Healthy Eating Class – Obstacles to Eating Raw

The first step to getting past obstacles is knowing what they are.

Rather than just handing out a lot of new, healthy recipes, I encourage the participants to do a stream of consciousness writing exercise. They let their minds flow and open up to all the obstacles that get in their way of eating the way they want to. Name it, and you can tame it. Awareness is the first step.

The obstacles were:

1) Not enough time

2) Feeling awkward in social settings

3) Family members not on the same path

4)  Knowing where to shop, getting organized

5) Finding a balance between structure and spontaneity

Sometimes, it isn’t actually about the food. One woman is working 2 jobs, leaving her home at 7 am and getting home at 9 pm. We’ve all heard the adage, “Work smarter, rather than harder” We spent some time after class looking for a way she could quit one of her jobs and make more at her main job.

Feeling awkward in social settings can be handled by calling the restaurant ahead of time and knowing what you feel comfortable ordering from their menu before you get there. If you’re going to a friend’s house, simply bring one of your favorite dishes. Make sure there’s enough for everyone.

Don’t try to change family members. Just be a glowing example. Be true to yourself and they’ll see the change in you. You can’t talk people into this stuff. They have to want to change. If you’re living a happy, healthy life, they’ll see it and start asking you for ideas they can use.

I recommend PCC and Whole Foods Market in the Seattle area. Most small towns have a natural health food store or a coop. It’s amazing what you can buy online these days.

Finding a balance between structure and spontaneity is important. Most people don’t want to be on such a rigid path. One example is to combine structure (like going to the supermarket Sundays and Wednesday) with buying what intuitively feels right when you get there. If you stay on the outside perimeters of the store, you’ll be ok. Just ask yourself what color produce you haven’t had in a while. Last week I was at Whole Foods and cauliflower just kept coming to my thoughts. Even though it wasn’t what I went into the store for, I paid attention and brought one home with me. It keeps my meals interesting. VegWeb.com is a great site with over 13,000 recipes. If you get an intuitive hit for cauliflower, just type it in the search on their site and it will give you loads of idea on how to cook it.

Anything worth doing will bring up obstacles. Pinpoint what the obstacle is for you and then you’ll be able to move past it.

Please post the obstacles you’re facing.