Mostly this hasn't been an issue for me - I adopted the US Military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy for my dietary meanderings....and people tend to just step back and observe me quietly rather than laying in with stupid questions/assertions. I rarely get grilled - in fact people tend to praise me for eating fresh fruit and vege.

HOWEVER, the one area where I've had this issue has been colon therapists!! Being naive about colonics, I just assumed they'd 'know' and each time I went, I'd open my big mouth and tell them all about my high raw diet innocently, and get a real serve in return. The first 3 urged me to 'eat chicken' for protein (yep, chicken is vegetarian... ), and the last one backed off a bit when I told her why I'd switched colon therapists, but in the end she couldn't help herself either, and advised me to get blood tests every 3 months to keep track of deficiencies...

I have been very disappointed, and whinged to Matt Monarch about this recently, and the good thing was that, bless him, he's compiling a list of raw-friendly colon therapists (I assume worldwide). I'm personally lookin' forward to it....until then, if anyone knows of raw/vego friendly colon therapists in the Sydney area, I'd love to know.
Ange

Hi Everyone,
Had a wonderful day here today - it was so nice I dropped my plans and went for a bike ride to an abandoned pine plantation to find wattle gum - a bushfood I'm obsessed with at the moment.
On the raw front I'm still eating a lot, but expect this to settle down with time, and still can't let go of that one cup of black coffee in the mornings, even though overall my hot drinks fixation is way down. Will keep working on it, but it's not a big deal.
Today I had: vegetable juice (the base is usually a whole large cucumber), 8 dehydrated crackers, some with avo and sprouts (they're about the size of my palm - small), 2 servings of pepitas with sml amt raisins, 10 brazils, simple salad, green smoothie (which always has soaked flaxseeds in it), black coffee, cup of licorice tea, and wattle gum...
I also found another one of my hairs reverting to natural colour - ie grey on tip and dark at the base. I've found a hair like this recently, but couldn't believe my eyes. When I started adding in more raw foods I stopped dyeing my hair to see what would happen with the grey, which I have real trouble accepting but in my family it's genetic (Mediterranean ancestry). Maybe that's a copout?
Theresa - glad you're going a bit better now. Planning ahead seems to make all the difference with being raw.
Eve - I forgot to mention - you seem to have gotten our cold weather - sympathise.
Raw Fairy Lady - EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, an energy healing thingy, check it out at www.emofree.com. It's very good - my hot drinks fixation is on shaky ground, still have to work on that morning coffee.
Waterberry - Your brain has obviously gone into hiding, what with all those assignments and upcoming exams. I'm sure it'll turn up once all your exams are over. I found it hard eating well at uni, it's quite a juggling act.
Everyone else, hope you're well.
Bye for now, much love, Ange

Hi BerryBliss, I just saw your chocolates - man do they look good. I agree with Jen - could break my nose trying to taste them online...you are so incredibly creative and I agree with others - sell 'em!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, I've been thinking about getting some cacao powder and nibs and getting creative. Now I can't wait!
Ange

Lulu, reading your journal encourages me a lot. I know our paths cross in 60 Days but I'm starting to dip into people's journals to get inspiration and ideas (hope you don't mind). I eat pretty simply too, so it's kind of nice to see other people eating the same way. With a vegetable juice and green smoothie every day, I either end up grazing or have a salad - excitement plus....
Looking forward to your transformation photos.
All the best, Ange

Raw Fairy Lady, You are too funny sometimes. I have a half-planted out vege patch and even when I'm not doing anything in there, it's my 'chill out' space - I'll often go and sit on my stump in the morning sun and just watch the insect world (devour my greens - rrrrrrr), the feeding parties of little birdies (devour the insects - yay - did I say that???). It makes me really happy.
I've never been much fussed about raw chocolate (wasn't a fan of cooked chocolate either - a whole packet of Tim Tams? why?), but when I used up the last little bit just before going high raw lately, I immediately noticed an energy boost, and I felt good - real good. I don't know why when I used it before it never had that affect, but now I'm a definite convert - I imagine it could be quite addictive.
Take care, Ange

Hi Jen, Good to hear things are on the upswing. I don't know about allergies but ever since I started adding more raw food to my diet the 3 foods I simply could not stand any more were wheat, corn and tomatoes.
What do chia seeds taste like, by the way? Are they fairly bland like flaxseeds?
Take care, Ange

Hi everyone, good to hear from you all (even if things aren't going great for some of us). I must say Calif and Beau, stop beating yourselves up!! If there's stuff going on and you feel emotionally stretched - just do your best. The fact that we're even here means we're committed to a better lifestyle - off the charts better. I think it was Eve's or Lulu's suggestion to have some pate or other specially prepared raw food on hand - but I know it's difficult to plan ahead when it comes to other people...
By contrast, my situation right now is very cloistered - I'm pretty much cut off from mainstream society, living with my father and brother after losing 'everything' last year when a new job didn't work out (but I wasn't sorry to see any of it go). They're both pretty mellow people and I can eat what I like without getting strange looks. My dad was into raw food about 10 years ago in a full on way after watching my mum go through the medical profession and specialists and private hospitals and they just washed their hands of her in the end. Now he's 50% microwaved and 50% raw...I've tried talking to him about microwave ovens but it just caused fights so I backed down. My brother drinks the green smoothies and salads dad makes him, and I'm working on the rest of his diet, but it's a fine balancing act between introducing new ideas and just getting people's backs up. For now I'm focusing on myself.
The last couple of days I've still been all raw food-wise but have not yet let go of the black coffee in the mornings. However, I started doing EFT on this issue, and tapped on the feelings underlying this addiction (anxiety, not feeling good enough), and finally, it worked. Yesterday my hot drinks quota plummeted, and today was the same, but I have yet to let go...completely. I also noticed I was a bit more relaxed around food today as well.
Overall, no change, really - still eating a LOT, ate way too much fat yesterday and paid for it this morning, and while yesterday I had a good day - energetic, happy - today I was back to feeling like I had the flu. I only managed a halfhearted run today, skipping the workout through lack of energy.
RFL and Theresa, I really wish I had your over supply of energy!! I'm sure it will come, and I'm not minimising the issues it causes you.
It's so good to have this forum to come to - thanks all of you for sharing.
All the best, Ange

Hi Kebbster
I've been following your journal - you've made a lot of progress, really amazing and inspiring. I really relate to the increased sensitivity on raw foods - even when I was only about 70% raw, every time I went to Sydney (I live on the south coast, out of town) I'd be whacked out for days after coming back. The other day I caught the train up to Wollongong to get some Lugol's and again was surprised by how fatigued I was the next day.
I'm not an expert on raw foods but I really encourage you to get into the leafy greens via smoothies or juices as much as you can. They are so healing - and now that I've been supplementing my diet with weeds, I really notice a difference - and they're free.  Of course it depends on where you live as to safety and variety but weeds will grow anywhere, which is great.
In my smoothies I like to add flaxseeds and hempseeds, but now that I've read up on chia seeds - and heard others rave about them - I'm keen to use them as well. These are all much cheaper than the other superfoods/ whole food supplements.
Well it's been good to hear about your progress - you're doing so great! And inspiring your mum as well, not bad. Much love, Ange

Hi Jen,
I've been meaning to post in your journal since you shared so deeply and honestly with us. I can't say it any better than everyone else already has except that personally I really appreciate your honesty and willingness to share. I can't explain it, I have had many trials and failures with raw food but have never been able to walk away - that little voice in my head would say, 'just try again, just keep trying', and inevitably I would come back to it. Being raw has actually pushed me to see that there is no 'holy grail' that suits everyone - some people simply cannot live without meat, and that's the best place for them, even though in my heart I would dearly love to see the human race move beyond eating flesh. So, before I meander all over the place, what I'm saying is that being raw is different to each and every one of us, and it is SO challenging in so many ways.
I may never be 100% raw, I don't know, yet I still think raw food is so great, so healing. I have to come to my own conclusions about this, and stand true to where I am.
I am really glad you're finding balance - and answers - to these issues, and once again, thanks for sharing your own  journey so honestly with us.
Wishing you all the best. Much love Ange

Day 3. I had some detox symptoms today - woke up all clogged up and headachey, but it cleared through the morning. I am still eating a lot - just really hungry all the time - and the last 2 times I've been all raw I wasn't like this, but I was eating a lot of fruit those times - not now, I only use green apples and pears in my smoothies. I didn't realise fruit was so satiating - do other people find that?

I've also been very cold in the mornings, hence the black coffee to warm me up. I had about 6 flax/buckwheat crackers (slightly larger than a jatz), some plain, some with avocado and mung sprouts, then my vegetable juice, 2 handfuls of brazil nuts, a green smoothie, and guacamole with more sprouts on a bed of lettuce. Also 3 herb teas.

Jen, I like the way you keep it real. Raw food seems to be a rapidly evolving lifestyle, and we can only learn more by being truthful about how it affects us, in different ways at different times (and we're all individual).
Love to all.

Finally!! I found the Raw for 60 Days! I am usually better at finding things than this...

So, Californiaglee, I 'started' yesterday, but I'm going to cut myself some slack for a few days. Yesterday I had my last slice of pumpernickel and a black coffee. Today I also had a black coffee. I have this character trait that if someone (including myself) tells me to do something, I'll go and do the opposite...But otherwise today I was all raw - and ravenous, absolutely famished most of the day and I still don't have enough snack foods in the house. I ended up eating 3 bananas today (someone else's) - I usually avoid sweet fruits because of the candida flare ups - but I'll give myself a few days to ease into it and focus on the successes - like staying all raw today with my food.
At the moment I have a pretty predictable daily diet: vegetable juice in the mornings, salad around lunch/early afternoon, and a green smoothie at night. For snacks I've been eating pumpkin and sunflower seed mix with a few raisins, and I've got some flax/buckwheat crackers going in the dehydrator now. Generally only the weeds, garden greens - and mulberry leaves - are organic. Right now the price and availability of organics is not that convenient.

A big part of my health regime is exercising every day, whether raw or not, and at the moment I run in the mornings (not for long - about 20-30 minutes), and then do a workout in the afternoons, using free weights every other day. This really helps with my mood (have had depression pretty much all my life) and self-discipline. I think it's also just me - I just like lifting weights - gives me a natural high.

Having this forum to post to is encouraging me and also keeping me accountable - it's making a real difference to my motivation this time around. Today I was really surprised at how hungry I was not having those few cooked foods and beverages to act as spakfilla. Looking forward to posting my progress.

Oh dear! V funny - changed my whole outlook on drugs.

Great Theresa, see you there.
Ange

Look, I'll add my 2 cents worth to this discussion as a newcomer. If anyone saw my first post (under Californiaglee's Raw for 60 Days and will you support me - I think), it was extremely defensive and negative, and Lovespirit picked me up on this. What I didn't say at the time was that the reason I sounded like that was that I'd read some of this person's (Durianrider?) posts in response to Katie, and I was pretty put off - I weally weally weally wanted to join in, but I thought, man, if that guy comes after me I'll be outta here like a rocket. So, that's why, in my first post, I was wearing a deep sea diving suit AND a crash helmet - I felt pretty scared. Posts like his can be intimidating, and I don't think I should have to just 'get over it and grow up' because that translates into me going elsewhere and not contributing - but wanting to reply to Californiaglee's post won out over my fear of this other guy's attitude.

It only takes ONE wrecking ball to do the damage, and already I'm being advised to avoid certain areas on this forum because others are 'more supportive and welcoming' - doesn't that send a message??

THANK YOU John for being so forthright and honest. With you, I don't need the crash helmet. Thanks, dude.

Theresa, with this challenge, for all raw (that's what you want to do, right?), I'd like to start on Wednesday - I'm going to be out all day tomorrow and I'm out of food and just want to start the day after. Then it's 30-35 days all raw, right? How exciting. I'm actually really excited. MAINLY because since my bleed finished, the candida symptoms cleared up, and I'm BACK to NORMAL!! Having felt like death warmed up for a week (it actually is really cold here tonight - South Coast NSW), I was back to my old self today - went for a run at midday and scared the crap out of two middle-aged women taking a bushwalk, then did my 'off day' workout (light) in the late afternoon. I'm alive again!! And feeling this contrast between wellness and er, the other state has really motivated me.

So, Wednesday I'm starting the raw 30/35 day challenge. Let me know how you go. Do you want me to post what I eat/do each day? Looking forward to it. Speak to you soon.
Ange