Dealing with Cravings and Unsupportive Parents

by Genna
(Monmouth County, NJ)

Genna's Question:I am transitioning solo into the low fat raw food lifestyle, without support from my parents with whom I live with. Quite frankly, they are reluctant to even hear about it.

I feel so much better mentally and physically when I stop putting grains and meat into my body. But its everywhere I turn. I keep fruit handy all the time, but I'm always eating. I only feel satiated for a short amount of time before I drift towards the kitchen again. My dad sees me eating eating eating, and criticizes how I am trying to achieve my goals. He's been pushing meat protein on me, insisting it will halt the constant "shoveling" of food in my mouth.

I apologize for even bringing up meat-eating, and hope it doesn't offend you. The heaviness of the food seems to settle me down, though. I've slipped back into unhealthy eating habits, and of course I'm watching all such toxin's symptoms showing back up in my life one by one.

What are your suggestions for living with pushy grain/meat eating parents?

How do I satiate my cravings so that Im not eating all day long?

Andrew's Answer: We're really talking about several separate issues here.

The Cravings

Bar none, the number one reason for failure on a low fat raw vegan diet - and the number one reason for cravings - is failure to eat enough calories. That is almost universally the reason people find themselves heading back to the kitchen.

If you don't eat enough to satisfy yourself at meal time, you're certainly going to crave food in between. I encourage you to learn what your caloric needs are and work to meet them in three meals a day by slowly but surely expanding the amount of food you can consume at one time.

The second part of controlling your cravings is the mental side.

I deal with both of these issues at length in this article.

You don't give me nearly enough information about your diet or emotional poise for me to be specific, but another issue for some people is they are used to using food as a sedative.

Because raw fruits and vegetables digest easily, they do not sedate your emotions like most cooked food does, and you must therefore be ready to deal with them.

Many raw foodists, finding that they don't wish to do this, binge on nuts, seeds, and fatty avocados, which are hard to digest and draw off much of your energy.

The Parents

As for your parents, I again don't know enough of your situation to be very specific here.

I would first sit them down and tell them honestly that even if they don't agree with your diet, you're doing what you feel is best, and their fretting is undermining your ability to function.

Tell them that their support would mean the world to you, and if they cannot support you, ask that they at least cease from commenting on your diet at all.

If you parents cannot respect these simple wishes then it may be time to move out and find a better environment to live in.

Also be aware that success is the best way to bring people around to seeing the wisdom in what you're doing.

My parents certainly thought I a bit crazy when I told them I was going vegan while still in college. They told me I needed animal protein, etc, because that is what their doctors tell them.

When I went raw a few years later, they thought I was even more cracked.

Yet as time went by they saw me not only holding my own, but thriving. My body composition, athletic ability, mental poise and general health skyrocketed.

Frankly, I started looking and feeling better than I ever had in my life, and it was very hard for them to find fault with what I was doing.

So I encourage you to get your ducks in a row. Make exercise, getting enough sleep, hydration, and mental poise a focus.

In short, be the change you want to see in the world.

For information on tackling these lifestyle elements, check out The Raw Food Lifestyle.

Best of luck to you, Genna. Keep moving forward and you'll find your solution.

- Andrew