"You Will Always Be In Fashion When You Are True To Yourself"-
Maya Angelou
This picture is of Stacey at the Keys having an incredible time with her husband and friends but still enjoying (even as a promoter of raw food) foods of all kind, drink, and friends while maintaining a healthy balance...(most of the time)!
So, here is the question we get asked most often:
"How can I go from the majority of my life eating cooked foods, processed foods, meat and dairy, and then try to turn to raw foods tomorrow and succeed on a long term basis?"
AND WE SAY, THERE ARE SOME THAT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED RAW OVERNIGHT, BUT MOST THAT DON'T! As for me and my sis we don't choose to either!
We feel as though people need to know the truth, the real side of the journey, spoken clearly and honestly that it takes knowledge, it takes perseverance, it takes a strong reason, and it takes dedication. More important than anything, it takes forgiving yourself when you fall short, or we like to call it 'giving ourselves permission to not be so darn perfect'! So, we are here to dispell any myths that it is always easy, that you won't fight cravings, that you won't tire of what you eat every now and again.
Although our beginning goal was never to be 100% raw foodists, we did try to maintain a certain level of perfectionism that actually took us in a direction we were not expecting.
That direction being that we had to try to bury cravings we had for some foods that we had grown up eating our whole lives! This, in turn meant not enjoying ourselves to our fullest potential and each meal turned into a 'should do' instead of a 'want to'....which led to feelings of guilt if anything passed our mouths that was not on the approved 'RAW LIST':), most important, it meant not living up to be our true selves....when we discovered this was when we morphed into what was best for us....not anyone else...just us! Ahhh, the relief of that alone is completely freeing!
Yes, there are people who can turn to be 100% raw overnight, but the longer you stick around and read the personal journeys of many top raw foodists, the videos, their interviews, you will begin to realize that a little balance of cooked food in the diet is key!
Yes, all aspects of raw eating are very beneficial...
HOWEVER, what we are hoping we can save you from is the self-loathing if you get off track and that it is ok if you do, and more than that, it is normal, and even more than that it is ULTRA HEALTHY...for your body and your mind!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE 100% RAW to be successful, to be radiant, or to be healthy!
IN FACT, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND IT, WE RECOMMEND JOY AND BALANCE!
Furthermore, we don't even recommend you put a percentage on it at all...you are what you are...you eat the best you can as often as you can, that's it!
Creating, achieving and sustaining balance in your life will make you far healthier
than pushing, trying, or even coaxing yourself into any un-natural pattern of living.
The KEY is to allow yourself permission to take this journey slowly.
Do not over commit to yourself or to anyone else for that matter. Who are you trying to please? Hopefully, it's you first.
The other day we were talking with another raw foodist privately and we got to talking about what the art of really living is?
And, the final conclusion was certainly not living in denial of the things you really do love, but to
live a life which is supposed to be LIVED, really LIVED and tasted and enjoyed!
And yes, that boils down to eating healthy, because we do strongly believe that food is thy medicine but its only a part of the equation!
You will want to live guilt free (women are hard enough on themselves), you will want to read books that enlighten your world, travel to broaden your persepctive, love somebody unconditionally or many, hold on to and cherish your friendships, AND..have new food experiences, as in sometimes when your in Rome..do as the Romans do! Is a piece of crusty bread in Italy going to squelch your success? Is a glass or two of wine going to throw your life into a tail spin? How about a dessert made with love? God forbid we should eat that! :)
Anyway, you get the picture, right? ALL BALANCE!
Honesty with yourself will take you to levels you have never known before and
you know what we are talking about if you ever went out the gates strong saying that you were going to do this or do that only to find yourself more disappointed than when
you began.
We are only speaking from experience here and we have talked to more people on
a personal level, behind the scenes, that have said enough is enough of a) trying to be something you are not or b) trying to live up to someone elses standards!
So, what are your standards?
Will a cup of black coffee throw your body into sickness? No.
Now on the other hand, a pot of coffee daily?? Not good...Is it acidic to the body? Yes.
Moderation is key...but a cup of warm coffee on a cold winter day might just do more to soothe your soul than denying yourself a little piece of sanity in a sometimes crazy world! :)
Our personal recommendation would be to discover and enjoy the taste of everything raw but do so by moving freely towards it, not through force!
Enjoy your life, seize the day and follow YOUR bliss!
Remember, as women when we deny ourselves something often we want it even more....and your cravings come back even stronger....
you have the world at your fingertips but only you know what makes your heart sing...live that life!
Our Best To You,
Stacey and Susan
![[rawfood_revised.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_adIe6P-CVi4/SDY2mnc2LeI/AAAAAAAAA18/afRzHRbwrTI/s1600/rawfood_revised.jpg)
