Welcome Bernie,  I can relate to eating one frozen pea at a time!   My mother used to force us to drink milk and I HATED IT.   So I would push my lips into the glass and get them as wet as possible (mouth still closed lol) and then wipe my milk moustache on my serviette and the level in the glass would have gone down by 1/2mm.....   Sigh.   
Lots of us around Sydney in all suburbs, next potluck might be in Randwick which would be closer to you.  Keep an eye on the raw food support network www.gaiastable.com  for details.
The forum here is full of wonderful people so keep reading!

 :mellow:joybell      'choose to live a life that matters'

   That would be great to see you again Jim and see how you're doing.  With everyone moving around so much maybe we should have a 'travelling potluck'.  Make a weekend of it end of each month and meet half way.  That way we could get to meet up with lots of raw fooders from other states as well.......

There are SO many amazing people on this forum, imagine the energy if we all met up!

   joybell    "when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."

   Hey Freelea, it was so good to see your thread come up.  Was wondering how you were doing.   The Adelaiders are lucky to have you and Harley down there.   We MISS you in Sydney.   Lately it feels like our 'core' group of all the younger generation have gone walkabout. 
Grant came yesterday and it was fantastic to see him after so many months.   Hope to see you two sometime soon too. 
Sending you and Harley a big HUG and fruity vibes. 

"choose to live a life that matters"      joybell   

    Yeeha!   Food feast again............  it just gets better and better.    Can't wait to see everyone and enjoy the colourful, yummy dishes.

joybell     "choose to live a life that matters"

    Why would I ever go back to a cooked diet when I can go to a rawfood potluck and be surrounded by vibrantly handsome men !!! 

In the last 3 years of being mostly raw and attending Sydney potlucks I have met some incredibly energetic, good-natured males who take pride in their bodies and, through raw food become individuals that we could all aspire to be.  Raw men are an asset to the world -   Go guys.   

Nothing against the girls       but I used to think it was mainly the females who gravitated towards this kind of lifestyle, glad I am wrong.........

joybell    "choose to live a life that matters" 

    And our next raw food potluck here in Sydney is on Sunday!   27th April in Dural.   Check out new website for details:

www.gaiastable.com          Looking forward to catching up with our regulars and meeting all those raw fooders out there who have never been to one of our fabulous potlucks.  We eat and talk, eat a bit more, talk some more, eat and eat and eat, sigh (raw food heaven!)

   joybell   "when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect"

     Thanks for keeping us informed, our raw food potluck website is very important to all of our hungry Sydneysiders!  And Gay does a terrific job of notifying us of upcoming potlucks. 

joybell    "choose to live a life that matters"

   Hello Leisa,

Hippocrates did change my life and I have never looked back.  I too had the benefit of your services while there and am sad and puzzled at the decision to stop the programme.  If someone is offering to continue the valuable work that Ronald & Elaine started, why would that not be an option I wonder. 

On a lighter note, we all know that things happen to push us to the next level and your suggestion of starting something similar is inspiring.   I love your newsletter and look forward to the next one.

joybell     "choose to live a life that matters"

   Hello Phill   -   yes we ALL want raw food restaurants, cafe's, businesses and yes, sigh, they all take money.   Oodles of capital and people all committed to making it work. 

Keep thinking and talking about it, as you said it is just a shift in consciousness and it is happening all over with more of us being examples of health.  I have people in my office now saying "go speak to Joy, she's the healthy one". 

Business operated around supply and demand.  We need to increase the demand.  Good on you for bringing up the topic.   

"Choose to live a life that matters"                    joybell

   Major frustration hey Sam?  But Wow, what a lot you have done in a couple of months. 

I notice digestion was not mentioned. Even if you are taking in all the right foods, if your system is not absorbing the healthy nutrients, then you will not feel as healthy as you would like to.   I know this from experience, I eat well but the natural doctor I visit says for the moment I still need some help in the form of digestive enzymes & flora for the stomach etc.

Also gave up smoking and cut back on alcohol & caffeine.  For some of us that have had more years on the planet and abused our bodies for decades longer, things take time.  Maybe concentrate on strengthening your digestive system and slowly you will feel and look better.  I am still improving after 3 years on fresh foods. 

  joybell    "when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect"

Hey Steve, at least it sounds like you are keeping a sense of humour about it all 

Bring the shrink and the dietician to one of our potlucks, all our raw energy will blow their minds!  Where are you by the way, haven't seen you at a potluck for a while.  Are you in Sydney? 

I have close friends with experience of binge eating =  junk food followed by self loathing followed by vomiting.  Some 'qualified' people are hugely ignorant. 

joybell  "when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect"

   In Summer we usually have the Sunday get togethers but in winter Gay & Denis kindly offer their place in Randwick and we do Saturday night dinners. 
Still a long drive from Camden but I come from Wentworthville past Parramatta and it takes me about an hour some days.  I feel it's worth the once a month drive  -  the food is always fabulous, the people are great and we all have SO much to talk about! 
Simon from Campbelltown comes to the potlucks occasionally but otherwise I don't know anyone down that way.
One of these days we will have to try and have a picnic down that way!

joybell   "when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect"

 

   Hi Annie  -  Yes!  Sydney potlucks every month.  Next one this Sunday 2nd March in Centennial Park.  Sorry I didn't get back to you before but the threads move on so quickly I didn't see your question till now.

Rawgasm has given you the web address for our potlucks and they are usually around the end of month.  If you can make it on Sunday we will be near the duckpond, Lachlan reserve Centennial park at 12.   RAW sign written on a board so you can find us.  We will be the healthy non-barbecue crowd, lol !

joybell       "choose to live a life that matters"

   Hello Lou  - it was very inspiring reading your story, thank you for sharing.   My daughter suffered from depression about 15 years ago. 
If I knew then what I know now..................    to me, diet plays a HUGE part in wellbeing and I am sure the raw diet helps to return all of us to a healthy physical, mental & emotional state. 
I feel a lot calmer and happier and even if I say so myself  -   I LOOK FANTASTIC!!  lol

joybell   :choose to live a life that matters"

   Welcome and congrats Annie P!   48 days is huge. 

Hippocrates is what started me on raw.  I had no idea such a thing existed till I went to them - it changed my life.
If you have already been raw though, you would know all the basics already.  Hippocrates does a detox and then introduces the basic fruits & vegetable salads.  Unless they run other programmes now, check it out.   

"when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect"               joybell