Temptations

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Our focus today will be on social temptations. If you need more ideas for sticking with your diet on the homefront, just let me know. We can discuss that in future blog.

First, lets think about the word temptation. Does it conjure up positive thoughts or does it carry a negative charge? Why?

Is temptation the same as desire? I don't think so.

I have a strong desire to live a vibrant and healthy life. I desire to reach out and help others. I long to share love with each and every person we make contact with. These desires lead to positive results in the end, but living this type of life may not bring immediate gratification. In fact, it may be very uncomfortable for me at certain moments.

Temptation is quite the opposite of desire. Giving in brings instant moments of pleasure, but long term destruction on different levels. Temptations hinder me from reaching my desired goals and dreams.

In order to fight temptations, you need to have a clear set of desires, dreams, and goals. Then look at temptations as a direct attack on those dreams. Would you stand by and watch someone attack a close relative or friend without trying to rescue them? Then why let temptations punch holes in your dreams? Now's the time to stand up and fight.

I'm sure you know exactly what I'm going to say next. When you're invited to attend a social event, have a P-L-A-N.

First and foremost, what is the whole purpose of this event? Most people make these types of gatherings all about the food. Is that what it's really about? If that's the case, you can have your own event at home around your dinner table without all the other people. Just skip the event... Wait! Don't skip the event. Just redirect your focus and intent. The whole purpose should be to enjoy your time with other people. Socialize. Laugh. Reminisce. Love. Play. Share.

Once your focus is where it should be, food becomes secondary, but it's still a key player in the game. If possible, prepare your favorite healthy recipe to bring along and share with others. Even better, prepare more than one dish to carry along. Sharing the food you love with others and knowing that it's nourishing every cell in their bodies, will fill you with joy.

Second, always eat something ahead of time. If you arrive at the party physically satisfied, the other items being served won't be as enticing. This really helps if you won't be bringing food with you. You can drink water and mingle without worrying over what you can eat.

Last tip, have some fresh fruit, nuts, or even dried fruit waiting in the car. There's comfort in knowing there's something nearby if you get too hungry. This really helps when fighting off temptations.

Now you're prepared to stand strong and proud at these social gatherings. Have fun knowing you won't wake up the following morning feeling bloated, hungover, or guilty from over indulging. Instead, you'll feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and full of amazing memories of time spent with those you love.

Without Offense

One of the biggest struggles many people face when trying to eat healthy is social situations. Some find the food too tempting. Many others don't want to offend the host(ess). The holidays are quickly approaching. Party invites are arriving. Will you stand strong or will you give in?

Tomorrow we'll talk about overcoming the temptations. Today I'd rather discuss another aspect of harmonious living, refusing food without offending the chef.

A lot of people are aware that my family has different dietary preferences, but they don't realize that we eat only fresh raw fruits, vegetables, greens, nuts, and seeds. Each social situation is different. It really helps to have a plan. What will we eat? What information will we share? How will we refuse the food we don't wish to consume?

First and foremost, the information we share remains consistent with friends, family, coworkers, and/or strangers. I don't go into a spiel about the virtues of raw vegan foods versus the death, disease, and destruction found in Standard American Diet land. This leads nowhere and is sure to bring offense to the person(s) offering food. Instead, I explain our stance from a personal health perspective that they can't negate and won't see as an attack against their choices.

We've really altered our diet over the last few months. Many of the prepackaged products on the supermarket shelves contain additives, preservatives, and other ingredients that can kick off seizures for Elijah. For this reason, I prepare our meals from fresh fruits and vegetables. So far we've seen great improvements in Elijah's health. We can't expect him to be the only one eating a special diet, so we all do this together. We appreciate the invite. Please don't go out of your way to prepare anything special. I'm more than happy to bring along a few dishes to share with the rest of the guests.

If the host(ess) is determined to provide all the food and would like to know what we would eat, then I simply suggest a fresh vegetable and/or fruit platter. In this situation, we also eat ahead of time just in case the fresh food selection isn't very large.

You can take my above statement and alter it to fit your situation. For example...

Thanks for inviting me to your gathering. For months/years I've struggled with _________ (high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, chronic pain, lethargy, etc). After making a few alterations to my diet and incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables, I'm feeling better than ever. You don't have to provide anything special for me. I'd like to bring along a couple dishes to share with the other guests. Would that be OK?

Explaining your situation ahead of time and offering a solution so the host isn't inconvenienced with finding something for you to eat will make both you and the host feel at ease.

What about those moments that you can't plan for? Plan anyway. We all know that different spontaneous and unavoidable situations will arise. Here's a couple of examples:

You're visiting a friend/relative and they offer a favorite drink or food, completely unaware that you don't consume that anymore. Politely decline, letting them know that you just had something right before you came. Another option would be to ask for a glass of water instead. Just mention that you're trying to drink more water these days.

OR

Your office decides to provide lunch for the employees. Your supervisor asks what you would like to order. Just keep it simple and ask for a salad with lettuce and tomatoes and a glass of water with lemon. Most restaurants have these ingredients on hand. Besides, you brought along plenty of fresh fruit and a smoothie for lunch. You can squeeze part of your lemon wedge over your salad and add some fruit to the top instead of salad dressing. If you're restricted to ordering something more specific like a chicken sandwich or tuna melt, then politely decline with an explanation that you're on a diet and brought your own food today. You shouldn't have to give any more of an explanation than this. Most people are on Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, etc so your excuse would be considered normal.


You know the types of gatherings and social events that typically come up in your life. Do some role playing. Have a supportive friend or relative come up with challenging social propositions while you think of appropriate responses so that when the real scenarios come up you're prepared. No matter what the situation may be, remember to always express your thoughts in love to insure that your comments are without offense.

Harmonious Living

When I first discovered the benefits of eating vibrant, living fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, I couldn't wait to tell everyone. I was a raw vegan advocate on a mission to evangelize the world, rescuing others from the bondage of dis~ease. I didn't make it further than my own extended family and a few friends before I had to face my superhero alter ego and reevaluate the plan.

Something wasn't working. People laughed. Nearly everyone thought I was crazy. Many believed I was destroying our health, not building it. I was too extreme in their eyes. So, how many were willing to actually give it a try? ONE...just one....

What would I do differently if I could go back in time? The answer is simple. Stay silent, but live out loud.

Do you like it when someone says the way you do something is wrong? Neither do your friends, family, coworkers, etc. It took some time, but I've had to learn to keep my big mouth shut. No one wants to be told how to live, let alone how to eat.

People watch people. We're under constant observation. Someone is watching you right now. You don't have to say a word to influence others. Our actions speak much louder than our words ever could.

If you live a vibrantly healthy life, full of energy... If you radiate love and sunshine everywhere you go... If you accept your loved ones unconditionally... They will come to you when they're ready. They'll wake up one day and realize that you have something they need. They'll remember when you were always tired, sick, overweight, etc and it will click that you aren't that way anymore.

How many loved ones will make a healthy transformation at that point? I'm not sure of the answer to that question, but without a doubt the odds are stacked more in your favor if you wait until they come to you.

The Bible contains a lot of wisdom and one quote that comes to mind is...

If it be possible, as much as lies within you, live at peace with all men. ~Romans 12:18

Arguing over health isn't healthy, and it sure won't benefit the person you're trying to save. What good can pushing your beliefs on someone do? Nothing. It can even put a rift in your relationships. Certain friends and family avoided us in the beginning. Some still do. Thankfully, others came back around after I learned to shut up, offer love, and accept them exactly as themselves.

Now I get regular phone calls and emails asking honest questions about diet and health related issues. Small changes are showing up in the lives of friends and family members. Are they making drastic changes? No. Will they ever? Maybe...maybe not. In either case, I will love them and respect their lifestyle. What will I gain? Exactly what I've given. Love, respect, and acceptance in return.

Christian Speaks Out

As you know, Christian began researching the "food" manufacturing process earlier this week. She's so alarmed and disgusted by what she found. And so determined to share it with everyone.

Before we made the video, she had just one question. "They won't try to arrest me for telling this to everyone, will they?" I reassured her that we still had freedom of speech here in the United States and that she was entitled to share her opinion. Besides, you can read this information for yourself at the FDA's website.

Sharing Love: A New Challenge

I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. ~Maya Angelou

The excitement felt when Connie shared this video on NFC is indescribable. I knew this was something I had to be a part of. Yesterday I joined the 29-Day Giving Challenge. My anticipation and hope for an amazing experience is mounting. I just know that the next 28 days are going to be awesome.

Why don't you sign up and give this a try?

I'm keeping a log of what I give each day. Once a week, I'll share it with each of you here at Living Fruity. Thursdays will be the designated Sharing Day as I give my way through this amazing challenge. If you're also joining the 29-Day challenge, be prepared to share a few of your gifting ideas with everyone on Thursday.

Have a wonderful day!!!

A Fruity Community in Hawaii

A new raw community is forming on the island big island of Hawaii. When I first received the e-mail update, it sounded amazing. Living a minimalist existence on a beautiful island, surrounded by luscious fruit trees and other fruit lovers is a dream come true. Even Jeff was intrigued by the opportunity.

We've actually discussed forming a community of close friends and family, similar to the one created here, for the past couple of years. It's a dream that we hope to cultivate in the future. For now, I'm just curious to see who ends up on the island and how it all turns out.

Would you like to live in a similar community? What would be some benefits to living this way?

An Unfortunate Gap

Yesterday, Christian expressed an interest in researching manufactured food, how it's processed, and what's really in it. We were having the conversation in route to our local library and she wanted to look for some appropriate research books in the juvenile non-fiction department.

Needless to say, there wasn't a single book available for her project. There were several shelves of cook books. Your child could learn to bake, prepare standard American dishes, or try their hand at assorted ethnic cuisines. We were surprised to find a lack of the most basic nutritional books for children (not that they'd contain the correct information within their covers).

I informed Christian that we'd do the research online.

Our experience magnified a real problem within our culture today. The only exposure children get to dietary details is the food pyramid taught in schools and commercials that claim eating the bowl of spaghetti o's will provide 1 serving of veggies. They believe boxed fruity drinks come from fresh fruit and taking a Flintstone vitamin will make them grow big and strong.

Children deserve the opportunity to balance fabrication with truth. How else can they make informed dietary decisions when the opportunity presents itself? It's time someone (or several someones) begin to fill the gap. The solution to this misfortune begins with us.