Walk in the Woods, photo by Siona Karen Point of View-Point of View-Point of View-Point of View
By Janis Seminara
By the time I got word of my 30-year class reunion, I was celebrating my virgin-vegan status at the three-month mark. Plus, no pasta, no bread (unless it was sprouted and flourless), no processed food, no sugar.
Not only was I feeling better; my intense stomach cramps disappeared, I had more energy, and my brain was functioning at optimum speed ( I finished a screenplay in record time).
I looked better too. Let's face it, looking better at a 30-year reunion is a win/win situation, so I opted to go. On a whim I called Joan, my best friend from high school, who I hadn't seen in 12 years, to ask if she'd be going to the reunion. We decided to meet in the village for a pre-reunion dinner.
She looked great. We talked about old times and the upcoming reunion. When it came time to order dinner, she wasn't surprised that I was a vegan. She reminded me that 30 years ago, I had introduced her to carob and health food stores.
The next time I saw Joan was about six weeks later, at the reunion. I had already coasted off my virgin-vegan path by indulging a little here and there with celebratory cakes and treats from my recent college graduation party. After eight years of part-time study, taking care of my family, and severely neglecting my diet, I felt due to treat myself.
Glowing Looks
In my euphoria, I guess I'd forgotten how my vegan eating had given me the energy to make the final stretch to graduate. And by the time I re-met Joan, my energy was waning. Was it possible that she looked even more vibrant?
I attributed her glowing looks to the fact that she had never married. But the next day she told me about these raw food events she attended in the city. She admitted she was new to the whole thing, and not 100 percent raw, but she was eating more live foods than ever before. I was immediately interested.
Once upon a time, I had read Francis Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet. In those days, Harvey Diamond's Fit For Life became my bible. In fact, I had followed an almost raw food regime for years. My family was tired of hearing me talk about dead food and live food, and my friends marveled about how I looked like a teenager. (I was in my thirties and, synchronistically enough, that's the time period when I had last seen Joan). Was my old/new friend here to nudge me back on the raw foods side? I asked myself how it was that I had gotten off the path, a path that made me feel healthy and look great.
I realized that life and responsibility had gotten in the way of my enthusiasm, and back then there was little support: no internet, and no one I knew who ate like that!
Now here I am, faced with an opportunity to walk on the raw foods side again. Giving up my addictive foods will be a challenge. With autumn here and winter approaching, cravings for warm foods and hot soup will present more hurdles. However, all these years that I've been studying literature, I've been exploring my spirituality, including the need to embrace nature through my diet.
This time, I'm going into the raw foods lifestyle knowing for sure that if I can't do it 100 percent, whatever I'm doing is better than not doing it at all. This time, I'm kinder and more nurturing to myself. I eat 80 to 85 percent raw anyway. And now, I have support at my fingertips, including spiritual support from nature. Joan recommended Raw Foods News Magazine and here I sit, writing about my goals.
Still Scared
I'm still a little scared about certain addictions. Do I have to give up my cup of coffee? And while the before and after photos I've seen of others are wonderful, I feel that any weight I lose from a raw foods diet should only be a happy side effect. I've battled weight problems my whole life (except when I was mostly a raw food vegan). Now, I just want to feel optimum and honor my body, life and the earth.
As I embark on this new journey, with my old/new friend, I will be kinder to myself. I know that it will take time and meanwhile, I will be making strides in a better direction. As I study more about the lifestyle, visit raw food eateries, and seek out markets to accommodate my raw food life, I will have old and new friends supporting me. In Native American culture, Crow medicine teaches us how to "walk your talk." And common sense teaches us to walk before we run. Watch me, I'm taking a walk on the raw foods side.
By Janis Seminara
By the time I got word of my 30-year class reunion, I was celebrating my virgin-vegan status at the three-month mark. Plus, no pasta, no bread (unless it was sprouted and flourless), no processed food, no sugar.
Not only was I feeling better; my intense stomach cramps disappeared, I had more energy, and my brain was functioning at optimum speed ( I finished a screenplay in record time).
I looked better too. Let's face it, looking better at a 30-year reunion is a win/win situation, so I opted to go. On a whim I called Joan, my best friend from high school, who I hadn't seen in 12 years, to ask if she'd be going to the reunion. We decided to meet in the village for a pre-reunion dinner.
She looked great. We talked about old times and the upcoming reunion. When it came time to order dinner, she wasn't surprised that I was a vegan. She reminded me that 30 years ago, I had introduced her to carob and health food stores.
The next time I saw Joan was about six weeks later, at the reunion. I had already coasted off my virgin-vegan path by indulging a little here and there with celebratory cakes and treats from my recent college graduation party. After eight years of part-time study, taking care of my family, and severely neglecting my diet, I felt due to treat myself.
Glowing Looks
In my euphoria, I guess I'd forgotten how my vegan eating had given me the energy to make the final stretch to graduate. And by the time I re-met Joan, my energy was waning. Was it possible that she looked even more vibrant?
I attributed her glowing looks to the fact that she had never married. But the next day she told me about these raw food events she attended in the city. She admitted she was new to the whole thing, and not 100 percent raw, but she was eating more live foods than ever before. I was immediately interested.
Once upon a time, I had read Francis Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet. In those days, Harvey Diamond's Fit For Life became my bible. In fact, I had followed an almost raw food regime for years. My family was tired of hearing me talk about dead food and live food, and my friends marveled about how I looked like a teenager. (I was in my thirties and, synchronistically enough, that's the time period when I had last seen Joan). Was my old/new friend here to nudge me back on the raw foods side? I asked myself how it was that I had gotten off the path, a path that made me feel healthy and look great.
I realized that life and responsibility had gotten in the way of my enthusiasm, and back then there was little support: no internet, and no one I knew who ate like that!
Now here I am, faced with an opportunity to walk on the raw foods side again. Giving up my addictive foods will be a challenge. With autumn here and winter approaching, cravings for warm foods and hot soup will present more hurdles. However, all these years that I've been studying literature, I've been exploring my spirituality, including the need to embrace nature through my diet.
This time, I'm going into the raw foods lifestyle knowing for sure that if I can't do it 100 percent, whatever I'm doing is better than not doing it at all. This time, I'm kinder and more nurturing to myself. I eat 80 to 85 percent raw anyway. And now, I have support at my fingertips, including spiritual support from nature. Joan recommended Raw Foods News Magazine and here I sit, writing about my goals.
Still Scared
I'm still a little scared about certain addictions. Do I have to give up my cup of coffee? And while the before and after photos I've seen of others are wonderful, I feel that any weight I lose from a raw foods diet should only be a happy side effect. I've battled weight problems my whole life (except when I was mostly a raw food vegan). Now, I just want to feel optimum and honor my body, life and the earth.
As I embark on this new journey, with my old/new friend, I will be kinder to myself. I know that it will take time and meanwhile, I will be making strides in a better direction. As I study more about the lifestyle, visit raw food eateries, and seek out markets to accommodate my raw food life, I will have old and new friends supporting me. In Native American culture, Crow medicine teaches us how to "walk your talk." And common sense teaches us to walk before we run. Watch me, I'm taking a walk on the raw foods side.
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