Karen Knowler * The Raw Food Coach

Eating Raw on a Budget

Eating raw can be either super-cheap or super-expensive, or anywhere in between - it depends on what kinds of foods you are buying, where you are buying them from, as well as the all-important quality and quantity. The most expensive foods are typically the tropical fruits and out of season fruits, the speciality ingredients from the USA, and of course organic foods are generally more expensive than non. The cheapest foods are of course going to be the ones you grow yourself, are given by others or what you'll have plenty of if you take up sprouting for a living! That said, there are always ways and means of getting cut-price produce of the kind you really want, it just takes a bit of time and effort to shop around, and sometimes some clever thinking! But once you've found some good suppliers, tips and techniques, you’re well on your way to saving what can often be substantial amounts of money.

Here follow some ideas which, without exception, will pay dividends, both in terms of time and money... 

"Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade!" - Upping the Ante in Your Raw Life

When we first get into raw foods and we go through the "Oh my God, this is so amazing!" phase, it's pretty common to shut out other aspects of our lives so that we can focus 100% on revamping our diet, kitchen and everyday eating habits and get fully immersed in our exciting new awareness, food-related experiences and insights.

While this is pretty much par for the course (it takes a lot of time and energy to completely rethink this part of our life, after all), it's not going to be long before that laser-like focus starts to work against us, rather than for us.

Why?

Because we need to keep feeding and nurturing ALL aspects of ourselves - not just our mind, not just our body, and not just anything else for that matter!

Over the years I have learned and re-learned many times over just how vital it is to upgrade other areas of our life at the same time that we upgrade our food choices. Because when we don't, the gap between our physical energy and where we find ourselves located emotionally, spiritually or mentally in our lives can feel so great (as the body starts rushing around buzzing with raw energy), that the rest of us lags behind and eventually pulls us back. This is why the GoRaw!-then-Binge pattern is so unceasingly prevalent.

How Much Energy Can Your Body Hold?

Now and again, in the quieter moments, sudden flashes of insight come along when I least expect them, reminding me of one of the main reasons I choose raw.

Today I want to share an insight I had a few years ago about how much “energy” the body can hold - and how and why raw and living foods make it possible for us to feel energetically “bigger” and more able to experience life in a more profound and enriching way.

To be clear though - by “energy” I don’t mean the “jump-up-and-down-all-day-like-a-maniac” kind of energy, but the deeper, sustained, electric kind of energy that it takes to hold a thought, an idea, a philosophy or a concept and to hold its promise and its power, and to explore its depth and potential to the max no matter where it may lead – all without recoiling, being distracted, dismissing it or simply not being able to “go there” in the first place.

I once read in a book that it takes 12 times the energy to hold a spiritual thought than a normal everyday “what shall I have for dinner?” kind of thought. While I’m not sure how on earth this could be measured, I’m sure that all of us can appreciate that different levels of thought require different amounts of energy, as we all know how poor our mental faculties can be when we are ill or run down – we simply don’t have the energy available to read a book, let alone ponder on the bigger issues of life.

Where the Raw Food Journey Really Begins: Self-Love

Going raw is not only about more than “carrots and apples” it’s also about way more than raw food.

As anyone who has eaten mostly or all raw food for more than a month will tell you, what inevitably follows the desire to eat healthier, is the desire to live healthier in all aspects – internally and externally.

And this all comes down to one central theme – self-love.

Self-love is vital for anyone seeking to live and be their best, after all if we’re not looking after ourselves then we can only ever get to experience a fraction of what’s possible.

So today we’re looking at why you shouldn’t just be focused on what goes in to your mouth, but just as vitally what you’re feeding yourself on every other level too – and here’s why: 

1)   You can only give what you have to give; if you don't love yourself first you are drawing from an empty well. If you want to love others in a big, love-them-large kind of way, then you have to love yourself large first. Period. Where do you start? Keep reading…

How to Spread the *RAW* Word in a Way That's Right For YOU!

If you’ve been into raw food for a while – or even a little while, actually – it’s not unusual to become so excited about what you’re learning and discovering for yourself that you want to tell the world!

Yes, we all know that feeling, right?

Well, those longer-termers among you will know that running around telling everyone how they "must go raw" is generally a recipe for disaster; it can alienate friends, family, colleagues and even partners if you don’t know how to share this right!

In my many years of being a raw foodie if there’s one thing I’ve learned, both personally and professionally, it’s this: people have to want to go raw.

Think about it…

Did anyone twist *your* arm into going raw? Did anyone try to twist your arm into going raw?

Have a think about that for a moment and see what pops. If this did happen to you, remember how it felt... How did you respond or react to it? Was it positively or negatively? I know many people who actually didn’t pursue a raw food journey because of the way the information was presented to them.

My experience suggests that for every 100 people who go raw, 98 go raw because they decide to, and it is their decision alone. (The other two tend to it because their partner coerced them or their health dictated it). This is a very important fact to bear in mind when you’re serious or keen to spread the word.

Get REAL - Before You Go Raw

One of the most common mistakes that newbie raw food enthusiasts make is trying to run before they can walk. Perhaps we have all been there, I know I certainly have! It's only natural to want to do something as much and as fast as we can when it feels so good and seems naturally self-propelling; why would we slow down? And while I'm not here to say "slow down" necessarily, I am here to share a few friendly words of advice from both my own experience and those of others I have coached over the past decade or so, that might just make all the difference.

1) Before you start jetting off, capture where you are starting from. Having a very clear, defined and ideally highly detailed record of where your "point A" is, is not absolutely essential but definitely a great idea especially if you have significant health or weight issues when you begin. By taking photos, writing a journal, weighing, measuring and taking notes about where you’re at on all levels, you’ll have a great record of where you are/were at before your raw transformation (which you WILL forget unless you write it down). This will be priceless to you once you have progressed further along the track as you will be in awe at what has changed along the way.

The Importance of Environment - Part 1: Your Inner Terrain

Be prepared for an article written with passion, because this is a subject very close to my heart and one that, I hope, will impact you and your life forever.

Environment: The surroundings we choose to place ourselves in. (Yes, we do get to choose!)

So, how much of your environment is created consciously and how much of it fills you with glee?

Ideally the answer to both of the above should be "all of it", but my guess is that in more than a few ways it may very well not be? If this is the case, don't fret, it's “normal”.

But the purpose of this article is to bring home to you two things:

1) Why you should only ever make your environment "a ten"

2) How you can do that

To begin this foray into all things environmental, for today and for the purpose of this article, we're going to bring the subject very close to home. So close in fact that we're going to start with the internal and then, in the next article, extend just beyond that to our immediate everyday surroundings.

Ready?

How Do I Explain My Choices to My Family?

Saying that you are “going raw” or have ”gone raw” can be challenging at the best of times, but saying it to your own family – those who have seen you eat all manner of things over the years without issue – is something quite different!

As with all of the suggestions I have shared around social issues and raw food, much of it will come down to the attitude you choose to adopt. Plus it’s as much about what you don’t say as what you do. It’s also about remembering that everyone has an opinion and we all think we’re right. What matters is that you are happy with yours but don’t push it on anyone. That way they won’t push back!

Here follows my top tips for navigating those waters otherwise known as explaining your choices to your family for the first time, or even the umpteenth!

The Four Juiciest Secrets - Call Recording and Handouts

The response to my call last week has been truly incredible. I promised that the content would be life-changing, and it was.

For those of you who missed it and would like to hear it, you'll find the details below together with the handout that you may well want to use to take notes in a useful and structured way.

But first a selection of feedback we received after the call, whose authors have kindly agreed for their comments to be published:

“Dearest Karen – I just wanted to personally thank you for last night’s call.  After I got off, I made a decision to quit my job of 12 years and devote myself full-time to my company, Rite Food and Company.  I’ve been trying to run my company part-time for months now and have been really struggling... mainly because I was pushing back/ denying/ silencing my ‘inner voice’.  Thank you for reminding me that I’m powerful beyond my wildest dreams.” ~ Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt, Rite Food and Company, New Gloucester, Maine, USA

“Hi Karen, you are amazing....your breakdown was actually your breakthrough.  You have changed my raw food journey. Thank you from my entire green heart, mind, body and soul...a true convert.” ~ Reina Ocasio, New York, USA

“That recording is a gem, a masterpiece, or mistresspiece, it is awesome.  I'm on the net a lot, for over 12 yrs, and that is one of the very best things I ever, ever experienced by way of the net.  You are real, you are truly concerned, you have something of value to contribute, you are willing to put it out there, you are speaking from the truth of your being, you are a pioneer in life, in raw, in marketing, in being love - thank you.  I’m so happy to see you sold out, as is appropriate.  I know that your contribution will be returned to you multiplied.  Thank you; know that you have made a difference in lives all over the planet that will then touch others and others and others, wow - just wow!” ~ Dr. Dianne Jennings, Costa Rica

Gabriella Goddard's Gulp! Virtual Book Tour

Regular readers of my blog may recall how a couple of months ago I purchased a book called "Gulp!" by Gabriella Goddard. I explained how I had worked with Gabriella a year previously when I was a client of hers seeking to brand myself as "The Raw Food Coach" - but I wanted to do it right. So it's largely thanks to Gabriella that the look and feel of TRFC that you see today (and that's finally going live on my web site this weekend) exists, as she was brilliant at encouraging me to find my own authentic style and be 100% me through my brand. Yes it did mean binning a £1000 logo, but hey! Needless to say I'm very grateful for that advice as I now have a brand that is completely me, that feels very right and others seem to love too!

So after purchasing Gabriella's first book recently, which, incidentally has nothing to do with branding (!), I once again became one of her biggest fans! This time Gabriella's theme of being authentic is running through life itself, encouraging people to go for it with their biggest and boldest hopes, dreams and desires.

And I do have to say it: quite simply this book is brilliant - both in the way it is written and the way it has been all pulled together into a framework that really works! As such it's fantastically useful and an invaluable tool for anyone contemplating making changes in their life - big or small.

So it gives me great pleasure today to welcome Gabriella here to The Raw Food Coach blog at 10:30am, Friday 1st September 2006. This is one of a few stops Gabriella's making on her Gulp! Virtual Book Tour and it really is an honour to have her here with us. So welcome Gabriella :)

And seeing as many raw fooders are familiar with the concept of change - and often more than a little (!), I have decided to interview Gabriella on the ultimate shift - that of living your biggest dreams, so our subject today is "Making your dreams come true - and the consequences if you don’t!".

Let's see what Gabriella has to say...