By Shannon Leone

As moms, nothing seems to tug on our heart-strings, or simply irk us more than when our kids won’t eat the nutritious food we are trying to get into them!  As a RAW MOM, I think it is even harder for us because we are so well-educated in the importance of good nutrition and feel completely at loose ends if our kids eat less than healthy choices.  I was always very into making sure my kids ‘ate healthy’.  But when we all went raw, I realised the rice and steamed asparagus or broccoli actually wasn’t as healthy as I had thought. It was a finer distinction.  Everything went to another level- a whole other level!  And I KNOW you moms feel the pressure just as I did to give your young family the best start possible in life.  And we know for the most part, that means RAW.

My family and I sat down together the other night to watch a video called THE 11^TH HOUR.  It showcased everything that is wrong with our world today- chemical pollution in our air, water, and land (they didn’t even touch on our FOOD!) the extinction of thousands of species per year, the climate change crisis, top-soil erosion, deforestation, corporate greed, etc etc.  It was an eye opener especially for those who may not already realise these things.  My children and husband were quite moved and were very thoughtful after.  I realised if people would just GO RAW, soooooooooooo much of these problems would effortlessly, naturally reverse.  I told my kids that just the methane gas from the cows farts (sorry, is there a technical name?) that are raised for meat are contributing to global warming, and if people just went vegetarian…And they GOT THAT!  They saw the connection.  I went further (the grosser, the better the boys liked it) and I mentioned the excrement produced by this livestock has no sewage system in place and the toxic waste goes into the water bed and eventually ends up in human drinking water supply. They just couldn’t believe that human waste isn’t allowed to be dumped into the environment like the billion tons of feedlot waste is.

Cooking is a major reason for deforestation. In Africa, for example, the tropical forests are being cut and cleared for cooking wood. This is happening on nearly every continent.

Then we talked about the packaging and disposal crisis, the landfills, the plastic containers that make their way into the oceans.  Those juice-boxes all their friends use in school at lunch are used for 5 minutes then last practically FOREVER as garbage. When one eats raw food, these things all become non-issues to a great extent.

I know it is true that some of the raw foodists in our community talk in ways that turn off the masses i.e. ‘COOKED FOOD IS POISON’ or ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’.  I realise people are turned-off when their choices to eat meat or junk food are questioned or under scrutiny.  It is also clear that for the majority of people who are so numbed-out from a lifetime of stress, emotional dysfunction,  lack of support or resources and even mis-education about how to actually be healthy, that going high-raw just isn’t doable, especially right off the bat.  But still, I am convinced that whoever has the awareness, the clarity to see through all the confusion and destruction, and can go raw will benefit and contribute to the solution instead of the problem.

Moms write in all the time asking me how to deal with ‘picky eaters’, or husbands who are sabotaging there efforts, or even their own cravings.  (I am addressing all this and more in my upcoming book RAW MOM/COOKED DAD) There really is no easy answer.  No quick fix.  For me, it comes down to ‘What is your level of commitment?’ and also, to EDUCATE yourself and your family so THEY can see with THEIR OWN EYES how their choices will affect them, their future, and their planet, everything they care about.

When they are really small, under 5, I kept it light and matter-of-factly with my kids and food: this is how we do it was my attitude. They through the powers of their strong imitative force, perhaps noticed others eating differently, like relatives and friends, but they followed mommy. When they needed more, I included them in the things I was constantly learning.  I would show them videos, read them snippets from articles, ask them why they think their friends got sick, etc.  In short, I got them thinking.  Now, they make up their own conclusions about things.  After the movie they said, “Mom, we don’t need anymore toys- well… not until next Christmas” responding to what must have hit them hard in the movie about all the consumerism.  They both declared eating animals was something they felt was very wrong and when they were old enough they would be vegetarians or vegans (right now I insist on a little raw dairy sporadically and some fish a few times per year as of last year due to one of my son losing so much weight and developing very dry skin that even all the EFA’s he was getting in his raw diet- flax ground, hemp seeds, almond mylk, avocados, coconut butter in green smoothies, durian, and green juices etc- didn’t seem to help- yet within weeks of one glass of raw milk a day his skin was all better)  they also declared they would live on a piece of land in the country where they could go even 100% raw without all the temptation and distraction they face in the city. (Before this movie they used to always say that when they grew up they would STAY 80% and NO MORE! Lol!)

Life is process, a journey.  Nothing stays the same.  Your kids will move in and out of phases and conditions.  Do your best.  Do what you can.  Do what you want.  Do what feels right.  Determine your own level of commitment, and then act accordingly.  No guilt, fear, or shame.  And no pressure to do more!  Next month may be different.  Or next year.  Just keep moving in the direction that inspires and uplifts you.  Make compromises when necessary.  Record favourite raw recipes that work and you keep making those, and steadily build on them.  Keep coming back here for support and information, and honour yourself for being an incredible mom for doing all this!

You are making progress, even if it is only internally at first.  First the roots, then the fruits. I’ll give some concrete suggestions and ideas in an upcoming post that may be very helpful.  But in the meantime, cultivate your mindset.  Be proud of what YOU are doing.  Appreciate and radiate gratitude for even knowing about the power of RAW and for having the CHOICE of raw and being a PIONEER for the sake of your family.  You are beautiful, Mom! xo Shannon