’s feelings, we’re not helping them or ourrselves because as far as their concerned, we are treating them like they’re not capable.
but God has never given us more than we can handle at one time. We are all capable of dealing with whatever hand we have been dealt with and therefore because of that, it’s not our jobs to decide how much to tell someone out of fear of hurting their feelings. They can handle it – their spirit can never be broken.
Does that make sense? I typed all of that with my eyes closed and let the spirit work through me. I am paraphrasing what I remember reading somewhere.
So in other words, I am always telling people to tell me their truth and not feel the need to hold anything back for fear of hurting my feelings because for one thing, I have thick skin (so to speak) and for another, I am fully capable of handling what comes my way. If I can handle it, why can’t they?
Having said all of that, there is, of course, diplomatic ways of saying things. That’s a matter of courtesy but I have learned that we should speak up for ourselves and tell people our truths if need be without feeling the need to walk on eggshells.
7:03 am on December 15th, 2008 20
@ Peter | The Change Blog:
My philosophy has always been to share what I’ve done and then let the community pick and choose what works for them. I understand how the concept of eating “raw foods” can be somewhat unappealing to some but if they knew of the incredible benefits of at least increasing their intake of those kinds of foods and moving away from the typical SAD diet (Standard American Food), they’d be ahead of most of the population who are unaware.
I’ve always had the belief that it’s not my job to force anything I do upon people but merely educate them about what it’s done for me and if it reasonates with them, fantastic. I love hearing success stories based on what I’ve shared with them. It does not matter to me whether someone is 10 percent raw, 50 percent or 100 percent. Those numbers actually don’t mean much of anything because you could say you’re 50 percent raw but the other half consists of burgers, fries, refined sugar, etc.
I’m glad you echoed the “losing connections” thing – it makes me feel not so alone. Thanks for your input – it’s a joy to have you here. Peter.
10:59 pm on January 19th, 2009 21
This post caused me to chuckle. You see, I have been helping my parents clean out theri basement and I found a vitamix down there. My mom acquired it at an auction a while back. I recall using it to make frozen yogurt and have new ideas about using it to make organic making rye bread and vegetable juices. Just need to dust it off!
As for the dramatic change question, I have been undergoing a series of them ever since highschool graduation. Many of my friends from that era have slowly gone their own way and I have evolved in mine. It is marvelous to recognize that everyone we meet leaves a memorable footprint in our lives, regardless of how long we know them.
6:42 pm on January 24th, 2009 22
@ Liara Covert:
Glad to have made you chuckle.
I certainly hope you intend to put that Vitamix to good use again! It’s a powerful blender and I use it every single morning to make power-packed green smoothies. It was the best investment I ever made and admittedly the most pricey piece of equipment for my kitchen.
Yes indeed, every single person leaves a memorable footprint in our lives regardless of whether the encounter was brief or lifelong. Absolutely! And let me take that further by saying we made a pre-birth agreement with every single person we’ve encountered. How is that possible for encounters that have lasted no more than a milli-second (like accidentally bumping into them on the street)? I have no clue! I guess we’ll find out for sure when we “go home.”
8:00 am on March 9th, 2009 23
Oh Raw Food, I like to eat raw carrots, but raw meat would be cannibalism!
11:51 am on March 9th, 2009 24
@ Abdulrehman:
Oh no, I don’t eat raw meat! LOL. Raw foods is another way of saying I eat plant-based food like fruits and vegetables where there’s no cooking and no meat. But I am not 100 percent raw so I do allow myself occasional cooked food like pizza or chicken but not very often. I would say I’m about 80 percent raw or thereabouts.
It’s helped me tremendously. I lost 30 pounds, have more energy then ever and my health is fantastic. I’ve also had a lot of incredible life changes and feel closer than ever to God. It’s all because of the raw food diet where I’ve been focused on a lot of internal cleansing. Incredible experience!