10 Easy Steps to Transition Any Donut-Loving Burger-Eater to a High Raw Food Diet (Part 1 of 2)
by Carissa Leventis-Cox and Tera Warner
I have been a raw vegan for over a year. During this time, my meat and carb craving husband and son have been able to transition from 100% cooked foods to more and more raw vegan meals. On a very good day at home, breakfast, snacks, drinks and lunch are 100% raw and dinner is about 50% raw. As I write this, I am reminded of how far we have come in the past year. But it is a struggle sometimes. On what I call bad days, the boys consume almost 0% raw but for their drinks.
The Only Fruit on the Menu Was a Slice of Tomato
We recently visited Alabama and I was shocked to discover that in one restaurant the only fruit or vegetable (cooked or raw) on the menu was a side order of 2 slices of tomato!!! I couldn’t believe it.
Needless to say, we didn’t eat there.
We were appalled! But, what incensed me the most was the quality of food my husband and son were eating – rather what they chose to eat when dining out: non-organic meats, Krispy Kreme doughnuts (at a buffet in a museum), highly processed preservative filled pancakes and muffins (I would have chosen better restaurants if there were options), fried coconut shrimp (probably saturated fat and mercury filled), lemonade no doubt made with high fructose corn syrup… I could go on. I cringed at their choices. I cringed at the toxins they were eating. I cringed because I had a quick vision of myself giving up on them and serving them what they obviously so enjoyed.
Then It Struck Me: “It’s Okay.”
It is OK for them to make their own choices for themselves. It is OK for them to discover how these awful foods affect their bodies – for themselves. It can be a learning experience for them – and for me too. When we returned home, they were exhausted and had outbreaks of pimples on their bodies. I, on the other hand, was as healthy and full of energy as I was at the beginning of the trip.
Now at home, I have bravely decided that (like all raw moms), I needed to do a better job at properly empowering my family to make better food choices. But how? HOW?!? Although we home-school, bring our lunch boxes everywhere and eat at home for most meals, we want to be part of the community and in doing so, we are exposed to what other people eat a few times a week.
Although our friends know how careful I am about our family’s diet, it is inevitable that our son will want what all the other kids or adults are having. In a recent birthday party, there was a pinata and our son just devoured all the candy he picked up. It didn’t stop there of course because he ate all of his mainstream cupcake, some ice cream AND he wanted a lollipop. Needless to say, a watermelon cube at the end of a toothpick just wouldn’t do. (Did I already mention that we even made sure we fed him before we arrived at the party?) Of course, the very next day, he had a bit of a runny nose…
Does He Really Care?
Although I do explain the difference between processed and fresh foods – does my son really care? Does he understand? But will he choose to eat that junk anyway? Hmmm… if given a choice, probably yes. Ditto for my husband if we’re out of the house.
Before this summer, it was easier to get our 3 year old son to eat more raw and he loved the green smoothies and sprouted salads. But as he has become more social and more attentive to how other kids (or adults) eat and attuned to their negative views on vegetables, he has said: “I don’t like greens.” “No green smoothie for me!” “I just want bread!” “This is Almond Butter, not Peanut Butter. Yuck!” He has taken the lettuce out of a raw sandwich (so lovingly put together), refused to drink freshly made juice or smoothies and declared “I am not hungry!” after surveying the table. This is hard.
Is Resistance Futile?
How can you resist the Standard American Diet when it is constantly in your family’s face? How can you fight a culture that exalts bad food?
Ummm… perseverance, I guess?
Let me see… what other mantras do I recite in my head while I cringe at my family’s food choices: “force not, educate constantly, provide healthy food options at home and while traveling… and geez… you gotta just RELAX. It’s not the end of the world.”
So what do I do? I keep at it because at the end of the day, I know I’ve done my best for my family’s health and well-being. This thought alone motivates, encourages and inspires me to keep serving up more raw vegan fare at home.
Many friends have asked me HOW I have come this far in transitioning my family’s meals at home. Most are daunted by the task of introducing raw foods, especially if their husbands and children love meats and cooked foods. So, here is my ‘plan’. I wish we were 80% raw now, but I believe in ‘the slower the better’ method especially for those who may resist change.
1. Take it On a Gentle Gradient
I know you’re an Earth-shaking change maker. But extremism isn’t right for everyone and the only way you’ll get your family over to the healthy side of the fence is through gradual, respectful change and communication.
Make a list. Go Slow. Start by changing one habit at a time – the easiest ones first. Once that becomes comfortable, move on to the next item on your list.
Change takes place best on a gradient. Most people who do extreme purge diets just binge when it’s over. If you make gentle, gradual lifestyle changes they will become a part of your every day life.
It will seem as though, without effort, you suddenly woke up and things were different.
No one likes to be told what to do and no one likes having changes imposed on them. By gently offering new ideas, recipes, tricks, tips, your family will gratefully embrace the fresh, new foods and feel better for it. Imposing, rushing, complaining, etc. will only create disinterest and hostility.
2. Educate Yourselves and Get Support
For my husband, documentaries are important in getting his support, such as:
- The Cove
(let’s just say we don’t go to Sushi restaurants as much anymore, and if we do – he chooses his fish carefully)
- Blue Vinyl: The World’s First Toxic Comedy
(this has diminished his craving for more animal products)
- Foodmatters
(he now wants to add Superfoods into his food and suggested more meals consisting of his favourite raw vegan foods – YEAH!)
- Food, Inc.
(I don’t have to argue why organic, local food is better)
For my son, he looks at what Daddy eats. So, if Daddy is on board, it is much easier getting the child to change diet.
For me, I read and contribute to this blog, I found a local raw vegan community, I keep reading books on nutrition and health, and keep sharing what I’ve learned with others. It’s important to stay connected and inspired. Finding other people on the path who share the same goals, obstacles and frustrations will empower you to keep going even when it’s not easy to do so.
Bring the whole family along to:
- nutrition talks and meetings. After one meeting, my son looked at me and said “We need to eat a RAINBOW of colours Mama!”
- shop at health food stores and let them choose produce for the week
- when shopping at grocery stores, teach them about the different aisles, food labels, sale items, conventional versus organic, etc
- go to local farms and support them. My son has eaten freshly picked okra.
3. Get Rid of Everything Unhealthy in the Kitchen and Pantry That Won’t Be Missed
I did this in one day and it felt really good to get rid of the junk!
- Going forward, substitute ingredients for raw, i.e. use local honey instead of sugar, raw almond butter instead of peanut butter, coconut butter/oil instead of butter, use more whole grain products instead of refined (make raw oatmeal instead of cooked).
- Buy in season and local and organic (if you can!)
- Buy organic or local!
Steps 4 to 10 Will be addressed in tomorrow’s blog post. This one is complete with recipes and specific ideas you can try on your loved ones! Coming soon… Take a moment to comment below and let us know what you’ve done to successfully transition your family to a healthier, high raw food diet!