Raw Food Tip No. 1

This will be an ongoing series; because I know how hard it is to transition to raw food since the nature of cooked food is extremely addictive (I mean - I had to re-start rawism three times for it to stick!), I will be posting little tips on how to stay raw occasionally.

So, tip No. 1 is...

When you are 'craving' or feeling like you absolutely must have [insert cooked food here], have a bunch of fruit, vegetables, raw nuts or seeds instead.

The thing is, when your body is not getting enough calories, it will start to panic and make you crave cooked foods. Do not think that you are a 'failure', a 'weakling' - it is not your fault: it's just that your body isn't getting enough calories.

You may look at those fruits, vegetables, raw nuts or seeds and think, 'but I want ____ and I want it now!' - don't sweat it. Eat the fruits/vegetables/nuts/seeds (or a combination of all of them) and you will feel better because your body is getting enough calories. You will no longer have cravings because your body will be getting what it needs - and trust me on this, you'll feel much worse if you eat that pie (as was my craving a few nights ago).

A little more information on how I found this out... When I was restricting to ~200 calories a day, I would constantly sit and fantasise about McDonald's breakfast items. And I was (and am) an ethical vegan! I was starving my body so horribly that it was pummeling me with fantasies of the most calorie-dense food it could imagine - which was, as you can tell, McDonald's breakfast items.

That stuff is absolute crap and not good for your body in any way.

But I needed calories. So I fantasised about them. I never did have them, but I realise now what that was about, after having conquered cooked food-cravings by eating a couple of oranges or some watermelon.

It's all about taking care of your body. If you don't, especially if you have a history of an eating disorder, it'll start to panic and crave - eventually craving so hard that it will shut down your brain and make you eat - whether it's cooked or non-vegan food, your body will make you eat it if you don't feed it!

The Body's Golden Rule #1: Feed me enough, please!