Being Defined by Your Food Choices

I am going to take this opportunity to discus something that I recently experienced for the first time. I went on a trip to visit my sister with my mother. My sister lives out West so it was a long plane ride and as I am sure most of you raw foodies out there are aware, planes aren’t very raw food friendly. On the way out I just had water, I was gagging at the smell of the ranch dressing the woman next to me was eating on her salad and I was appalled at what was being handed out for in flight snacks.  The reason I am telling you this is because I intend for it to be a segway into my main point of this posting.

My raw food experience has been surrounded by a protective bubble leaving me naive and rather taken aback when I enter the real world from time to time. Since going raw I have made exceptions for foods that I used to enjoy greatly like Sushi, but have not had anything made by Nabisco or any other similar processed food company. I was blessed with an amazing, aware, enlightened and supportive husband at the beginning of my journey down this path and that has not changed. He is still extremely supportive and understanding – and RAW! I love him profoundly!

Well the airplane was a shock, one that I overcame quickly. I admit I would have liked it better if I didn’t have my mother eating that junk next to me because she was hungry. I righted that on the trip back and brought all sorts of snacks for her! She is 100% capable (and entitled) to make her own decisions, but if there is an alternative to light 100 calorie Oreo cracker things, she is happy to eat that instead.

While on my little excursion out West I was amazed, I had to state on more than one occasion that although I am a raw vegan, my food choices (lets emphasize here CHOICED) absolutely do not define me. I CAN and DO eat whatever it is I want to eat; I CHOOSE not to eat certain things. One example was at the farmers market, I decided to try some raw goat cheese. I didn’t like it, but I tried it just to see if I might. Nope. Oh well… However, when I told my brother-in-law that this is what I was going to do the response was “I didn’t think you could eat that.” At this point please let me emphasize, he did not say this in a rude or disrespectful way. Erik is a very intelligent, polite and respectful person! But, this was probably the third or fourth time I had heard this, so I looked at him and said something to the effect of “What I eat doesn’t define me, I choose to eat this way but I can eat whatever I want.” I was frustrated, shame on me! He didn’t mean anything by it! I knew that!

Why is it when you choose to do something a little differently (or a lot) it suddenly defines you. It’s not about restriction; empowerment is the name of the game! I am convinced the only true way to make a change in your own life is by empowering yourself. If you want to change your lifestyle, empower yourself! Get your mind around it and then make sure no one can shake your resolve! Define yourself on your terms, instead of by the foods you CHOOSE to eat, the cloths you CHOOSE to wear or the friends you CHOOSE to keep! These are all choices which may change at any given point on your personal voyage through life, they are part of what makes you, you! They are not who you are, but instead they are a piece of what makes you unique and special! AND they can change as you learn and grow. Defining yourself within strict parameters leaves little room for growth and evolution, can leave a sour taste in your mouth and could ultimately be your undoing (whether it has to do with your health, your personal perception, clothing, friends…the list goes on).