Raw Vegan on a Cruise Ship? Need advice.

[jr1]

Hey everyone,

I've been reading this blog since it's started, and have finally registered! Steve's blog originally inspired me to go raw - I have been raw for 6 months and it has changed my 21-year-old life.

My life is about to significantly change, and I am concerned if I will be able to stay raw or not. I will be performing on a large cruise ship for 4 months in Alaska, then South America. It is one of the better contracts, since it sounds like I will have access to most of the guest food (not just the staff food), so it could be worse.

I've never been on a ship before, and am assuming they will have to have SOME fresh food. I am assuming I'll be fine for fruit. But greens and raw plant fats could be a big problem.

I will be porting every couple days, so I will be able to go shopping. However, I don't believe I'm allowed to keep fresh food in the cabin, so I'm probably looking at supplementing.

I won't have access to a blender (I don't believe they are allowed). My morning green smoothies are an absolute staple in my diet. I don't know how I'm going to survive without the large amounts of blended greens.

I certainly can't chew all of them every day in the form of a salad. Even then, I'd be surprised if I can get a decent salad made without dark leafy greens.

Do any raw vegans out there have any experience with supplementing during travelling? Can I use superfoods to get the same nutrients? Or some kind of raw drink powder?

Any help would be much appreciated!

[joylangtry]

Congratulations on your unique and wonderful challenge!

For your juicing dilemna, what about the bars/lounges on board? There will be several, at least, and when I cruised, blender drinks were abundant. Perhaps you can work a deal with one of the kitchen/lounge staff to do at least a daily blender session. Particularly in the morning, before most guests are ready to start imbibing.

Do you know already exactly what ports of call are on your itinerary? If so, start by using Google, etc, to find all pertinent resources in those ports. If you have to do some further phone investigations, certainly do so before you are on the ship. If you start off knowing where to find a couple of grocery stores or farmers markets in each port plus hours of operation, you'll have a head start.

Typically there are plenty of fresh fruits and salad options on a cruise ship, even though most people focus on the chocolate and other rich foods.

You probably are already familiar with Tonya Kay - I thought of her immediately as I read your post. If not, check out her site and her new blog on Ecohearth. She is a raw dancer who has written about raw vegan travel.

I must confess I am envious of your position. What a terrific adventure! Have a fabulous time!!!

[jr1]

I'm glad you mentioned those resources. I think I've heard of a raw dancer, but I haven't checked her out yet.

Have you or anyone else had any experiences with alternatives for green smoothies? (Some raw product in powder form or something?)

Thanks very much.

[ginkgo]

Part of self improvement is to be happier. If the raw food diet is making you miserable then just skip it for now until you get back. It is very unhealthy to be living in the future. A very famous American psychologist, Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), said "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness."

You are spending too much time in the future in your imagination. It is like a vegan saying that he is may be trapped somewhere and only has animals to eat, what will he do. You have nothing to worry about. On the first day of the cruise, there will be an accident and you will die. So you are wasting your time worrying about it. There are thousands of fruitarians in the U.S. who only eat fruit. They do not blend-- everything fresh. Some people fast for a month.

Do your best when the time comes. Please note that my prediction has a 1% chance of coming true. The fact is you do not know what will happen. Maybe you will visit Jamaica, mon and they will teach you-- Don't worry, be happy. The purpose of a raw diet is not to make you a worry wart. If you do not know, can you ask if you will be able to keep some food in your cabin like raw nuts and seeds. Your ancesters, before the agriclture age would just forage and hunt for food each day. They had no idea what, if anything, they would eat the next day. Just have faith that you may live or you may die. That is the reality every moment.

Jesus says about anxiety, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?.... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (NIV bible-- Matthew 6:26).

Also in The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle says (page 50):

"Most people find it difficult to believe that a state of consciousness totally free of all negativity is possible. And yet this is the liberated state to which all spiritual teachings point. It is the promise of salvation, not in an illusory future but right here and now. You may find it hard to recognize that time [perception] is the cause of your suffering or your problems.... Ultimately, there is only one problem: the time-bound mind itself.
Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry-- all forms of fear-- are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

[jeff3]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

Your ancesters, before the agriclture age would just forage and hunt for food each day. They had no idea what, if anything, they would eat the next day. Just have faith that you may live or you may die. That is the reality every moment.

That would be a cool adventure, just get on the boat and when you get hungry just "forage" or "hunt" for some food. Realistically, you know you won't starve to death on a cruise ship and the worse thing that could happen is you end up eating a hot-dog or something. I say "go for it"!!!

[Holistic Star]

Green powders might be a useful standby item. Not as good as fresh, but they do have a greater variety and a teaspoon goes a long way!

Jars of raw coconut oil and fresh avocados (from markets) might be useful standby fats.

Also, if you have or know anyone who has a dehydrator, you could make big batches of flax crackers or kale crackers to keep you going as they will last for ages.

What you might want to do is think about what you ideal diet would be and also how far you would be willing to compromise and under what circumstances so that you are clear in your mind, what standards you want.

Have fun on your cruise. Sounds like a great opportunity.

[jr1]

Ginko, thanks for the humbling advice. I do spend more time in the future than is necessary.

It will be a good opportunity to fast. When I'm at home, I find myself to be a compulsive eater, and I have been wanting to try fasting to help diminish my attachment to food.

Holistic Star, do you have experience with any specific brands of green powder? Good idea with the coconut oil - that will keep for ages.

Thanks for your time guys.

[Holistic Star]

I'm in the UK so it's unlikely that we have the same brands available. Go to a good health food shop and look for ones that are raw or cold processed.

To be fair I think they all taste pretty -well - earthy! Take in small amounts and build up, mix with water or juice and I find a squeeze of lemon juice goes a long way to improve the taste.

Maybe someone in the US can recommend a specific brand.

[Lena Carpenter]

Just Barley brand tastes pretty good, mixed in some water. Before I started doing some green smoothies, I supplemented a lot with it, and it definitely improved my well-being.

I would recommend a combination of approaches. 1. Know what you want your ideal diet to look like. 2. Stock up on some foods such as green powders, raw nuts, dried fruit, and dehydrated crackers. 3. Relax and see what kind of fresh foods you will have access too. You will at least have some fruits and salads. I think this can be done and it does sound like such an awesome challenge!

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by jeff3

That would be a cool adventure, just get on the boat and when you get hungry just "forage" or "hunt" for some food. Realistically, you know you won't starve to death on a cruise ship and the worse thing that could happen is you end up eating a hot-dog or something. I say "go for it"!!!

St Francis had a rich father, but he knew that he could trust completely in God. So he went out begging everyday and so did his followers. They could have easily made money, but they wanted to trust that they would be taken care of. He trusted that God would take care of him. You can be a scavenger. If someone is going to throw away fruit that they do not want, then ask if you can have it. Next thing you know everyone will be bringing you tons of fruit. It is better than the food going to waste.

Like it was mentioned Greens Drinks are good. Here is the saying of St Francis: "God grant me the courage to change what I can change, the serenity to accept what I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference." It may be a myth that he said this but it sounds good. It is possible that everything will work ut far better than you expected. It will not kill you if you eat some cooked food. One group eats 85% raw with 15% cooked food at the end of the day as a reward and they have better curing testimonials than anyone.

From Natural Healing, "In 2004 he was taking a drug for allergies, a drug for anxiety disorder and 3 drugs for depression. He was diagnosed with anemia and leukopenia (extremely low number of white blood cells in the blood). He had polyps removed from his colon and esophagus. His immune system was shot and his body was shutting down. He had 3 skin cancers removed from his face. In early summer 2004 his dermatologist started him on Efudex, chemotherapy in cream form that he used all over his face and head that he was supposed to use for the rest of his life. He was told to stay out of the sun.

Then he switched to a Hallelujah Acres lifestyle. This includes drinking distilled water, juicing, getting lots of sunshine, plenty of sleep, fresh air and exercise. But the most significant part is the diet. It is an 85% raw vegan diet and at the end of the day 15% cooked healthy vegan foods as a reward for eating raw all day. They supplement this diet with vitamin B-12 supplements and flaxseed oil to provide omega-3 fatty acids. Note that Americans do not get enough omega-3s. This has been used with success to treat many people with depression....

After a year of this, his health was restored and he had gotten off all medications. His allergies were gone. He no longer had headaches and he had more energy than he had had in years and his depression and anxiety attacks and anxiety disorder was gone. He had spent many days in the sun while boating, water-skiing, walking and hiking. The dermatologist said that he no longer needed any treatments in September 2004. Also he lost 28 pounds."

[jr1]

Interesting stuff, ginko. You're a rawcyclopedia!