The Raw Food Pyramid

To make it easier for everybody to understand the simple and good vegan raw food lifestyle I put together a "Raw Vegan Food Pyramid" :). Hope it helps! Let me know what you think.

The energy and vitamin provider are fruits. I also count in tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. I actually try to avoid too much sweet fruit (especially bananas as they can cause lots of trouble with teeth...and - in my experience cause kids to get hyperactive and out of balance as they usually don't eat that many greens they'd need to puffer them. I also observed they build up the aggressive level of children dramatically... That happened to my son anyway.). So, to balance them and add the necessary minerals you need lots of greens. Wild edibles are perfect as they are loaded with minerals. But any other greens will do a good job, too. Sea vegetables and sprouts are a great source of minerals, too. All of them also deliver protein - wild edibles like stinging nettles and thistles for example are up and above ;). Hey, through greens you get strong as they give you the necessary amino acids to build protein the easy way!

Vegetables are a great source of minerals and they are not so sweet (besides carrots, of course). But many people don't get full with just them. Some combine nuts and roots and live fine with it. It's a matter of testing what is best for you. As always: Listen to YOUR body! :)

As for the grains - we personally don't use any at all. They don't seem to digest very well (unless they are sprouted). What we do use, though, is buckwheat which is not a grain but grass ;). We use it soaked and a day or two sprouted in sauces, shakes, doughs, etc. and live fine with it. Just be careful to not sprout it too long as the buckwheat greens are actually toxic and can cause all kinds of irritations, sun sensibility and more!

We do eat nuts - but not as a main meal ;). It might be a hand full if any. Almonds and coconuts (which are seeds) are best to digest. Coconuts - especially the young ones - are great and very nutritious for babies, too! Their water is very similar to breastmilk. :) Try to avoid those heavy nut patés. They can cause more trouble then help... I also don't use too many avocados and other fatty fruits. Children and active people are different, of course. They need more of it. But for me - a normal busy mother - I am fine with just a little. ;) I also usually don't eat fats in the morning. At lunch time is perfect for me.

Last are the processed foods like dried and dehydrated things like fruits, crackers, etc. and cakes, pizzas, patés, etc. All the kitchen raw food is quite hard to digest and one usually feels it quickly. ;) Try to stay away from those. We eat cakes, etc. for birthdays and holidays but definetely not as an everyday meal!! Also things like agave nectar and oils are very concentrated. My rule of thumb is: If you can pick it eat it. :) Meaning that everything nature provides we should eat the way it's grown. And if you really tasted an apple or a ripe mango, etc. you know that just this simple fruit is a "creamy cake" by itself (let alone a durian which tastes like cream pudding...) - if it is organic. It has a paradisical taste that no confectionist can clone. The only things we do prepare are green smoothies, sauces and sometimes ice cream ;). But fresh foods are simply the foods nature provides for us and God created for us :). So, appreciate them and enjoy - simply and easily :)!

Lots of fun picking and soaking up those abundant energies waiting to fulfill all your senses :)! Try it, test it - always listing to YOUR body - and let me know how it works out for you!! This is only meant to be a guide as there is so much confusion in the raw food world nowadays!!

Raw Mom Summit

A happy helloooo :),

I am soooo excited to be part of a wonderful and very needed summit that will take place soon. Please watch the preview and join us!! Spread the word!! I am happy to meet you there! Please leave your comments :). I am ALWAYS grateful to hear from you.

Learn more about this wonderful event where there will be 27 women and men from around the world sharing their knowledge about children, birth, pregnancy and more!

Again, here is the link for more info: http://tinyurl.com/ljjq34

How to avoid self-pollution! Tips about staying healthy inside and out :)

When I go through a store I am always amazed at all those supplements I see. As if nature wouldn’t provide for us! Hm…but yes that exactly is the point. We are not living naturally anymore. And we feel it, our children and friends do but many don’t do anything about it. More and more people start to get sick or have been for many years going from one doctor to the next just to find out there is no cure. L That doesn’t mean there is nothing that helps them. Medication doesn’t help for sure. It often makes it worse as our bodies have to fight even more chemistry in our bodies which are overloaded with toxins anyway.

If you imagine just through breathing the polluted air your body has to work extra hours trying to get rid of those toxins. Now, add the artificial foods, the chemicals taking in through your skin (e.g. chlorine through water or harmful substances through your clothing..) and your body is overwhelmed. It starts to store all those toxins it can’t deal with in your fat depots trying to keep the body from the biggest harm – destroying your vital organs. Yes, your body actually does everything to survive…but enough is enough and one time every body – if not taken care of – flows over and can’t handle all those unnatural substances it is not meant to deal with from the beginning. Illnesses and ailments occur.

So, how to help our bodies to get back to a state where it can deal with those high requirements? First of all you want to help it get rid of all those toxins that accumulated over the years. Second, you want to get back to as much nature as possible – that includes the food, too – our daily intake of nutrients, vitamins and minerals our body needs so desperately in order to cleanse and maintain it’s level of health. But not only the food. Make sure you don’t use those chemical (highly toxic) cleaners. Just read those warnings on the outside of it you get sick…and wonder how in the living cucumber you can let a substance like that come even close to you. It is proven that many women get cancer because they usually inhale those highly toxic fumes of cleaning agents!

What we don’t put out doesn’t come back… If we don’t buy those harming chemicals the industry doesn’t have to produce it anymore which helps the whole planet us included. We do get it all back through our drinking water, soils, etc. So be smart! And don’t be tricked through advertisements, etc. They usually just want to sell.

Tips for your health and a healthy environment:

- use soap nuts to wash your hair, clothes, etc. (All you have to do is just soak them in water overnight and use this soap water)

- use hand soaps that are made of natural substances (no chemicals added)

- don’t use air deodorants/purifiers, etc. unless it’s simple and natural oils – also think about the ones you hang in your car!

- Use an organic tooth paste (with NO fluoride, glycerin, etc.! Studies showed that fluoride is highly toxic, too. They put it in tooth pastes because they would have to pay high sums to discard it as a poisonous substance. Glycerin keeps a film on your teeth that doesn’t wash off for a long time. Your teeth are living and “breathing” organisms as well. Through their dental canals they take in the minerals they need to thrive! They can’t do that if they are plastered with stuff!). If you can’t find any make it yourself – use clay, charcoal, salt water, etc.

- As deodorant use powders that are free of alcohol and chemicals as well!

- Watch those hair sprays, etc.! Another study mentioned that those fumes can have serious effects on unborn babies. If they are not good for pregnant women they are not good at all! Learn to love yourself like you are! Same goes for hair dyes, etc. How can you think it is ok for your hair and body to do what you want and get away with it ;) ? Often it gives you signs like broken hair, etc. You will get the results if you don’t start to think finally.

- Drink pure dwell water. If you know of a clean one fill your water bottles there. That’s what we do, too.

- Use glass containers instead of plastic. It is unbelievable how much pollution origins from the production of plastic bottles, bags, etc.

- Use foldable boxes, cloth bags, etc. for shopping! The packers might look a little funny first (depending on where you go. Some stores already have grocery cloth bags.) if you tell them to put it in your brought bags or just in your cart but it’s worth it. E.g., in Germany you have to put your groceries in your cart and in boxes, etc. as there are no packers and tons of plastic bags. ;) Altogether we can change the world!!

- Buy only natural fresh produce (preferably organic to avoid all those pesticides your fruits and veggies are sprayed with). Or do you honestly believe cornflakes and co. grow on trees??? ;) Eat healthy raw foods to maintain your level of health or become great, loose weight – by itself on the way! Feed your body with tons of vitamins and minerals the natural way!! It desperately needs them to get rid of the toxins, too. Plus, stop eating dead foods – what you can’t put in soil and grow it it dead! (A great experiment for your children, too…try it with marshmallows, steaks, mashed potatoes ;)…)

- Many wild edibles (as well as other greens but the wild ones are stronger and do it better) for example help to flush the chemicals out of your system. Cilantro and chlorella alges are also great to pull the toxic metals out that later on might have led to alzheimers, etc.! Drink lots of clean water, too.

- Eat a spoon full of clay or charcoal (with water) to soak up those toxins that got free and floating around in your body, blood streams, etc. Charcoal as well as clay have a very high capacity of binding chemicals and toxins. That’s why animals eat clay from time to time or we take it when we have diarrhea or poisoned ourselves. You can also very well apply it topically. If you have wounds, stings, bites, etc. just mix clay and water and apply it on it! It will pull the bad stuff out and help it heal! A natural bandage!

- Use organic clothing! You won’t believe how many chemicals are found in our clothes our skins have to deal with 24/7! Or why do you think the cotton pickers of sprayed fields die or develop serious diseases just doing their job??

- You don’t need a sterile home! Bacteria are good for you. When you kill them all expect to develop allergies, etc. as your body is programmed to those good bacteria all around us. They help us! Eating dirt is a good thing – also for children! Just make sure it is not poisoned by humans!! If you clean with toxins substances you kill the good and the bad ones! The body can very well deal with the bad ones if the good ones aren’t destroyed ;).

- Do not use medication! I know that sounds really “bad” now. Of course, if you take things that you need you have to transition carefully to a diet full of minerals and vitamins (I don’t mean the artificial supplements you find in the supermarket – they are “dead”). But most of the time you can get back to a healthy and happy life without toxic medication! Please think about it. Look here for people who did it: She did it - you can, too!

- If you really want to loose weight stop all those crazy diets! They make your body go nuts, too! Most of them are deprived in all kinds of minerals, etc. that you might have been told you have to take as pills instead! Think, think, think and make the right decisions. Why eat harmful substances that you try to get rid through more harmful substances… Do you really think that works?? If you eat a balanced raw food diet you will help your body with everything it needs to loose weight and you don’t even have to think about it or count calories, etc.! All you have to do is eat the RIGHT stuff!

- You might want to start with an amaaaaaazing 6-week deep tissue detox like this: Yes, I want to detox and receive more free information!

- Water for every day use is often highly poisonous, too. When I lived in Texas, e.g. the chlorine was as high as in a swimming pool! Not even are the fumes so dangerous to damage your lungs while inhaling it but your skin suffers immensely, too. We ran into lots of trouble with our skin due to showers and baths! Use filters wherever you can – good ones! And make sure you don’t help polluting the water with chemicals!

- Do you like those rubber clogs? They are so comfortable…but their substances they are made of are not great at all. Wear them with socks or not at all…

- Don’t use sun blockers! They cause skin cancer. Our skin is very well able to deal with the sun if we are smart about introducing it to it. Stay out of the hot noon sun, stay in shades especially during those times, use clothes to protect yourself rather than crèmes, etc. If your skin tanned and got used to the sun you can stay longer in it without problems. Of course, you can use mud to cover and protect yourself, too! :) The sun is very important to us – we breathe it’s energy and thrive through it. Take it as your friend instead of your enemy and it won’t harm you. It is our life spending fuel. Soak it up. Without it we wouldn’t be able to live.

- Why using sun glasses? Our eyes need the light…and can deal with it well, too.

- If you build your house or do other creative things watch what you use as paints, carpets, building material. A straw bale house might come a lot closer to a great atmosphere than a toxin loaded finished one. Carpets are often full of damaging fumes, too…

Hehe…do you want to come with me live in nature? Let’s go to the dschungle ;). I know you must feel like that right now. But then you start thinking about all those dangerous animals, etc. (that’s part of those fears we are fed on all our life as well…not necessarily true) and you realize “let’s just start where we live”! I can assure you it is possible – in our civilization even more than anywhere – to live a healthy and non-toxic life! Let’s start right here and now. What are you throwing out first? J I want to hear from you! Please leave your comments and motivation for others, too.

If you don’t know where or how to start check this out: "How to get started with raw foods"

I know this sounds like you can’t do anything anymore…but it is only in the beginning. Change slowly if it seems overwhelming to you. Feel the difference and enjoy and fresh air and the sun :). If not changing everything at least think about what I wrote…

Get fit through sleep!

Do you know the feeling of getting up tired and not relaxed? You wake up but you feel like you haven´t had enough rest? This is what happens to many people when they go to bed too late. The saying “the hours before midnight count double” is not far away from the solution.

Let’s go back to where we come from – without electricity. For some reason the modern society enjoys the late night activities. But our ancestors as well as wild life or natural tribes all go to bed at an early time…mainly when the sun goes down. During summer time also before the sun set (depending on where you live). Unless you are a nocturnal animal you, too, should go to bed early – before 8 pm…or even earlier. At least don't eat anything late as the body needs its energy to recover and not to digest! If you eat only until it get's dark - around 5 or 6 pm - you will feel the difference the next morning!

Our bodies have been programmed for many millions of years to live with nature. All our organs recover at night…if they are allowed to and get the necessary rest. The result is a well rested body and a refreshed mind. It is a different start to the day! Try it. As an extra bonus you won’t need an alarm clock anymore. You will wake up happy at the right time. As you’ve slept during the early evening hours you are likely to sleep less…but still be rested and fresh the next morning. Sleep before midnight is known to be deeper and better. A personal plus for me is the quiet time… If you go to bed at around 7 or 8 pm you might wake up at around 3 or 4 am to the first birds singing…and a peaceful morning…sooo relaxing. Enjoy a meditation, listen to the birds and soak in that fresh clean air. It feels soooo good. It is a different standard of life!

Now you want to know how to start? Hihi….you lie in bed rolling over and over at 7 pm not being able to go to sleep? Yes, your body is not used to it yet. Most people in western society are used to staying up ´till at least 10 pm. In order to change your rhythm, set your alarm for early in the morning. Don’t worry you won’t need it for much longer. Get up at around 3 am! If you get tired again take a refreshing nap later in the morning or in the afternoon (but not a long one – especially in the afternoon!!). Do the transitioning at the weekend (maybe even a long one). Soon you will be tired enough to go to bed early. When you have managed to do this give your body the necessary rest…and sleep until you wake up. If you go to bed at 7 pm that might first be around 5 or 6 am…but it will get shorter and better in a couple of weeks. Just give your body time to adjust…you will feel the difference…and soon you will start your day fresh and bright at 4 in the morning! That´s a promise.

Oh, so you can’t see this working in our society? Your partner wants to talk to you at night? The best movies come on at night? You want to go out at night?? All life seems to take place at night??? J Don’t worry you will get used to it quickly…and so will your friends. They will still lie in bed drowsy while you have already done your chores …waiting for everybody else to get up! Show your partner how great it is…and get up together in the morning. If TV is that important to you, just think of the creative hours you miss through it,…live life instead of watching it ;)…) you can always tape shows etc. and watch them in the morning… TV doesn’t attract me anymore. In fact the opposite is the case…as soon as I got rid of this habit, I felt sooo much better…as I can use the hours I gained to write you nice letters ;)…or do many other things. A soon as I opened up my mind to creation instead of observation I got active instead of passive in front of the TV. My creative juices started to really flowing. It’s like you allow your soul to finally talk to you…you give it the time to open up to universal energies…and that - to me – is worth more than anything. Life is fun again. I feel alive and don’t like to vegetate anymore. But that is just my personal opinion. Feel free to share your opinions, too!
I also found out that many people try to live life…acting (yes, like the actors on TV!!) they are living…but don’t seem to feel it… They might say “I love you”…but can’t connect to you. The bond is not there. They lost it…through their habit of passive living! Do you know what I mean?? But enough about TV (that is another article again…).

Go to bed early and don't eat too late. Try it…just for a couple of weeks. If you don’t like it you can always go back…but I doubt you will want to.. ;). If you have children…go to bed with them. As a mother of two active little ones I am often tired enough anyway…and am glad to lie in bed falling asleep with them. It helps them to build a healthy habit, too.

Happy sleeping! .

Sonja

PS: For all who celebrate Easter, similar fests or for any other special occasion: I will send out the recipe for this yummy but easy made cake in my next newsletter! If you don't receive it yet please sign up for it here: http://www.rawfunfamily.com/.



And a great video for homeschool interested ones:

Detoxifying your life!

by Sonja Watt (www.rawfunfamily.com)

How does your body get rid of toxins?

Many people don’t seem to understand their bodies. In order to shed some light, I wrote down some facts about your body’s signs. There are different ways of detoxifying:

- through skin
- lymph
- blood
- mucus (nose, throat, lungs)
- colon
- breathing
- feet
- sweat
- nails
- mind


Let’s go through them. The skin is the biggest organ. Through it you detoxify a lot. You can see it when you have pimples, rashes, different colors, itching, etc. It is the mirror of your soul. If you are not happy it shows through your skin. If you take care of yourself and your body, eat lots of raw, fresh - and no artificial - foods, you will soon have a great skin. You also need to drink a lot of fresh juices or clean water. (No alcohol, soft drinks, chlorinated water, etc., please! That makes it worse!). A bath with Epsom salt helps to draw out the toxins. You might feel tired afterward...but good the next day.

The lymphatic system is a very important one, too, and often not recognized. The lymph’s work is to move toxins out of your body. That’s why lymph nodes swell when you are sick; they work extra hard at this time. To help it move the toxins out better you can exercise or brush your skin in the direction the lymph flows.

Blood is the river of life. It delivers lots of toxins out of your body. That’s why blood tests can only tell you about the health state of your body at a particular moment. It might look totally different again tomorrow or even an hour later when you’ve had something to eat, etc. Here as well, exercise and drink lots of fluids to thin the blood in order to help it flush out all the waste ;).

When you are coughing or have a runny nose, again…be happy. Your body is just trying to throw it all out. (There is no need for ear tubes…the body solves it by itself.) It will more or less depend on how you live. My runny nose, coughing, etc. pretty much disappeared after I went raw… Remember, if you put toxins in they have to come out…yes, even through puke…yuck. Listen to your body and act appropriately. Drink lots! And don’t take medication! That stops the process…but doesn’t complete it!! Learn to understand your body’s signs. Be your own doctor. Only you can understand what is really going on! Take responsibility. We try to give it away often enough. See the truth and go for it!!!

Colon: our second - or even first - brain. There is so much to say about your intestines it would take another book. I’ll make it short. Your colon is one of the most important centers, if not THE most important. If your colon is messed up you can’t be healthy. It’s also the place from which your body operates, the center of your immune system and much more. It is very sensitive and reacts to every one of your misbehaviors. It definitely cannot deal with artificial chemicals in food or drinks. Most importantly, stay raw, or at least as natural as possible. Stay away from processed food if you want to heal!! Colon dis-Eases are healable….if you are willing to change your lifestyle!! To help it during extreme detoxifying (you will feel nauseous, weak, etc.) or to give a head’s start when transitioning to raw foods, etc. do hydrocolonic therapies or enemas. (Enemas are said to be less efficient than colonics.) If might feel awkward first…but do it anyway. Lots of fresh juices and water do help, too! You will love the feeling of lots of energy afterwards…a clear mind, a happy body and overall health.

Through air your body cleans as well. Every time you breathe you blow out toxins. You can smell it, too, sometimes…especially if you know people who smoke…or eat meat, etc. It is important to breathe right…and you can even breathe away asthma! Make sure you always breathe out deep. Exercise! Hee hee…yes, and of course the air coming out the other end… You can smell immediately if you have a problem that way. ;) Actually, your skin is breathing, too. And it’s known that scouts were able to breathe only through skin…amazing, isn’t it? So, clean up your skin and pores…in order to breathe better. J

Hee hee…smelly feet…I think everybody knows those. ;) The bottoms of your feet are big detoxifiers. It’s said you can read the health state of a person by the bottoms of his or her feet. There are many things offered nowadays to show you how much comes out of there. Do these help?? I don’t know. A foot bath in warm or ionized water, or with Epsom salt, helps… as does lots of exercise. And drink, drink, drink! Most of all…put healthy stuff in you, as what goes in comes out again. ;) Simple but true!

Not only for the feet but for the whole body, it is important…to sweat! Through sweating your body washes out more toxins…Yes, you can smell it, too. If your liver (which has to deal with all those toxins) is overloaded, you might sweat extensively at night. Drink some water and again…put in raw fresh foods. The simplest way possible is best. (Not lots of raw food preparation in the kitchen, but the way God made them for us… Eat them like they are, and don’t forget the wild edibles!!).

You might also see a detoxifying process taking place through your nails! For a shorter or longer while your nails might turn yellow, etc. It is another outlet for your body. Especially, if you’ve consumed quite a lot of medication, you might have to deal with it for a longer while…but it will leave you again once its job is done! Don’t block it with more medication, but help it, through a healthy fresh and energizing lifestyle! Most of all – be patient!

And what your body can’t get rid of…it stores! Don’t let it get there; cancer, tumors, etc. are another form of protection! Your body will always make sure to protect the most important organs. It will store proteins (like from meats and other animal products) and chemicals (from processed and artificial foods), etc. that it can’t use in your system. It is stored first where it hurts least…like fat depots…arteries, etc., but the more comes in, and the more it can’t handle… the more it develops… so you get more and more seriously sick! Stop before you get there…and help your body detoxify! Rest! A good night’s rest is always important; please read about natural sleep (also written by me) to understand what I mean. Visit my website at www.wildedibles.wordpress.com to learn about the importance of wild edibles. They play a big role in detoxifying your body, too!

Now go on, live healthy and enjoy the abundance of joy and happiness you earn through it!! It is definitely worth the changing!! Always use your mind, too, to make it happen. Imagine yourself as that happy old person who is still actively running around, laughing and having fun!! Live as we are meant to live: made by God… Eat what He provides for us, grown through His love and light. But try for yourself! Always listen to YOUR body… I just offer suggestions. What you make of it is up to you! But if you don’t try it you’ll never know. ;)

Oh…I forgot an important one: Your mind! Yes, even your mind will detoxify if your body gets to the next level of health. You will go through different emotions. Go through them and don’t try to numb them! They are coming up to disappear. Observe them and let them go! And awake to a clearness of your mind you have never known before!! Your whole self awakes again and all your creative juices and energies will start to make you the happiest person on this planet. We can never have enough of those! So, enjoy the ride and look forward to your never-ending goal J…of a happy and fulfilling life, connected to nature and the spiritual energies again, this time not only through words…but through a deep feeling inside of you. You will shine like a light and everybody will be able to see it! Happy detoxifying!

Please make sure you visit my webpages at www.rawfunfamily.com and sign up for my newsletter with more tips and tricks about a healthy natural lifestyle for the whole family!

A happy new year to all of you!!

Here again some impressions from Germany....

I love to go over those beautiful Christmas markets! Snow even makes it prettier.


Ice crystals on a branch. Those wonders of nature always make me wonder ;)...and smile.

Snowflakes, snowflakes... This time it's ice flakes...grown on a snowy lake :). Terrific, aren't they?

Christmas was a harmonious and magic time with family. We've had a great time together with lots of presents, friendship and delicious meals :). Silvester and New Year's day we celebrated with friends. This was our buffet:

Delicious cucumber boats...

...and more yummy fresh party snacks for our New Year's party :).

Life is fun and we enjoy it every day. Thanks to raw foods we are just as happy and healthy as can be. Wish the same for you this year!! If you don't know about it yet...zoom into my newsletter and learn more. It's well worth it :).

Have a magnificent time!

Sonja

Happy holidays or what was going on?

A few updates for all of you …to see what I’ve been doing lately. :)

Two birthdays have gone by – my children's. We've had lots of fun and yummy foods. ...Here are one of each their birthday cakes.


Can you tell? That's my daughter's ;). She loooves princesses...and pink (the hearts, etc. are made out of dragon fruit skin...nice color, isn't it??


And this was my son's own birthday "cake". Guess what he is into ;)...yep. Knights and castles.

Sergei Boutenko balancing on the slackline.

Sergei with his sister Valya...and me in the middle ;).

Our Halloween party and preparation course. The ghost is out of parsnip. Parsley root works, too. It so-to-speak grows naturally as a ghost :). It just needs eyes...

And our yummy pumpkin pie. I always need greens with it or it is too sweet ;).

I also created something for you to make it easier to survive the Christmas season. Hope you enjoy it:
http://www.advientos.com/destinatarios-publico.php?codigo=1185-5840

Feel free to share it with your friends and loved-ones :). I apologize for it being late but I ran into trouble with the program and my sloooow internet connection. I hope very much you still enjoy it ;).

Yes, I have been thinking about how to help you during this special time of the year and thought I share with you what we do. As you already know my husband isn’t raw at all (well, a banana or some grapes might find the way into him ;) ..). So for the kids and me I make delicious meals and yummy raw cookies and cakes and for him and guests cooked meals. That works just fine but I am doing this now for 7 years ;)…so, it is easy for me. The children only know it that way as well and are happy. They have food they love and cookies like everybody else does, too. They are the ones always telling their Daddy to go raw ;). He has lots of illnesses like asthma, migraines, allergies, etc. I – in the beginning – wanted him to show how great raw foods are and how much they help your body heal and recover from every illness but learnt that every person needs their time. Everybody is on their journey and that doesn’t necessarily mean for them to be raw. They might “need” (unconsciously think they do) their illnesses to be able to survive. Many reasons are possible but fact is I decided not to talk but live life for myself as good and happy as I can. Being the living example might help him see (and he does) and he can choose to change or not. That’s up to him. He is old enough. Why am I telling you about it? Well, because if you can see it this way you won’t have a problem to eat with “normal” people at the same table and enjoy your fresh yummy food while they eat theirs. You don’t have to explain anything unless they ask and you want to tell ;). At the end it is about being together, talking and having a good time – and therefore it doesn’t really matter what you eat as long as you chew on something ;). They might ask you about it but as soon as they know you just are that way and you believe in it they will take you that way.

So, my tip for you: In the beginning stages of being raw (or even later if you like it and your body feels good with it) make those delicious raw cookies, dehydrate apple rings and decorate your Christmas tree with them, create cakes that make everybody’s mouth water…and invite people to taste and try for themselves if they like to. Make a huge green smoothie for everybody to enjoy…and most of all just be you and don’t worry about what they might think (99% of our assumptions are wrong anyway). If you don’t like those heavy recipes do it simple. Cut fruits with a cookie cutter in different shapes, dehydrate them or eat them like they are, decorate your meals with them and make paradise-like salads. As a main dish you might get exotic fruits and lay them nicely on a Christmas platter - decorated with greens. You might go into an Asian store and find jackfruit, durian (well, that’s very smelly for most people…therefore, I wouldn’t go for it unless you are amongst other raw fooders ;)…), young coconuts or other delicacies. Everybody will look jealously over to you enjoying your meal feeling great afterwards. You can eat as much as you want and not gain anything - probably rather the opposite. Just imagine how you’d feel after a heavy cooked meal… Buy more than you need just to have enough in case everybody likes your food better than theirs which happens quite often ;)… Leftovers can be frozen or dehydrated, so, you won’t have to throw anything away.

Enjoy yourself and be contagious :)…with your humor, fun and excitement about natural foods in a positive showing way (not preaching about it!)

Happy holidays!

Sonja

PS: More tips and tricks in my newsletter. Sign up at http://www.rawfunfamily.com/.

PPS: I am truly sorry if somebody feels offended by me talking about Christmas. It is not meant that way. Those are my/our personal experiences and we do celebrate Christmas. But I do believe that you can use this information for every kind of celebration. I do respect any of your beliefs. This is simply what I know :)....and I didn't think it is a problem as it is not in Germany. I do learn ;)...