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| Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. (Swedish proverb) |
Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
(Sicilian proverb) |
Your friend is that man who knows all about you, and still
likes you. (Elbert Hubbard) |
You can always tell a real friend; when you've made a fool of
yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job. (Laurence J. Peter) |
Friends are family you choose for yourself. |
| 2006 January February March April May June July August September October November December 3 August, 2006 Let me share this: Gosia, I've been trying to contact you. I wanted to know, since you eat so much fruit, if you have teeth problems. I assume from your post you don't. What about other fruitarians? Transparent tooth problems? Hi, my teeth and gums have improved since raw. The only moments where I noticed any teeth/gums problems were when I ate unripe fruit or too many dried fruit and nuts. By observing that, I learned that it is best not to repeat such mistakes. I used to suffer from gum problems before raw. My dentist was amazed how dramatically my gums improved since then. Also, my husband noticed that my teeth do not have that ugly yellowy color anymore. I can smile now without embarassment. (I thought I would mention also that I like to (gently) floss my teeth after meals.) So, my example is the proof that fruit per se will not cause teeth problems. Rather, the mistakes that we may be making contribute to these. In fact, I attribute eating lots of fruit to the improvement in my health. In particular, fruit have a very hydrating effect on my body. I feel that before, my body was severly dehydrated, despite me carrying a bottle of water with me always, and drinking water frequently. I believe that a hydrating diet is crucial to one's health. If I feel thirsty after a meal, then this tells me that whatever I ate, was not optimal. In my view, the main reason for any inbalances is not listening to one's body. When the needs of the body are ignored, and the intelect rather than the body is what dictates our diet, then the problems will occur. The main indicator of what our body needs is our taste*** (for example, if something does not appeal, then we should not force ourselves to eat it just because we think we should). Also, examiming oneself, and in particular, how we feel after eating something can be very helpful (for example, we can feel tired or bloated when poorly combining the foods). (*** Our natural, healthy taste, may be compromised by our unhealthy eating patterns. For example, we may think that our body likes pizza, becasue it "tastes" good. However, if we observe how we feel afterwards, we will learn that our body does not really like it. Nevertheless, by becoming raw, we allow ourselves to become in tune with our body. Then, our taste becomes a good indicator. As long as we use the taste to choose our next meal from the range of fresh unprocessed raw foods, then we will be fine.) So my suggestion would be: try (say) some tender greens. Do they taste good? If yes, then have them, because this is what your body is happy to have now. If no, try something else. Naturally, how things taste will change according to what our body is happy to have at the time. As far as fruit, I found that I always find some type of fruit appealing, and so I eat fruit daily. Sometimes I may prefer mandarines, some other time grapes, so in this sense, my fruit choices do change, although I do eat fruit on daily basis. Sincerely,
Gosia Sometimes I feel over-exposed. I guess anyone who posts on-line does. Sometimes I feel like closing down the website, and withdrawing to my little space. Especially on the days when I feel like rebelling. Yes, rebelling. I sometimes rebel against the existing patterns in my life, because I want to test my choices, because I do not want to follow some rules for the sake of them being right. I do not want to put pressure on myself to be inspiring when I feel terrible. I want to be able to make mistakes without upsetting some expectations. You know what I mean. Freedom to do whatever I choose, even if my choices may not be perfect, is essential to my well-being. I would even go as far as to say that my sad days are essential part of my journey. I embrace them. I must say though that in my dark moments, when I think of others, it is impossible not to get inspired, and get me out of my black hole. Dear friends, you are my inspiration. Thanks! Temptation to Quit? "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." - Chinese saying From Jinjee's mailing list, TODAY. Did you read my thoughts, Jinjee? Ha ha ha! 11 August, 2006 The kids at school want to eat Julia's food!!! Recently she has been having a large appetite for watermelon, and I've been filling up her lunch-box with it (plus another box for other fruit or nut treats ). The kids want what she is eating. As Julia's birthday is aproaching fast, I convinced her that bringing a big watermelon to school as a birthday cake may be a good idea. 14 August, 2006 I have had a terrible, terrible backslide last week. The reason could have been my rebelling against raw, or the addiction to salt, or both. :( 21 August, 2006 Would you believe it? Julia's school friends have been so interested in her food that them "stealing" it became a real problem (not enough left for her). Doesn't it give us a hint about what the humans are naturally inclined to eat? (I feel for those kids, but I have no capacity to provide for them all, and Julia needs to eat something. She goes to after hours school care, so it is a long day for her to be left without her food.) I have been enjoying watermelon and strawberries recently. Mmm. Maybe it is the red I am after lol! 29 August, 2006 My motivation to raw has been really low in the recent days. I could possibly call it the lowest since I went raw. Sorry guys, if you look for an inspiration. I need to be honest. I've had enough of my ups and downs. This really is a ridiculous situation, because I can't live without raw. I feel awful if I deprive myself of raw for a day. At the same time, my past habits have not completely left me yet. This results me in being not all-raw but not completely cooked either. I am between. Some call it high raw. I call is nowhere, and I am tired of this. I refrain from talking to my on-line friends about this, 'cause I think "who likes hearing winging?". Leos like to lick their wounds in private. After being raw for three years, I know all the ins and outs. I know what to do. I know the advice I should hear. I do not feel the need to bother anyone with my problems. Some say that being a perfectionist often stops one from doing things, because if they can't be perfect, they won't do anything at all. This definitely is an issue for me. Have a wonderful day. :) 30 August, 2006 Some completely rational points:
I have not had a year that was all-raw. I had weeks and months, but not a year. It is clear that the occasional relapses prevent me from experiencing the joy of raw at the fullest. Some find it easy to be high raw. I can't! I can't stand cooked or partially cooked. On the other hand, all-raw seems to be challenging at times. But, did I give the raw a fair go? Clearly, the cause of the recent struggle are reckless relapses, which led to cravings, which in turn are hard to cope with. There is no other time to live but NOW. 31 August, 2006 Beyond the above personal observations, the clear connection between my health and lifestyle is undisputable. There is only one reason for choosing cooked: past habits. But, this hardly is a reason. Rather, it is an excuse. That's it. I'm done. next |