by Debra Tau
A big hello and hugs to all the Raw Moms out there!
I have been eating raw foods for two and a half years and have had the honor of being a new Mama to my son, Thaddeus, for eight months now!
My entry into motherhood has been a roller coaster of rude awakenings and sacred journeys… but then again… looking back, so was my entry into the world of raw foods!
Probably like most other Moms, I was in shock initially at just how hard those newborn days are! Nothing had prepared me for them… at least nothing I could find from the American culture I was raised in… and yet I found that when I connected with myself intuitively, I was already all-knowing as a woman and as a Mother… I just needed to remember
what I already knew!

Tapping into my higher self and the natural mother within me was easier than I realized it would be. I credit a lot of that to the higher vibration of my living foods diet! Thankfully, I had “figured out” the raw food diet before I gave birth to my son… but it was definitely a process that evolved over time… and like most raw fooders, I experienced a number of shifts in the diet before I landed at what works for me.
I certainly haven’t “arrived,” but I am in tune with my body and feel like I have found a way of eating raw foods that will go beyond fads and actually continue to work for me in the long run!

And so now as a full-time exclusively breast-feeding Mama… with only an occasional green juice to supplement… I can say that I find the energy to feed my Plump-a-licious Cream-Puff, aka, Little Buddha, by grateful consumption of a diet rich in organic, plant-based whole foods!

I draw most of my energy during the morning and afternoon from drinking lots of ionized alkaline water and exclusively eating fruit that is ripe and raw. It’s simple, easy to prepare, quick to digest, and doesn’t slow me down! For dinner, I start with a raw green soup and finish with a raw salad of leafy greens, sprouts, and veggies.

I eat seasonally for the most part and use different herbs and spices to keep the meals varied. I do a lot of mono-eating with my fruit, but do occasionally mix a few fruits together in a smoothie. With the fruit smoothies, as well as with the green soup and salads, I try to keep the ingredient list to five foods. This makes the prep quick and simple, as well as make digestion that much easier by not combining too many different foods. I also keep my fat intake low by consuming only a little bit of avocado or nuts with my dinner. I do this because fats take much longer to digest and tend to slow me down… which is okay in the evenings as I’m winding down for the day anyways!

This is my “norm” to be 100% raw vegan for about five days out of the week. Usually one or two nights a week, I go out to dinner with my family or friends and will indulge in a non-organic salad with some vegetarian cooked food, which may sometimes include cooked grains!

I find that giving myself this break allows me the freedom to be social with my food, and keeps me on track and enjoying what I’m doing the rest of the time! I also give myself a Juice Feast one day a week, consisting of freshly juiced fruit in the morning and afternoon, green juices in the late afternoon, and green soup for dinner! I also enjoy preparing gourmet raw food recipes on occasion to share with friends!

I plan to raise Thaddeus and all my future children to eat a living foods diet… and I will probably keep it simple by having them eat whatever I’m eating! In the meantime, I will continue to predominantly breastfeed my son until he has all his teeth, and thus has all the enzymes he needs to properly digest solid food. As he continues to grow, I will occasionally, and probably more regularly, supplement with liquid nourishment, such as green juices, nut milks, and coconut water.

In keeping in line with eating a healthy diet, I have a great desire, like every Mom, to raise a healthy child – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially! I have read a number of books, talked to a lot of other moms, and searched deep within myself to practice natural ways of raising my baby. I also have had the benefit of working at Hippocrates Health Institute, where I have gained a wealth of knowledge on the raw food lifestyle and natural ways of living. Furthermore, I listened to the majority of the interviews on the Raw Mom Summit, and was blessed tremendously with some new ideas as well as received confirmation on a lot of the things I was already doing as a Mom!
One of the most important aspects of mothering for me so far has been to live out the Continuum Concept, as described in Jean Liedloff’s book. I finished reading her book just a few weeks before I heard her interview on the Raw Mom Summit! I instantly knew that I wanted to put into practice the Continuum Concept, especially giving my baby the adequate time to be “in arms” before he became more independent through crawling and eventually walking. I have found it challenging in American culture, since the concept is based on a mother-baby-village relationship.
Most Americans are not living in villages, but rather in isolated single-family units. Without having someone near by all the time whom I could pass my baby to when I need a break, makes carrying my baby around a bit tiring at times. But I have realized that I can only do the best that I can do!

Beyond the “in arms” aspect of the Continuum Concept, is the need for the mother to be in her continuum of being amongst her peers, contributing to her community. I know that for me, being home alone with my baby is isolating and sometimes even depressing. It is much easier for me emotionally to get through my day when I am with other moms and children!

Having a great desire to live out the Continuum Concept and be with my baby while also being with other women working to contribute financially to our families has been the inspiration to my latest vision of starting a “Day Village.” I would like to bring together like-minded Mamas with their babies and children to go through our day together. I want to plant a garden together that would provide food for us to eat a living foods diet, as well as to sell to the community as a co-op. Furthermore, I would like us each to develop a “craft” that we can enjoy the process of creating, that we can sell.

My ideas are to make earth-friendly products that serve a purpose to help Moms, children, and families live a natural and healthy life. The point is to be TOGETHER during the day, so we can support each other as mothers, help each other with our babies, and be productive in ways that add income to our families! And at the end of the day, we go home to our husbands, partners, and families feeling happier and healthier because we are living in the continuum!!!

I look forward to sharing more details in the future on various subjects that I have discussed here in my debut, as well as other natural ways of raising my baby that are close to my heart! A glimpse at just a few of those other things are cloth diapering and Elimination Communication, organic baby clothes and reusing / recycling clothes, conscious ways of communication, being in nature, and eventually plans to home-school / un-school my children.

All the best to all the Raw Moms out there!

Be Well!

Cheers,
Debra