I was extremely reluctant to write about this, because the best way to deal with negative comments is simply not to deal with it.

But because so many of you asked, I guess I’ll just touch on 2 of the most common, and probably toughest types.

Remember to feed what you want to Grow, and starve what you want to die. After reading this article, please remember the main principles, how to deal with them, and then move on!

There are greater, more important, more joyful, more delightful and lovely things in life to focus on, rather than those whining negative vibration, okay?

1) Why will there always be negative comments?

From day 1, I know that these are inevitable. Why?

Because we are talking about diets, which are individual living habits. Every human being loves to be in their own comfort zone and is resistant to change.

When you tell people that you eat raw and living foods, they feel that you are attacking their diet.

Attacking a person’s diet = Attacking him/her personally

So, once you make that person feel attacked, and he/she becomes on guard against you, do you think you are going to have a good time?

The person will probably cite a million reasons to prove you and your eating habits wrong.

This is a lose-lose situation because, you go home discouraged, tired and maybe even angry. That person goes back even angrier, perfectly sure that you were talking nonsense and it sours your relationship.

Solution:

The easiest way to explain yourself in social functions is to say that “I’m eating this way for my health/fitness/special training.”

Or, if you are gutsy and you are among safe company, maybe something like “I’m trying out this new diet for a week/month… not sure yet; I heard that by preserving the nutrients…”

Subtlety is the key. Unless your will power is stronger than Mr Frudo from Lord of the Rings, stay low profile in your first raw month.

Do not be concerned about converting friends/relatives onto raw until you yourself is as firm as a rock.

Of course, you are free to share among safe company like loved ones and family. And even then, remember to always talk with respect, consideration and love.

Be forgiving, every human being (even your spouse, mother, brother etc) has a right to live the way they want to, lifestyle habits can never be forced, and remember we were once like that too.

2) Bad Press

These are also inevitable, and they will just continue to be there for some time. Ever wondered why?

How much money is there to be made from an apple, vs a beautifully packaged “diet/non-fat” bag of apple chips? What is the difference in value between a packet of pasteurized milk and a glass of raw nut milk?

Have you seen any famous celebrity endorsing a carrot or papaya?

There will forever be discouraging research results, negative lab tests etc attacking raw food and so on. Anyway, EVERY diet has experienced bad press at some point in time!

Vegan, raw vegan, macrobiotic, meat-based, fruitarian, in fact which one doesn’t? As long as there are conflicting interests, there will always be conflicting press.

The point is, are we going to spend our time and lifetimes trying to prove them wrong? Or is it more worthwhile to recognize what living foods does for our bodies by observing how we react to it?

People can say a million things, but ultimately you need to feel for yourself the magic and wonder of your body.

Solution

Observe your own reaction to the different types of foods - cooked vegan, macrobiotic vegan, cooked meat-based, raw vegan etc, and be true to yourself.

Write down how you are feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually.
If we respect and treat it rightly, the Body does not lie. So listen to it.

My favorite term is still “live” foods, rather than raw foods. Because live foods symbolize life, are alive, and they give life to us.

It is ultimately an individual choice, a scientific way of eating, and something so simple that our world had overlooked in its eagerness to be complicated.

I chose live foods, because I love life!

(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

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Tags: raw food diet, low fat recipies, vegan weight loss, raw food recipes