For every raw fooder, there is an experience, and each is unique. For a teenager trying to find his way in the world, I have come across many challenges and much resistance. Not only have I overcome most of these, I have used them to my advantage. Raw foods have made me stronger in every way I know.
Throughout junior high, I was "the vegan." It was during those years that I first became conscious of the effect one’s diet has on the world. I was always interested in health, but I never took it seriously. It was tough being different, but I grew in so many ways because of this. As a vegan, I became angry with the world, and I stored my negative thoughts. I had no idea I’d later be forced to deal with these.
It was my vegan diet that led me to the discovery of raw foods.
Three months before my fifteenth birthday, the idea of eating only raw food presented itself to me. I thought it was extreme. I imagined an elderly couple cutting up broccoli and eating it with a fork! After a little research, though, my views changed. This diet made too much sense not to give it a try. Little did I know it was more than a diet; it is an entire way of life. Ready to start a new adventure, I jumped right in... WOW!
Raw foods forced me to analyze my lifestyle. My previous diet was anything but healthy, consisting mostly of soy, grains, and condiments. I am still adjusting my diet and lifestyle to my needs. It is an amazing process.
Unlike soymilk, eggless cookies, and meat substitutes, raw foods don’t give the impression of denial. No longer am I living solely without meat, dairy, and eggs. I am living with raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds! I was drifting further from the societal norm, but in school I put up with less resistance. My "diet" was a lot easier to defend. God, nature, and human logic were on my side. Many people who previously were hostile towards me became truly interested. I was becoming a more reasonable, peaceful person, and I didn’t even notice!
Transitioning to a raw food diet has been the biggest challenge of my life.
I regret not keeping a journal during this pivotal time. A journal would have helped me put everything into perspective. During this time, I ate nuts and seeds by the pound to suppress cravings. My stomach was not used to the light feeling. Occasionally, I'd turn to peanut butter, but I was eating a lot better than before. The change in eating habits was hard but not the most difficult part for me. I had intense mood swings and emotional releases, which created strain on already weak family bonds.
My parents, avid meat-eaters, mocked my rapid weight loss. “Emaciated” and “anorexic” became frequent words in their vocabulary. For a teenaged male whose ideal image of his self was one of bulging muscles with gorilla-like strength, these words really hurt. My family bonds were further weakened by my money situation. I was constantly asking my mother to buy me bananas and raw seeds. My parents told me I was “fading away," but, when I ate, they made me feel guilty about it. I wasn’t getting enough food.
The problems I faced left me doubting my new lifestyle. The night of Halloween that year, cravings hit hard. I went to a party and gave into social pressure. A few pieces of candy sent me on a downward spiral like nothing I'd ever experienced. The next two months I felt like hell. Detox, cravings, emotions, toxins….everything was blurred. I felt like a failure, and I was embarrassed by this. I suffered through intense junk food cravings, but I had no one to tell. I wouldn’t even ask for help online, the only place I had raw support. I was too embarrassed.
Toward my family, I put up a “raw façade,” pretending to be raw. Inside I was fighting myself. I searched for the bottles and packages with the highest calorie and fat content. I ate jars of salsa and drank salad dressing until my taste buds burned. I devoured whole boxes of crackers when no one was looking. As I binged, I might as well have been a cocaine addict shooting up in an alley. I lived for those releases, the artificial satisfaction brought about by these foods crushed by an overwhelming sense of defeat and sickness but a few moments later. I cried frequently, and I felt crazy. I confronted my emotions and my tough childhood, not by choice, but because it needed to be done.
Despite my setbacks, I persevered.
I used my back yard as my getaway, a place to go, free of guilt and pressuring family members. I kept trying and had some good raw days. On my first raw Thanksgiving, I was truly thankful.
It was around January when the guilt became too much. I didn’t want to lie or sneak around anymore. I started telling people I was transitioning, but I was in denial. Now, I could eat as much cooked food as I wanted, and I could do it without secrecy. I ate lots of vegan “nutrition” bars, oils, and hummus. Finally, I admitted to myself that my “transitioning” was nothing more than an excuse to binge and a guilt-free way to feed my addictions. By March, I decided to quit my self-abuse. I went raw, 100%, and I felt great! Over one year later, and here I am writing this article.
A lot has happened this past year. Raw foods revolutionized my life and thinking. Some changes have been physical. A few brief fasts over the summer left me feeling much cleaner. For a few months, I had so much mucus it seemed as if I was spitting every few minutes. Needless to say, that was anything but appealing to my family members. My face has cleared, but light acne proves that I am still “cleaning house.” Cravings are a rarity now, and my need for concentrated fats continues to wane. I’m doing very well on mostly fruit and vegetables, and I'm getting enough food. I am now more active than I have been in my entire life and slowly, I am gaining muscle.
Once an atheist, I now have faith.
To know there is a higher power is a profound feeling! Raw foods have shown me the magic and mystery of the universe. I have a new kind of confidence in the human race, and I strive for peace within and around me. I wake up every morning anticipating the wonders of the day. I am living proof that not every teenager has to be stressed, depressed, and hopeless.
As my family continues to become accustomed to my changes, they change too. Both of my sisters are now vegetarians, and one aspires to be raw like her big brother. My lifestyle has created tensions for sure, but I'm overcoming these. Overall, our household is much less toxic.
My senses have sharpened, especially my sense of thought. Food was not a problem in school. I faced the halls with sunflower seeds, apples, and carrots in my backpack, but schoolwork became dull and tedious. I made my days bearable by doodling, stretching in my seat, staring out windows, and receiving hall passes whenever possible.
Last fall, however, after my first raw summer, school was different. It was more than a waste of time; it was prison. After much debate with my mom, I left public school. I concluded that there are too many things to learn to wait for someone else to assign them to me! Now, the world is my teacher. When I left school, I was worried that I’d become a hermit. The opposite is true.
With raw foods and free time, it has only been recently that I have begun to reach out and explore the world. I have discovered many new interests and I am meeting so many people. For a year, I had no raw support besides online e-groups. Now, I am meeting raw people everywhere but only since I've started looking! I even found an organic buying group very close to my home, which has expanded my variety of foods.
Raw foods let me live a real life.
The things I'm learning now will help me in the future, but I'm living for the present. Besides tutoring students and volunteering at a forest sanctuary, I’ve been certified as a raw nutrition specialist. I've helped many individuals and entire families on their way to a better life. I donate a lot of my time helping out other teens struggling with vegetarian, vegan, or raw food diets. I’m finding the time to write and I'm working on an in-depth book about my raw food journey. I am also a full-time activist fighting for those with little or no voice. I like to think of myself as a strong contributor to the raw food movement and a passionate activist who is changing the world!
I believe raw living will continue to show me the way. What way? I’m not sure, but I am reaching out for the special things that the universe has in store for me. I have, by no means, achieved the perfect lifestyle (whatever that is), but I am learning so much and I keep moving forward. Challenges present themselves and I work to overcome them. I adapt my lifestyle to fit the opportunities given to me. No matter what age we are, we can embrace our struggles for the betterment of ourselves...and the world.
To Contact Rick with questions, for an interview, or to learn more about his “Support for a Healthy Lifestyle,” please contact him.
Rick
veganrick@aol.com
321-268-3501
Nature's First Law
