Day 27 of My Top 30 for 30:
There are so many rumors that we have heard circulating in the raw food and plant-based community over the past 30 years, some of which can be so limiting and taken so seriously that people no longer stay on the path because they found it too restrictive. There are so many: vegetables are bad, fat is bad, fruit is bad, you can only eat when it’s light out, juice is junk food because the fiber is gone, blending destroys all the nutrients so smoothies are junk food, all cooked food is bad, this or that food is bad, and the list goes on.
Myths are perpetuated in the health community as they have been for years, and now with social media, different versions of these myths appear as people put their spin on various topics to build an audience. This makes it ever more difficult to be successful eating a raw plant-based diet, especially when one is new to the idea and is genuinely looking for guidance to help them succeed.
One of the challenges is that we see many people relying on one source for information, one particular teacher, or one particular camp of raw food, and following it exclusively. This can be helpful in cutting through confusion because one can simply follow a particular plan or set of guidelines and need not worry about conflicting information. One may think they have found all the answers in one place and there is comfort in that. One may find other people on the same path who have made dramatic improvements in their health who didn’t find those improvements with other approaches. This happens in a variety of raw food approaches, not just one, although in general some approaches are clearly better suited for particular challenges or endeavors than others.
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On the positive side one isn’t confused anymore because they have something solid to connect with and a sense of community and camaraderie, but on the other side, this strategy may lead to one missing out on information from other approaches that can make all the difference for them!
The fact is there is no one place or one person who has all the answers, even us! You will find both truth and folklore in virtually every approach out there, from within and from outside of the raw food community. Often times, although admittedly more challenging, taking the best of various approaches can create the best health plan for any given individual, which may be different depending upon the person’s individual biochemistry, goals, work, family, and social schedule.
You can read more in our free eBook Our Top 12 Strategies for Long Term Success on a Raw Plant-Based Diet which you can receive by signing up for our email list using the sign-up form you can find in the right margin of this webpage.