Here’s a great question about how to eat vegan or raw food when you’re traveling or overseas.

Question: My biggest health and fitness challenge is: It’s difficult to eat raw food, around cooked-food-eating folks, especially when I travel in other countries–unable to find a “restrain key.” I’m only 4 months at this.

-Karen

Answer:

Karen,

I have to admit, I’m not the best person to ask about this. When I travel, I loosen up the rules a bit. I was finding that unless I went to a raw food retreat or event with a bunch of other vegans and raw foodies it was more stress to stay 100% raw than it was to just relax and eat some organic cooked food.

I remember very clearly a time when I was in Brooklyn and had just spent a great day in Prospect Park. There were a few of us and we couldn’t decide where to eat for dinner. I wanted to go to a raw restuarant because I was quite dogmatic about it then, but that restuarant was in Manhattan which too far for them and they wanted to go to a healthy (but not raw) restuarant in Park Slope.

I have to admit… I was a pain because of it. I put myself in a bad mood and just about everyone else. When I look back at it now I think how silly it was to be that way.

I personally like to keep it simple and eat as healthy as I can, which can mean 100% raw or not, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I don’t measure my “rawness” anymore.

My personal health - mental and physical is key - and it’s my main focus. When things like my little temper tantrum in Brooklyn happen, you put things into perspective. What if I went to the resturant and had a partially raw, organic meal? How much can a bowl of steamed kale really hurt? If you can follow me.

The news is that it can’t hurt and it won’t.

I think we sometimes get a little carried away when it comes to healthy eating to the point it becomes dogmatic. Some raw foodists look great. Others don’t. Some things in the raw food diet work for some and for others the same things don’t.

I think the key to reaching optimum health is to know this phrase… “you are what you do most of the time”. So what does this mean?

It means strive to do your best every day. This is taken from Don Miguel Ruiz and his book “The Four Agreements.” You must do your best everyday. Sometimes your best doesn’t even compare to your best the day before, but that’s fine.

I think the consciousness of asking yourself, “Am I doing my best right now?” will give you more answers and guide you along your path to great health and sticking to the raw food diet.

So think of this as a long haul, that you’ll gradually get better and better everyday and make the best choices possible.

You can be 100% raw and enjoy it. You can be 80% raw and enjoy it too. Both will take you to incredible levels of health, so I wouldn’t stress as much.

And by all means, if 100% raw works for you, keep at it

Live Awesome!
Kevin