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Eating a Raw Diet while surrounded by meat eaters
# posted by Russ,
December 10, 2008
Let's face it, changes in diet freak a lot of people out. Raw, vegetarian, vegan ... Many people get freaked out by these terms. Many people don't get it, and when people don't get it there's usually no point in trying to explain it to them. So to clear things up right up front, let me say that I am NONE of what I just mentioned, not raw, vegan, or vegetarian. However I do incorporate all three into my regular diet. I have been doing a lot of raw eating recently, and have always been interested in vegan and vegetarian. But I'm just not ready to give some things up, like Italian sandwiches, an occasional organic hamburger, teriyaki chicken, or even -- gasp -- pizza and beer. So needless to say, I am not 100% raw, and clearly I'm leaving room for cheating, but I am enjoying the benefits of such a modified diet. Some benefits I am noticing are less moodiness when meal time comes close, more energy and mental clarity, a feeling of "lightness", clearer skin, and cleaner "insides" (if you know what I mean).
That said, I've gone out to eat with the guys from work in the past and gotten sideways looks for getting a veggie burger, for ordering tofu, and even had my masculinity questioned for eating a vegetable sandwich that I brought from home. So I know, it gets annoying when trying to eat anything different from the SAD (Standard American Diet). My recent raw ventures of late I'm sure would be even more frustrating for all my 3 times a day meat eating coworkers if they took the time to notice it.
But I think I've stumbled upon a way to avoid all the drama that having a different diet entails. First of all the fact that most of us are reaching or have already reached the over 30 year old mark makes it easier, because now health is a bit more important than it was as a 20 year old, and salads are just as sexy as french fries. But I think the fact that I am making raw alternatives to to traditional dishes is key. No longer am I a hippie eating a veggie patty or that weirdo eating fruit salads and carrot sticks for lunch. Now I have "real" food like linguine and marinara, stuffed peppers, and chili, sometimes I even get crazy and top them with crumbled raw goat cheese! And then tasty fudge and cookies for desert. And the best part .... at first glance no one even knows are living and 100% raw, and no one bothers to ask me "where's the beef?"
Related Links:
Cancer to be world's top killer by 2010
An experiment with raw diet
That said, I've gone out to eat with the guys from work in the past and gotten sideways looks for getting a veggie burger, for ordering tofu, and even had my masculinity questioned for eating a vegetable sandwich that I brought from home. So I know, it gets annoying when trying to eat anything different from the SAD (Standard American Diet). My recent raw ventures of late I'm sure would be even more frustrating for all my 3 times a day meat eating coworkers if they took the time to notice it.
But I think I've stumbled upon a way to avoid all the drama that having a different diet entails. First of all the fact that most of us are reaching or have already reached the over 30 year old mark makes it easier, because now health is a bit more important than it was as a 20 year old, and salads are just as sexy as french fries. But I think the fact that I am making raw alternatives to to traditional dishes is key. No longer am I a hippie eating a veggie patty or that weirdo eating fruit salads and carrot sticks for lunch. Now I have "real" food like linguine and marinara, stuffed peppers, and chili, sometimes I even get crazy and top them with crumbled raw goat cheese! And then tasty fudge and cookies for desert. And the best part .... at first glance no one even knows are living and 100% raw, and no one bothers to ask me "where's the beef?"
Related Links:
Cancer to be world's top killer by 2010
An experiment with raw diet
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I'm not too familiar with the idea of a "raw diet"... I'll have to look this up sometime. It sounds interesting.
I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over a decade. I pretty recently started eating poultry and seafood. I find myself still preferring the vegetarian options instead though, so I guess I consider myself a "flexitarian". Heh.