Raw Children _______________________________________________________________________ _

Raw Children

By Sonja Watt

My children, ages 4 and 6 have lived a raw-vegan lifestyle from birth and havemanaged to stay that way, so far. Yes, I am sure there will be phases when theywant to know about all the other types of food, and that is okay. But while theyare young, I believe it is important for me to stand my ground, believing in andliving what I am teaching them. This will increase the chances of them followingmy lead. The same goes for you.Fortunately, children who have eaten raw from birth haven't had their naturaltastes altered by cooked foods. With their non-tainted taste buds, childrensincerely enjoy pure fruits and vegetables, lettuce and such over mixed dishes.Their digestion is different, so raw children are usually more sensitive to mixessince they haven’t had a bunch of artificial flavors ingrained in their minds. Eatingraw-vegan food, exclusively, is therefore easier for them in this regard.Here are some ideas to make it easier for you and your children as you transitioninto or journey through a raw-vegan lifestyle:

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Have fun with raw food:

Build funny faces. Create art pieces. It is totallydifferent if you can look at food from another point of view. Raw food isbeautiful food. It's like flowers that make you smile. Soak it up and let itallow you to feel good.

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Let your children take part:

Children love to help, so let them take part inthis life-learning! My children just love to eat raw foods because they canhandle it themselves! They feel “big” which is very motivating to them!

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Don’t stress over the mess:

Don't worry about how your kitchen is goingto look afterwards. As parents, we often look to save time and do not wantto clean everything again. However, just step back and think “fun.” Behappy to be a part of the process. When I allow myself to do this, I canliterally see my children grow. How amazing! Those times don't return tous, so think about what is really important to you. House cleaning can befun, too, by the way. Children do love to get involved with it as long as theycan do it together with you. Just relax and don't worry if it takes longer than usual. All you need is time and patience. Pull yourself out of the circleof trying to be perfect. Show that you want to help your children with thecleaning, like how they want to help you. It’s most amazing to me with theideas they come up with during this time. Observe! Build life-long valuablememories by not stressing over the mess.

Raw Children _______________________________________________________________________ _

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Encourage your children to create recipes:

Simply provide enough of avariety of fresh, yummy fruits, etc., and let them go at it. Of course, youcan stay nearby so your kitchen doesn't get chopped up in the process.Try to focus on positive communication. For instance, "Let me know if youneed some help,” instead of, "Nooo, you will cut off your fingers. Nooooo,the whole hand!” Children can end up resisting and rebelling from anegative communication approach.

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Host parties and events:

Invite friends and offer loads of yummy stuff.Make fruit porcupines (they can add the spikes, or you). Make deliciousice cream with strawberry sauce, shakes, or cakes. If you can get their friends to eat it without making a deal out of it, often no one will evenrealize it's raw, which is all the better for your children. Your children will gowith the flow and be happy to not be so different this time.

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Take raw food to friends:

Bring a big bowl of something wonderfully rawto share with everybody! Again, your children won’t want to feel left out. If everybody else eats it, chances are, your children will, too.

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Let it be the norm:

Have plenty of different types of fresh, ripe foods athome (that your children like), so they can help themselves whenever theyget hungry. If you pull out lettuce and just eat it, they will, too. My childrenwould rather eat a whole apple instead of a complicated mix. So, keep itsimple. Experiment! Just do it...don't talk! Action is most important! We alllearn and move forward by watching and imitating. Your job is to filter (notshelter!) what should be imitated.

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Don’t let your children get too hungry:

Prepare filling shakes beforethey get too hungry and then go somewhere where “other” things areserved. Whey your children are full, they are more satisfied and lessattracted by other food.

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Answer their questions:

That's it. No begging, etc. Just fill them up withhonest information. Children want to be able to understand and tell others.Point food differences out to them, so they know for future reference.

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Take them grocery shopping:

Let them pick things they like and what’son the list.

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Use puppetry:

Let their dolls, cars, etc. "talk" about it. Use those toys aspuppets, and you will see how fun that approach is for your children andhow aware they are. They will start asking you questions based on whatthey just heard from their dolls, etc.

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Make commercials:

Turn off the TV since there are so many negativeinfluences there. Just watch how creative your children become.

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Sell their creations:

Let your children make raw crackers and sell them atpark days, school functions, etc.

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Especially if your children go to school:

Give them more yummysnacks (they like) then they need…just to share with their friends! Make itreally normal for them…rise other kids to your level (meaning if your childdoesn’t eat cooked stuff welcome other kids eating raw foods!!). Theydon’t need to seem “strange”…if you help them a little out.

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If your spouse/partner doesn’t support you:

You feel stuck becauseyou want to raise your children as healthy as possible…and your partner/spouse doesn’t seem to understand? Most important – take thepressure off your child! It loves both of you and doesn’t want to hurtanybody (which it might think if it doesn’t eat the right stuff…whatever thatmeans for it…it is totally confusing for children). Try not to fight about thatmatter in front of them. And then…focus on the positive side. Explain your child your perspectives in a calm and objective way. You can also talkabout your partner’s perspective, fears and patterns. Children understandmore than we think. Keep eating and introducing raw foods in a positiveway! Don’t worry about what your partner does…you take care of your connection to your child. Finally, children want to be with people who arefun and they can trust! If they choose you for the trustworthy person –because you are simple true to yourself and everybody else withoutchanging them – they feel that and know…and will follow you withoutmany words. (That might mean some work on ourselves first ;)…)

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Connect!!!

If your connection to your child is great and deep s/he willalways be able to turn to you – also when it comes to raw foods! A deepheart connection and understanding breaks inside walls down whichopens doors to raw foods and make them forget about all the commentsfrom others about being different!! They will look at it from a total differentperspective.These are just a few ideas to get you started. For transitioning, I suggest you tryto find recipes that work for your children. Don't worry too much about all the rightcombining, etc. That will come by the time they are ready -- when their taste budshave changed to a desire for better quality food.Again, be sure to have lots of fruit handy since children have a better chance of connecting with flavors they enjoy. Most importantly (for all of us), the fruit shouldbe ripe, fresh and, if possible, organic!