One of the first questions people ask when confronted by the idea of living the raw food lifestyle is, “What do you do for protein?” I truly cannot count the number of times I get asked this question by people when I start to explain a little bit more about the way I eat. Every time I hear it, it makes me realize the degree to which we’ve been indoctrinated about our ability to be in control of our health.

What is it that’s got people so concerned about protein? Of course, that’s not the only one that comes up. There’s calcium, essential fatty acids, and all kinds of nutritional mumbo jumbo that causes people to get into quite a flutter when they approach a new way of eating like the raw food diet.

Growing up, most of us were confronted with the idea of the “4 food groups”. As a child I remember them being: “Meat”, “Dairy”, “Grains”, and “Fruits and Vegetables”. Admittedly, the nutritional charts have undergone some significant evolution since then. Now we have “The Food Pyramid” and meat “alternatives.” Given these old standards of classification, it can be a real shock to someone when we present the idea that it is possible to thrive while choosing foods from just one of the old four food groups!

Yet, more and more people are doing it all the time and with tremendous success! You see, the truth is most of us are running on automatic circuits that were installed after having sat through one too many “Home Economics” classes in school, or after having watched a few too many public service announcements from the National Beef Producers Association.

It takes real courage to move beyond some of these ideas and embrace something different.

Whether you’re talking about protein, calcium or essential fatty acids, the point is this:

After you sift through the endless piles of conflicting data on nutritional information, you will get to the bottom of the situation and realize something very, very important.

Above all things, you have at your disposal your innate powers of observation and intuition. These are the tools that will allow you to move into a real “knowingness” about your own body and what it needs to thrive.

Remember, stress alone can inhibit a person’s ability to digest foods, and there are people who overcome cancer simply with positive thought! There’s no reason to believe that one standard set of charts could possibly be applicable to all humans. We each have environmental conditions and personal situations and histories that implicate themselves in our overall health equation.

My protein needs may not be your protein needs, and the only person who can even begin to assess your protein needs or any of your needs is you! You can do that best by observing the signs your body gives you, not by following some nutritional chart whose production was generously sponsored by the meat, or dairy, or poultry industry. I don’t believe that we have “one solution” that works across the board for everyone. Let’s face it, if it was possible, we’d already have it.

We at The Raw Divas are passionate about raw foods, because we see it help people time and time again. That’s why we do what we do, but we’re not here to convince you of anything and we certainly aren’t trying to say that raw foods are the only way to go. We’re trying to present you with some ideas that have changed, and continue to change, the lives of a lot of people. We’re trying to create opportunities that will allow you to get some experience and that ultimately bring you closer to getting the results you want for your health.

You can go out there and find a whole mountain of testimonials to support just about every diet ever known to humankind!! Your job is to find what works for you and to continue your pursuit of greater health and awareness by being willing to change and take reasonable risks.

Start by observing your body’s reactions to the foods you eat. When you’re choosing your foods, select from the foods that nature offers to you and enjoy them in their simplest form. If youre delving into cooked foods, well steamed broccoli makes more sense than pizza because you could find it in nature rather easily.

You will make the most gains when you take steps to empower yourself to observe and be in communication with your body to find out just what your needs really are. No chart will ever tell you that, nor should you allow any other person or publication to invalidate what feels right for your body! There is no “right” way. There is just your way. The only way to determine what that is, will be by experimentation, observation, and sometimes the courage to take risks, make changes and explore the unknown!

With practice and by employing the use of one of our many programs, you will naturally improve your ability to observe the natural health indicators of your body, such as skin tone, quantity and quality of sleep, energy, and emotional poise.

Choose the foods that bring you closest to your idea of perfect health, and also consider how these choices will impact those around you, and even the environment and health of the planet. What kind of possibilities can we create for our children and their children when we start to consider our choices in terms of their long term consequences?

One of the greatest routes to personal empowerment in any area of your life, comes when you are willing to take responsibility for the fact that your choices have an impact on the world around you. You have a potential to touch the lives of others and to make a difference. Follow your own path, but follow it consciously. You hold the power to your health and you are the one, the only one, who can truly know what works best for you.

Be adventurous, trust the process, and play big! Live life as fully as you can - in nutrition and all things.

want to use this article in your e-zine or website? you can, as long as you include the following juicy bits: writer and online entrepreneur tera warner, is co-creator of “the raw divas.” she and her co-diva, amy de wolfe, have created the sassiest (and the only) online raw food resource for women! register today for their free 7 day diva detox www.therawdivas.com and watch the pounds and toxins melt away.

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