Street vendors on the Jersey Boardwalk sell endless treats like....pretzels, hot dogs, pizza, salt water taffy, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and the like...
So if you're RAW, what do you do? Give up and give in???
No way!
I want to share with you HOW EASY it is to STAY RAW AT THE SHORE!
_ _ _
TAKE FOOD WITH YOU and NEVER LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT YOUR COOLER and freezer packs!
We're back from 2 lovely days at the Jersey Shore...and I'm 10 WEEKS RAW, today, pooped from so much exercise and sun, and excited to share with you how easy it is to stay raw at the shore!
Driving to visit friends staying in Sea Isle City, NJ, Cliffy and I stopped at a wonderful FARMER'S MARKET and picked up some fresh picked corn, fresh Jersey tomatoes, tree ripened ripe peaches and plums, cherries and cukes for my seashore meals.
We stored these in our COOLER with BLUE FROZEN ICEPACKS.
We had also brought with plenty of romaine lettuce with us from home in the igloo.
_ _ _ _
BRING YOUR OWN DRESSING
I never go away without taking my bag of raw salad dressing fixings: raw vinegar, celtic salt, garlic powder, olive oil, a bag of germinated dried sunflower seeds. (I usually use agave in my salad, brought it, but didn't use it this trip!)
Between produce, salad fixings and raw dressing ingredients, all of that would keep me pretty well covered for the weekend.
_ _ _
KEEP A KNIFE, DISPOSABLE PLATES AND SILVERWEAR in your car....always!
When we got to our hotel room, I had a luscious salad of romaine with fresh ripe Jersey tomato and germinated sunflower seeds dressed in raw vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder and a little celtic salt on a disposable plate. I keep a pack of these in the car at all times. They come in so handy!
This salad was surprisingly fantastically delish. Sometimes SIMPLE is just the BEST. I finished my meal with a sweet corn on the cob, raw. Yum!
_ _ _ _ _
PRACTICE GRATITUDE...AND ENJOY!
The beautiful summer shore day was turning out to be a spectacular one when we reached our friends at the beach. Slightly cool breezes with a moderately hot sun. We swam and frolicked in the ocean for hours, layed out and got sunburnt and bit by green flies (!!!), chatted, visited, enjoyed! The hours went by like wooosh.
We snacked on fruit that we brought in our bag with us when we got hungry!
Laying on my big beach towel on the beach, the sun kissing my skin, cool breezes gently blowing sand in my face, the transcendent sound of waves lapping, I noticed a feeling of supreme contentment and relaxation, and a distinct departure from THINKING ABOUT FOOD.
I said to Cliff, "You know, the whole time we were on the beach, i didn't think of food ONCE?!!!"
Later, I went for a lovely walk with Teresa on the Sea Isle boardwalk. So nice!
I bought Teresa's parents, our lovely hosts, some yummy seashore fudge!
_ _ _
A TASTE ALWAYS TURNS INTO A BINGE
The fudge looked SO GOOD when we opened it up back in their apartment! Why didn't i bring some raw chocolate with me?
Good thing i rarely crave cooked anymore, cause this looked GOOD, but i know what will (eventually) happen if i indulge, so I don't. What amazes me is the lack of the impulse to grab for it. Amazing! My stomach doesn't growl for cooked food anymore and my impulses are under control. It's been 10 weeks raw!
For dinner at Peg and Joes, the most accomodating friends i have, they always have raw choices available, i enjoyed fruit salad for appetizer, 2 more pieces of raw corn that they supplied!, fresh tomato sliced and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh basil that they supplied!, 1 flax wrap eaten plain, yum, that i brought, and more yummy fruit salad for dessert.
I did feel a little sorry for myself at dinner time that i "couldn't" (choose not to) partake of the cooked yummies offered, especially the pepperoni bread and the olive focaccia, but i know where it would lead, so i soon forgot about it. Believe me, if i would have indulged, i'd have had a hard time forgetting about it! One bite and i'd want to eat the whole thing!
_ _ _ _
SELF DEPRECATION can work!
Make fun of yourself before anyone else can!
Peggy is so accomodating with raw, but she still doesn't really 'get it.'
At one point, I made the following comment when she was looking at my raw flax wrap like it was an alien....
"Oh, it's like a flat bread made from flax seeds. Wanna taste?"
She didn't.
I said, self depracatingly, "You'd think I'd be rail thin for all of this effort!" and laughed it off.
She sympathized with me then, instead of judging me. At least she can be impressed I stick to something "crazy," even if she doesn't understand it.
_ _ _
FEEL YOUR FEELINGS, BUT DON'T EAT
It is a constant frustration - the dichotomy between being the fattest person eating the leanest, and the normal people eating the "fattening stuff," only they're not fat. This often gets to me, but i sit with it, and it soon passes.
_ _ _
KNOW IF YOU ARE AN ADDICT
Just as an alcoholic finds it almost impossible to control his liquor, i find it difficult not to binge on cooked, but normal people tend not to get it.
After I explained to Lucille why i was eating RAW corn, I commented, "I'm....ehh, i'm just not NORMAL with food."
"Yes you are," she replied.
No i'm not.
I've been to 4 Hospital Eating Disorder Units.
I corrected her. "Well, actually i'm NOT. I've been heavy my whole life. I think i've been thin ONCE in my adult life, but it was very short lived. If i didn't do raw, i'm convinced i'd be one of those fat people stuck in bed."
Realizing how much BIGGER i COULD makes me feel like not such a huge fat failure health freak faking her way through raw.
I'm a success! THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE, and Thank GOD, for today, they are NOT.
_ _ _
BACK UP YOUR ARGUMENTS WITH EVIDENCE
Later, I commented to Peg, who was having a hard time understanding the raw choice, "You see that bowl of chips there? If i'd eat one, i'd have to eat the whole bowl. It's easier for me not to eat any than to torture myself with one."
It's difficult to have to EXPLAIN myself to people. RAW in social situations can be very CHALLENGING.
I find the BEST way to cope is to explain what RAW does for ME. I am NOT trying to push it on ANYONE. I say, "I really find it just helps me CONTROL MYSELF." Adding some weight loss accomplishment to that seems to drive the point home. "I've lost about 40 lbs of the weight i gained, so i'm happy about that." People usually drop it if then....
_ _ _ _
ORDER SMART
In the evening, i was a little hungry. We passed a smoothie vendor with real cut up fresh fruit in a large refrigerated display case. Ahha! THIS is the best kind of place to order a smoothie, i have found! ....From a Mexican vendor, who has REAL fruit, and not just boxed fruit juices. This is how i ordered:
"Hi there! Would it be possible to get a large smoothie with just cut up fruit, ice, and plain water? No sugar syrups, no yogurt or dairy, no powders?"
The young Mexican girl, answered, making a face, "It would really taste bad!"
I smiled and said, "That's okay, that's just how i make it at home, i'll like it!"
She succombed and made me a smoothie with water, ice, strawberries, mangoes and a banana.
It was fine!
_ _ _
KEEP HYDRATED
This morning we awoke early and went out to go for a walk on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
Dissappointingly, I was having a terrible time waking up and finding the energy to walk. I sat and looked at the water.
"Cliff," I observed, "i think i must be dehydrated, because my mouth is dry and i have absolutely NO energy."
We headed to Starbucks for 2 supersize herbal iced teas, unsweete
ned. I drank both and they did the trick.
Back out on the boardwalk, i felt like a new person. "You know, half of the time that you feel TIRED and like you have no ENERGY and you drink a coffee, you might just be dehydrated. I feel so so so much better after those drinks!"
_ _ _
FOCUS ON OUTPUT (EXERCISE). INPUT (FOOD) TAKES CARE OF ITSELF IF YOU PLAN AHEAD!
We walked from below the Tropicana all the way to the Taj Mahal and back! That was more than a mile each way! And that was just the ONE walk we did that morning!
_ _ _
AFTER YOU LOOK AT SHRUNKEN HEADS, YOU WILL FEEL NORMAL
After a fabu visit to the RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT Museum, I ate a breakfast of 1 peach and 1 plum back at the hotel room!
_ _ _
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD, AND FOCUS ON NATURE.
After check-out, we drove to Brigantine, NJ, to explore! We went seashell hunting and I enjoyed lunch on the beach - I had a salad of romaine, tomato and germinated sunflower seeds, with my same dressing as the other day, and a fresh raw corn. Scrumptious!!
I'm telling you, this has become one of my alltime favorite lunches!
With fresh summer produce at it's peak, it really PAYS to BRING your own food...because there is nothing more DELISH than LOCAL PRODUCE!
Would you rather order a dissappointing salad OUT and have a plate of watery iceberg lettuce and pale pink tomatoes staring at you????
BRING YOUR OWN STUFF! Buy AT THE PEAK OF FRESHNESS! BUY THE BEST RIPEST LOCAL STUFF YOU CAN GET! It has the MOST nutrition! It has been determined that local produce has MORE nutrition than ORGANIC when it is shipped from a distance. There is nothing that beats FRESH PICKED LOCAL PRODUCE!
_ _ _ _
KNOW THE RAW PLACES TO GO FOR A TREAT
Later, in Ocean City, NJ, we visited a favorite healthy spot called BASHFUL BANANA for a scrumptious banana whip. What a wonderful raw treat!
Slurping my whip from a spoon, I said to Cliff, "You know, this just makes me feel NORMAL to be able to have a TREAT at the shore like everyone else!"
http://oceancity.patch.com/articles/bashful-banana-who-says-you-cant-eat-healthy-on-the-boardwalk
_ _ _ _
VISIT THE FARMERS MARKETS!
Dog tired for all of the walking and swimming, we drove home! On the way home, we stopped at the same FARMERS MARKET we'd stopped at before to pick up more fruit for home - a fresh ripe watermelon, a cantaloupe, more plums, nectarines and peaches.
_ _ _
So, what is the moral of the story?
If you: *plan ahead and *pack your special raw stuff, *always bring your igloo and freezer packs, * always bring a knife, *always bring disposable plates and utensils, *visit farmers markets and buy local, *when buying food on the boardwalk, be vigilant about ordering smartly and pro-actively, *focus on making your own food instead of eating out - it tastes so much BETTER!, *focus on gratitude and enjoying your vacation and forget about food - "FOOD IS FUEL, NOT ENTERTAINMENT", *don't give into temptation, not ONE BITE, *notify friends of what you can eat, but ALWAYS COME prepared (I always bring a bag of food with me), *know how to defend your choices for the inevitable 20 questions about raw, *stay honest with yourself and others, *feel your feelings and learn to make peace with discomfort, *keep hydrated and exercise so you can continue to feel well, *maintain your sense of humor and laugh at yourself, *focus on nature and learn how to get out of your "head," - this is a crucial skill...an eating disorder is afterall, a mental illness, we must know how to observe food thoughts/obsession/guilty, etc..., without getting sucked 'in', *know where to find good raw treats...and most importantly, *STAY COMITTED....It is EASY to STAY RAW at the shore!
xoxo michelle joy
So if you're RAW, what do you do? Give up and give in???
No way!
I want to share with you HOW EASY it is to STAY RAW AT THE SHORE!
_ _ _
TAKE FOOD WITH YOU and NEVER LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT YOUR COOLER and freezer packs!
We're back from 2 lovely days at the Jersey Shore...and I'm 10 WEEKS RAW, today, pooped from so much exercise and sun, and excited to share with you how easy it is to stay raw at the shore!
Driving to visit friends staying in Sea Isle City, NJ, Cliffy and I stopped at a wonderful FARMER'S MARKET and picked up some fresh picked corn, fresh Jersey tomatoes, tree ripened ripe peaches and plums, cherries and cukes for my seashore meals.
We stored these in our COOLER with BLUE FROZEN ICEPACKS.
We had also brought with plenty of romaine lettuce with us from home in the igloo.
_ _ _ _
BRING YOUR OWN DRESSING
I never go away without taking my bag of raw salad dressing fixings: raw vinegar, celtic salt, garlic powder, olive oil, a bag of germinated dried sunflower seeds. (I usually use agave in my salad, brought it, but didn't use it this trip!)
Between produce, salad fixings and raw dressing ingredients, all of that would keep me pretty well covered for the weekend.
_ _ _
KEEP A KNIFE, DISPOSABLE PLATES AND SILVERWEAR in your car....always!
When we got to our hotel room, I had a luscious salad of romaine with fresh ripe Jersey tomato and germinated sunflower seeds dressed in raw vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder and a little celtic salt on a disposable plate. I keep a pack of these in the car at all times. They come in so handy!
This salad was surprisingly fantastically delish. Sometimes SIMPLE is just the BEST. I finished my meal with a sweet corn on the cob, raw. Yum!
_ _ _ _ _
PRACTICE GRATITUDE...AND ENJOY!
The beautiful summer shore day was turning out to be a spectacular one when we reached our friends at the beach. Slightly cool breezes with a moderately hot sun. We swam and frolicked in the ocean for hours, layed out and got sunburnt and bit by green flies (!!!), chatted, visited, enjoyed! The hours went by like wooosh.
We snacked on fruit that we brought in our bag with us when we got hungry!
Laying on my big beach towel on the beach, the sun kissing my skin, cool breezes gently blowing sand in my face, the transcendent sound of waves lapping, I noticed a feeling of supreme contentment and relaxation, and a distinct departure from THINKING ABOUT FOOD.
I said to Cliff, "You know, the whole time we were on the beach, i didn't think of food ONCE?!!!"
Later, I went for a lovely walk with Teresa on the Sea Isle boardwalk. So nice!
I bought Teresa's parents, our lovely hosts, some yummy seashore fudge!
_ _ _
A TASTE ALWAYS TURNS INTO A BINGE
The fudge looked SO GOOD when we opened it up back in their apartment! Why didn't i bring some raw chocolate with me?
Good thing i rarely crave cooked anymore, cause this looked GOOD, but i know what will (eventually) happen if i indulge, so I don't. What amazes me is the lack of the impulse to grab for it. Amazing! My stomach doesn't growl for cooked food anymore and my impulses are under control. It's been 10 weeks raw!
For dinner at Peg and Joes, the most accomodating friends i have, they always have raw choices available, i enjoyed fruit salad for appetizer, 2 more pieces of raw corn that they supplied!, fresh tomato sliced and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh basil that they supplied!, 1 flax wrap eaten plain, yum, that i brought, and more yummy fruit salad for dessert.
I did feel a little sorry for myself at dinner time that i "couldn't" (choose not to) partake of the cooked yummies offered, especially the pepperoni bread and the olive focaccia, but i know where it would lead, so i soon forgot about it. Believe me, if i would have indulged, i'd have had a hard time forgetting about it! One bite and i'd want to eat the whole thing!
_ _ _ _
SELF DEPRECATION can work!
Make fun of yourself before anyone else can!
Peggy is so accomodating with raw, but she still doesn't really 'get it.'
At one point, I made the following comment when she was looking at my raw flax wrap like it was an alien....
"Oh, it's like a flat bread made from flax seeds. Wanna taste?"
She didn't.
I said, self depracatingly, "You'd think I'd be rail thin for all of this effort!" and laughed it off.
She sympathized with me then, instead of judging me. At least she can be impressed I stick to something "crazy," even if she doesn't understand it.
_ _ _
FEEL YOUR FEELINGS, BUT DON'T EAT
It is a constant frustration - the dichotomy between being the fattest person eating the leanest, and the normal people eating the "fattening stuff," only they're not fat. This often gets to me, but i sit with it, and it soon passes.
_ _ _
KNOW IF YOU ARE AN ADDICT
Just as an alcoholic finds it almost impossible to control his liquor, i find it difficult not to binge on cooked, but normal people tend not to get it.
After I explained to Lucille why i was eating RAW corn, I commented, "I'm....ehh, i'm just not NORMAL with food."
"Yes you are," she replied.
No i'm not.
I've been to 4 Hospital Eating Disorder Units.
I corrected her. "Well, actually i'm NOT. I've been heavy my whole life. I think i've been thin ONCE in my adult life, but it was very short lived. If i didn't do raw, i'm convinced i'd be one of those fat people stuck in bed."
Realizing how much BIGGER i COULD makes me feel like not such a huge fat failure health freak faking her way through raw.
I'm a success! THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE, and Thank GOD, for today, they are NOT.
_ _ _
BACK UP YOUR ARGUMENTS WITH EVIDENCE
Later, I commented to Peg, who was having a hard time understanding the raw choice, "You see that bowl of chips there? If i'd eat one, i'd have to eat the whole bowl. It's easier for me not to eat any than to torture myself with one."
It's difficult to have to EXPLAIN myself to people. RAW in social situations can be very CHALLENGING.
I find the BEST way to cope is to explain what RAW does for ME. I am NOT trying to push it on ANYONE. I say, "I really find it just helps me CONTROL MYSELF." Adding some weight loss accomplishment to that seems to drive the point home. "I've lost about 40 lbs of the weight i gained, so i'm happy about that." People usually drop it if then....
_ _ _ _
ORDER SMART
In the evening, i was a little hungry. We passed a smoothie vendor with real cut up fresh fruit in a large refrigerated display case. Ahha! THIS is the best kind of place to order a smoothie, i have found! ....From a Mexican vendor, who has REAL fruit, and not just boxed fruit juices. This is how i ordered:
"Hi there! Would it be possible to get a large smoothie with just cut up fruit, ice, and plain water? No sugar syrups, no yogurt or dairy, no powders?"
The young Mexican girl, answered, making a face, "It would really taste bad!"
I smiled and said, "That's okay, that's just how i make it at home, i'll like it!"
She succombed and made me a smoothie with water, ice, strawberries, mangoes and a banana.
It was fine!
_ _ _
KEEP HYDRATED
This morning we awoke early and went out to go for a walk on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
Dissappointingly, I was having a terrible time waking up and finding the energy to walk. I sat and looked at the water.
"Cliff," I observed, "i think i must be dehydrated, because my mouth is dry and i have absolutely NO energy."
We headed to Starbucks for 2 supersize herbal iced teas, unsweete
ned. I drank both and they did the trick.Back out on the boardwalk, i felt like a new person. "You know, half of the time that you feel TIRED and like you have no ENERGY and you drink a coffee, you might just be dehydrated. I feel so so so much better after those drinks!"
_ _ _
FOCUS ON OUTPUT (EXERCISE). INPUT (FOOD) TAKES CARE OF ITSELF IF YOU PLAN AHEAD!
We walked from below the Tropicana all the way to the Taj Mahal and back! That was more than a mile each way! And that was just the ONE walk we did that morning!
_ _ _
AFTER YOU LOOK AT SHRUNKEN HEADS, YOU WILL FEEL NORMAL
After a fabu visit to the RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT Museum, I ate a breakfast of 1 peach and 1 plum back at the hotel room!
_ _ _
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD, AND FOCUS ON NATURE.
After check-out, we drove to Brigantine, NJ, to explore! We went seashell hunting and I enjoyed lunch on the beach - I had a salad of romaine, tomato and germinated sunflower seeds, with my same dressing as the other day, and a fresh raw corn. Scrumptious!!
I'm telling you, this has become one of my alltime favorite lunches!
MICHELLE'S FAVORITE "BEACH" LUNCH
On a disposable plate:
-Shred up 1 head of romaine
-Sprinkle celtic salt on it, about 2 pinches
-Sprinkle raw vinegar over top, about 1 Tbsp
-Sprinkle cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil on top, about 1/2 Tbsp-1Tbsp (you don't
need much)
-Sprinkle 2 handfuls of dehydrated germinated sunflower seeds on top, about 1/2 cup
-Cut up one fresh ripe tomato and put on top
-Sprinkle garlic powder over top, about 1 tsp
Smoosh salad together to get dressing distributed and...enjoy with a disposable fork!
Follow with an ear of fresh raw corn!
YUM!
*I usually add agave to my dressings, but since i ate this salad with sweet fresh picked raw corn on the side, i didn't need a sweet element in my salad!
_ _ _
BUYING LOCAL IS EVEN HEALTHIER THAN BUYING ORGANIC!On a disposable plate:
-Shred up 1 head of romaine
-Sprinkle celtic salt on it, about 2 pinches
-Sprinkle raw vinegar over top, about 1 Tbsp
-Sprinkle cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil on top, about 1/2 Tbsp-1Tbsp (you don't
need much)-Sprinkle 2 handfuls of dehydrated germinated sunflower seeds on top, about 1/2 cup
-Cut up one fresh ripe tomato and put on top
-Sprinkle garlic powder over top, about 1 tsp
Smoosh salad together to get dressing distributed and...enjoy with a disposable fork!
Follow with an ear of fresh raw corn!
YUM!
*I usually add agave to my dressings, but since i ate this salad with sweet fresh picked raw corn on the side, i didn't need a sweet element in my salad!
_ _ _
With fresh summer produce at it's peak, it really PAYS to BRING your own food...because there is nothing more DELISH than LOCAL PRODUCE!
Would you rather order a dissappointing salad OUT and have a plate of watery iceberg lettuce and pale pink tomatoes staring at you????
BRING YOUR OWN STUFF! Buy AT THE PEAK OF FRESHNESS! BUY THE BEST RIPEST LOCAL STUFF YOU CAN GET! It has the MOST nutrition! It has been determined that local produce has MORE nutrition than ORGANIC when it is shipped from a distance. There is nothing that beats FRESH PICKED LOCAL PRODUCE!
_ _ _ _
KNOW THE RAW PLACES TO GO FOR A TREAT
Later, in Ocean City, NJ, we visited a favorite healthy spot called BASHFUL BANANA for a scrumptious banana whip. What a wonderful raw treat!
Slurping my whip from a spoon, I said to Cliff, "You know, this just makes me feel NORMAL to be able to have a TREAT at the shore like everyone else!"
http://oceancity.patch.com/articles/bashful-banana-who-says-you-cant-eat-healthy-on-the-boardwalk
_ _ _ _
VISIT THE FARMERS MARKETS!
Dog tired for all of the walking and swimming, we drove home! On the way home, we stopped at the same FARMERS MARKET we'd stopped at before to pick up more fruit for home - a fresh ripe watermelon, a cantaloupe, more plums, nectarines and peaches.
_ _ _
So, what is the moral of the story?
If you: *plan ahead and *pack your special raw stuff, *always bring your igloo and freezer packs, * always bring a knife, *always bring disposable plates and utensils, *visit farmers markets and buy local, *when buying food on the boardwalk, be vigilant about ordering smartly and pro-actively, *focus on making your own food instead of eating out - it tastes so much BETTER!, *focus on gratitude and enjoying your vacation and forget about food - "FOOD IS FUEL, NOT ENTERTAINMENT", *don't give into temptation, not ONE BITE, *notify friends of what you can eat, but ALWAYS COME prepared (I always bring a bag of food with me), *know how to defend your choices for the inevitable 20 questions about raw, *stay honest with yourself and others, *feel your feelings and learn to make peace with discomfort, *keep hydrated and exercise so you can continue to feel well, *maintain your sense of humor and laugh at yourself, *focus on nature and learn how to get out of your "head," - this is a crucial skill...an eating disorder is afterall, a mental illness, we must know how to observe food thoughts/obsession/guilty, etc..., without getting sucked 'in', *know where to find good raw treats...and most importantly, *STAY COMITTED....It is EASY to STAY RAW at the shore!
xoxo michelle joy
1 comment:
LOVE the post and all the colors. You go girl!! People around me have actually been totally curious about the whole raw food thing and I have been SHOCKED!! Think there are SO many people out there on 5 meds for cholesterol, etc...and more people are looking for a healthier way. Plus, when you are middle aged, people are actually confronting the fact they aren't invincable!
Good for you. You are thinking about how you would feel after eating something, prior to eating it.
You're AWESOME!!!!
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