Costly? Cooking?… and Cravings!

This week I’ve been asked the same questions a few times. They’re good ones so let me share my thoughts on them: Is eating Raw extremely expensive? When you think of buying lots of nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables it seems that eating raw would be very costly. I find the cost about the same as when I used to buy groceries that included meat, milk and plenty of junk food. Yes, good food isn’t cheap, (I don’t know why junk is cheaper, it’s annoyingly mysterious. It isn’t like we’re buying jewel encrusted strawberries) but when you are replacing meat, milk, cheese, eggs, canned foods and lots of convenience foods it comes out about equal. The benefit of the pure nutrition you are getting from your food also makes it so much more value for your money! Plus the big BONUS, you are saving money on the medical bills you won’t have because your body will be so strong and full of nutrients that it can fend off those nasty bugs that go around. Is it possible to be successful eating raw while living with and feeding the rest of your family who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD)? Yes! It is possible, although not easy. I am doing it now. The 3 teen-age kids I have left at home eat that way and my husband is vegetarian. I come home from work, make them a cooked dinner and then fix my own. It can take a long time unless you do a little planning ahead. One trick is to make a couple of Raw dishes on the weekend (like taco fixings, the zucchini pasta primavera or raw chili), make enough to last a few days and have all their accompaniments chopped and ready to go in individual containers in the refrigerator. Then, each evening when you’re really hungry for dinner you can throw one of them together and have a quick, delicious dinner! Another idea is to keep your meal really simple. A big green salad with sliced fruit can be thrown together pretty quickly. Nori rolls or lettuce wraps filled with fresh veggies are fast and easy. Make a tomato, cucumber and sprout sandwich in green leafy lettuce leaves with a raw mustard sauce. Green smoothies are quick to whip up or a sweet fruit smoothie. Be sure to offer some of what you are making to your family, they might just surprise you and try it someday. Then they might surprise themselves and like it! Always keep your comments positive and don’t nag them to stop eating the foods they like. If you keep loving your raw food, looking and feeling better and showing them how bright, fresh and delicious raw foods are they will have a much better opinion of it. Actions and results always speak louder than words.  Get your children involved in preparing some of the meals and they’re always more likely to eat them. They would love to run the zucchini through the spiralizer to make angel hair pasta! I bought mine on the web site rawfoodtalk.com for $24.95 and you can also find them for sale on several other sites.  You can probably even get them to drink green smoothies if you give them a fun name like, “Shrek Smoothies” or “Hungry Hulk”. Offer fresh fruit, ants-on-a-log (with almond butter and raisins) or veggie sticks for snacking – every little bit helps! How long until the cooked food cravings go away? When I was trying to eat raw meals only part-time I found it really hard to stick with it. Once I decided to go 100% and eat all raw I discovered my cravings went completely away. I still think cooked food smells good, but I can enjoy the smell without wanting to eat it. I know how sluggish and heavy it will make me feel and I just don’t want to feel that way any more. I used to use this trick on myself – when I would smell something that was tempting me or someone would bring a plate of treats into my office I would repeat over in my mind, “I really want a juicy, sweet apple! I can’t wait to get a juicy, sweet, crisp apple!” and I’d picture it (or another favorite fruit) in my mind. No joke, it worked every time. Then when I got to eat that apple, it was like heaven and totally worth the wait! Give it a try!    Well, there you have it – answers to a few recent questions. I’d be happy to share how I’ve dealt with some of the challenges you might have or answer a question if I can. If I don’t know the answer I’ll try to find out, and … I always have an opinion. So feel free to ask. If you are wondering about it, most likely several other people are too!