Raw Spirit Festival - The Payoff

Sunday

I spent most of Sunday attending cooking classes. This was great. I learned the basics of making raw dinners, salads, and deserts. Most of all, I learned the importance of experimenting. Try to include the five tastes (bitter, sweet, sour, salty, and spicy) in everything you prepare. Use a lot of cayenne pepper, tumeric, yacon powder. In recipes, use avocado instead of butter, macadamia nuts instead of dairy.

I did attend one lecture on Sunday, it was given by Matt Monarch. This was titled: Advanced Raw Living Talk. I figured that should be interesting. Matt walks around the stage like a rock star. So, what do you think is the key to advanced raw living? You guessed it...colonics. And lots of them! I swear to god, these people have issues! I walked right out of that talk, I'm not ever going to be an advanced raw person. I like my shit just the way it is.

Enough of the criticisms. While some of the big name speakers were less than impressive, the many people that I got to meet while waiting in the long dinner lines made the whole trip worth while. Here are some of their bits of wisdom, hard-earned over many years:

1. It takes time to change. I spoke to many people who had been raw for more than ten years. They all told of what a struggle it was in the beginning and that it took years before they ever became 100% raw, if in fact they were 100% at all. It seems that more than a few do eat some cooked food, but don't talk about it.
2. Don't beat yourself up about eating cooked foods some times. The idea isn't to be 100% raw, the idea is to be 100% healthy.
   
3. Don't think that just because it is raw it is good for you. Too much fat from nuts, seeds, avocados, hinders utilization of carbs from fruit.
4. Don't listen to everyone, experiment, see what works for you. We are all different. Most of all...don't go to extremes.
5. Make sure you take a B12 supplement, no matter what anyone says, if you are being vegan.

So, my trip wasn't the most fun thing I've done this year, but, it was inspiring. There were plenty of ups and downs, however, what I learned will bring me to the next step in my raw food journey. More importantly, it will help me to become more healthy. And that should be the number one goal.