Raw Pesto Pizza with an almond based crunchy crust, pistachio pesto sauce with marinated mushrooms and kalamata olives. Raw Burgers with a buckwheat kamut bun with a cheedar cashew cheese, veggie medley with sunflower seeds, almond flax onion rings and a side of jicama fries or dehydrated flax crackers.

These are just a few things that come to my mind when the phrase “transitional raw foods” comes into a conversation. When eating raw is mentioned I usually hear, “I can’t do without pizza!”, “I need my taco night!”, “I am a cheese fanatic.” Inside my head I go through a battle with feeling happy or nervous when I tell people, “I can help you learn how to make all of that raw and vegan.”

Am I setting up this person to continue their addiction to foods that slows down the bodies natural process of detoxing? Will this just deepen the emotional baggage and addiction we have with food? Am I stopping them from having a healthy mind and body? I could keep going.

Let me back track for a few minutes and share my experience with you all. When I was increasing my raw intake I did it unknowingly, a friend (to this day I am very close to this person) that I had just recently made mentioned it to me that that was how I was eating. From there I went into making Bok Choy Carrot Ginger salads, Veggie Platters, nut free slaws and in general very light, quick, easy raw dishes. This was the most amazing I have felt in my life. My energy was radiating, my consistent Eeyore like manners were gone. I can’t say I woke up one day and just completely changed, it was gradual.

I do not think I tried any transitional foods until 6-12 months into eating raw. For me it felt like a slight set back. The transitional foods would never taste like the cooked ones, being both good and bad. It’s good to start off a new memory but bad if mentally the is that expectation of it tasting, feeling or wanting of it bringing you back to your childhood or any other comfort. May be your grandmother’s house, the way the two of you would eat raw cookie dough out of a bowl, how good it would feel to eat a grilled cheese sandwich on a rainy day, the lingering sweetness and warming sensation just from smelling bread baking.

For people like me, transition foods can end up hurting us. Just like anyone else out there I have my emotional baggage and connections with foods. French fries with ketchup remind me of my elementary school teacher who passed away due to cancer. The smell of bread baking reminds me of my mother making Portuguese bread, the long laboring process that left it’s scent in every single item in the house. Grapefruit juice reminds me of my father, even though he passed away 12 years ago I still connect my life to him. So, for me at least, transitional foods are an occasion thing. They actually feel like a big rock in my stomach, weighing me down and usually slowing down my digestion and bowel movements.

I see this as my body telling me to let go, move on, and also that my organs love me…none of us want to go through all of that all over again.

With that said though I know tons of people out there who found raw vegan food through transitional dishes, restaurants, products and at one point thought it would not have been possible without these options. In that aspect, transitional dishes are wonderful.

Every BODY needs something different.

But just remember to ask yourself, your intentions. Do not eat something because you want to go back to your fondest childhood memory. Or you want to feel loved or whole. Food should not be something that is used and abused.

So to get to the point for those readers out there who want a blunt one sentence answer, transitional foods are not the devil (or anything extreme along those lines). They are good for some people and bad for others. Keep a journal, or make a note in your planner on how you feel after eating certain foods. Also keep track of the days following, most foods will have an effect for days.

If anyone has any comments or recommendations for people please feel free to comment below! I am always learning from you all and appreciate this space we share together. Also, if there is anyone out there who needs some sort of assistance with this please email me at livinggirllivingfoods@gmail.com. It would make me feel wonderful if I can aid in anyway.

Much love and raw power ❤ You all spread such a powerful light and joy upon me, thank you all!

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