I've been raw since the 4th of November - only 20 days to date. I've been facing the usual obstacles - cooked food cravings, social ridicule, lack of time to eat. These haven't been too difficult to deal with. The one that's been really hard for me is my relationship. When I told Kim that I was going 100% raw, I was really giving her a hard time. In the 3 months that I'd known her, I'd changed so radically. She'd met me as a corporate Citibanker and now I was an unemployed soul seeker. I was doing daily meditations and frequent ISIS sessions and all this woo woo stuff. And now I would change from eating the full monty to 100% raw vegan cuisine.
It really didn't matter that I wasn't trying to land a raw diet on her plate as well - when you make a drastic change in your diet, all the social interaction of dining changes as well. It is very difficult to find people who will be comfortable with you bringing your own smoothie jug for dinner. It is difficult for people to accept that you can learn about different cultures without actually eating their food. It is difficult for some to believe that time can be shared together without eating food from the same kitchen. Isn't it a wonder what power there is in this simple act of eating!
No doubt, eating is sacred.
To save my relationship, I decided on having 1 un-raw meal per week, so we could continue the tradition of that Friday night dinner date. Yes, and un-raw holidays too.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
How it begins
I used to work in Citibank. 8.30 - 6.30, day-in day-out. Sales, sales, sales. I was never any good with targets. In April 2006, my sisters urged me to go on a detoxification holiday (whoopee) in Koh Samui. They had been to this retreat before and they thought it would do me a world of good, especially to lift me out of the young bank executive's domain of alcohol and cigarettes. It was a 7 day fast, my first experience of doing any type of cleansing. I'd always made sudden and drastic changes throughout my life, but this program began an entire onslaught of them.
I wanted a different lifestyle - I wanted healthful foods, sports, yoga.
I wanted a different partner - someone who shared more of my new desires.
I wanted a new environment - I couldn't tolerate the corporate culture anymore.
I wanted to find myself - I didn't want to be steered by emotional issues any longer.
I didn't recognize myself.
A few months before, in January, I had moved out of my father's house. It was a significant move because it was the first time I was moving out for the sake of moving out, and not for school or the army or something like that. I was moving out to get away from Dad, and more importantly, to find myself (#1 prerequisite: get away from Dad). One of the most interesting things was realising that I hardly knew me! I had a very vague idea of my own likes and preferences - so much of it was my dad's preferences, which I had adopted to gain his approval. Alot of it was also the opposite of dad's approval list, which I'd taken on in rebellious search for myself. Aimless, adolescent, searching - you might be familiar with this idea.
It would seem strange that starving for 7 days would help anybody with their search. Well, everybody starts their journey somewhere I suppose, and mine started with my health. I grew up as a fairly unwell child. I had asthma since I was 4. Since about age 8 I had chronic joint pains. I had chronic sinusitis. Since I was a child, I took an average of about 5 anti-histamines a week and at least a course of anti-biotics a year. I had the flu once or twice a year, and unless I took a course of anti-biotics, the infection would progress into my lungs, triggering asthmatic attacks. The irony of my illnesses is that my father is one of the greatest Ear Nose & Throat surgeons in the world. To cure his little boy, he travelled extensively to visit hospitals and medical centers around the world to find me a cure. He found treatments to alleviate many of my symptoms, bringing him into realms of inhalant and food allergies, but many symptoms still persisted.
Until now!!!
Hi, my name is Paul Yeoh and I am 26 this year.
I've been 100% raw vegan since 4th November and my body is finally what I've always wanted it to be.
I wanted a different lifestyle - I wanted healthful foods, sports, yoga.
I wanted a different partner - someone who shared more of my new desires.
I wanted a new environment - I couldn't tolerate the corporate culture anymore.
I wanted to find myself - I didn't want to be steered by emotional issues any longer.
I didn't recognize myself.
A few months before, in January, I had moved out of my father's house. It was a significant move because it was the first time I was moving out for the sake of moving out, and not for school or the army or something like that. I was moving out to get away from Dad, and more importantly, to find myself (#1 prerequisite: get away from Dad). One of the most interesting things was realising that I hardly knew me! I had a very vague idea of my own likes and preferences - so much of it was my dad's preferences, which I had adopted to gain his approval. Alot of it was also the opposite of dad's approval list, which I'd taken on in rebellious search for myself. Aimless, adolescent, searching - you might be familiar with this idea.
It would seem strange that starving for 7 days would help anybody with their search. Well, everybody starts their journey somewhere I suppose, and mine started with my health. I grew up as a fairly unwell child. I had asthma since I was 4. Since about age 8 I had chronic joint pains. I had chronic sinusitis. Since I was a child, I took an average of about 5 anti-histamines a week and at least a course of anti-biotics a year. I had the flu once or twice a year, and unless I took a course of anti-biotics, the infection would progress into my lungs, triggering asthmatic attacks. The irony of my illnesses is that my father is one of the greatest Ear Nose & Throat surgeons in the world. To cure his little boy, he travelled extensively to visit hospitals and medical centers around the world to find me a cure. He found treatments to alleviate many of my symptoms, bringing him into realms of inhalant and food allergies, but many symptoms still persisted.
Until now!!!
Hi, my name is Paul Yeoh and I am 26 this year.
I've been 100% raw vegan since 4th November and my body is finally what I've always wanted it to be.
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