What's the biggest thing that holds people back from success on the raw food diet?

I'm trying this new raw food diet, and I'm doing ok, but I could be doing better.



It'd help me to know what other people are having trouble with too so I can avoid that in my diet. I'd like to know what the biggest thing is that holds people back from success on the raw food diet



Thanks :)What's the biggest thing that holds people back from success on the raw food diet?
For me, I have found the loads of preplanning and the need to dehydrate (either in the oven or with a dehydrator) to be a huge stumbling block.



I think that if I was to seriously embark on a raw food diet, I would do so in stages to become more accustomed to the lifestyle and the prep it takes to have a raw meal at home. For example:



1) I would start juicing everyday to begin increasing raw produce in my diet.



2) I would also look at recipes to see what was involved and how much time I would have to set aside for prep.



3) Once scheduling that time into my weekend or day off, I would start incorporating two raw meals a week for a few months and see how that's working healthwise and schedulewise.



4) If all is working well after a few months time, I would start increasing raw foods and eliminate more cooked foods if possible.



In other words, I think a gradual process is the best way to go to have a sustainable, long-term raw lifestyle.



I am not sure what you have in terms of recipes, but I have owned a book called "Dining in the Raw" by Rita Romano for years. I have found it to be a very comprehensive, easy to follow collection of recipes and raw food information. Going through a book like this may help in writing out your shopping list and meal plan for the week.



Best of luck :-)What's the biggest thing that holds people back from success on the raw food diet?
Making the food takes such a long time, hours for some things. I had less than 10 minutes to make and eat dinner last night, so I had to resort to cooked foods. I'm not forcing myself to be 100% raw, so this isn't a big problem for me. I am still looking for a solution for it though.



Another factor is work (or in my case, school). It takes a lot of thinking to pack stuff that's not too messy that I can snack on during the day then eat the remainder of during lunch. Again with time, clean up and prep time takes nearly 2 hours in the morning (Note, this is only my 4th week raw.)



Back to the first point, I feel awkward when I have to make a meal while my friends are waiting on me.



I get disgruntled when I make a bad juice or don't like a fruit that takes a long time to make. I find having a raw bar (Throw lots of nuts, 3-5 dates, 3 bananas, chopped pineapple, or things of that sort in the food processor. Freeze and eat- it's also good on celery.) or a raw fruit pie (http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2009/06鈥?/a> in stock keeps me from falling back on cooked foods.
This isn't really the best place to ask because most people on here are not raw. There are lots of forums where everyone is raw so I suggest you ask there.



I think the hardest thing is knowing how to have a varied diet and get the most nutrients out of your food when you're raw. That means sprouting beans, grains and seeds, soaking nuts and seeds, blending greens, dehydrating fruits, etc.



I read Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko - I highly recommend it for anyone, especially raw.What's the biggest thing that holds people back from success on the raw food diet?
I would imagine that it's the isolation factor. People socialize through eating together and if someone has to always prepare their own food so can't eat out or go to dinnerparties then that would be difficult. Also nostalgia for food they used to eat and enjoy would be hard to ignore. You could look up raw copycat dishes I suppose, or find like minded people on blogs etc.
Doing the hard work is what keeps people from succeeding in most things.What's the biggest thing that holds people back from success on the raw food diet?
Millennia of progress?
maybe becuz raw foods are not so tasty.........