My willpower is strong, but.when my husband and son eat so many yummy things day in and out, I get tempted

From Angela
July 16, 2003

Hi Rhio,

I am very impressed with your website! I've been 100% Raw since Feb 2003. I was inspired by your fantastic recipes. Thanks so much! I've been Vegan since I was 5 years old and I thought that was amazing. Living Raw has improved my overall health tenfold! My only drawback is my Husband and 12 year old son (also Vegans, my son has been Vegan since birth) they eat somany of my favorite yummy things day in and day out. My willpower is strong, but even with strong willpower, this can be very draining! I have to constantly search out new and exciting recipes, so as to not get into the salad rutt! I juice daily and drink close to six glasses a day. I exercise a lot, so am always hungry!!! I was hoping to find more people in the San Diego area to connect with, but unfortunately they are far and few between. The many Rawfoodists in California seem to all be in the LA area. Also, from eating so many salads, I am having an acid problem with my tongue!! I most-likely upset the natural acid/alkaline balance necessary for healthy skin, etc.. I tend to use a lot of organic red wine vinegar, lemon, and probably too many sun-dried tomatoes. I eat salads twice a day because I don't have a dehydrator for a lot of the exciting recipes. I crave veggie burgers, not the bun, the burger! I was a soy nut before I was Raw, so lived on everything soy. It is just nice to know that you are out there!!! Thanks for having such a wonderful and informative site. Your book is amazing too!
Thanks for listening!

Have a beautiful day,

Angela

Dear Angela,

I am glad that my website and book has been of value to you. It makes me feel good to hear it.

From the details in your letter, it seems that you are working too hard to stay raw because of the tempting snacks (that you like too) eaten by your husband and child.

I would suggest that you search out and find "yummy" raw substitutes for the "yummy" cooked snacks that your husband and child are eating. If you always have your substitutes ready at hand, then you will not be as tempted to stray. When you say "I have to constantly search out new and exciting recipes", that suggests to me either two things. 1) You have not found raw recipes that are equally as satisfying as the cooked foods you used to enjoy. Or 2) You need to go on a juice fast for a few days so that when you again eat solid raw food you can really appreciate their flavors and they will be more satisfying.

If you need a dehydrator to achieve these tasty substitutes, then I suggest as soon as possible, get yourself an Excalibur dehydrator and dehydrate some healthy and delicious snacks. I guarantee that your family will be foraging in your supply of tasty dehydrated goodies before long and will not have a need to bring in the other stuff. And even if they do, you will have taken care of your needs.

In order to balance out the salads and not get into a rut, you need to acquire a few main course dishes that you find satisfying and have some of that along with the salads. It will take some experimentation, but you will be able to find raw recipes that mimic the flavor of many of the cooked food recipes that your family enjoys and when you make those for yourself, you will not feel so deprived.

As far as too much acid, I think you've pinpointed the solution - eliminate the wine vinegar and dried tomatoes for awhile. Use lemon or apple cider vinegar instead.

My Buckwhat Quinoa Burgers are really good. You could try to dehydrate them by setting your oven to the lowest temperature and then set them (on a plate) on the open door of the oven so that the gentle heat can dry them. Of course this is not so good in the summer months when your house can get overly hot. Some people enjoy this recipe without dehydrating it. You could also make this recipe without the quinoa, it's one less step and tastes as good.

I think there are a few potlucks down in the SD area. Have you checked my Directories? Also, call Nature's First Law, they might be able to direct you to some events in the area. Much luck.

With blessings and peace,

Rhio

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