In an ideal world, we would eat straight from our gardens, happy in the knowledge that we have independently chosen which seeds to plant, that insects have crawled over our veggies, that the food is fresh and whole (meaning a tomato is a juicy, succulent, living fruit, not a round, red chemical-infused ball without taste).

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In the worst case, we have no say in what’s planted, how and in what it’s grown, what’s put in it, or how it’s served. We remain in the dark at most points from growth to processing of the final product. The ultimate doom is that someone else decides what we eat, how we eat it, and when we eat it. That we have no power over what we eat.

Obviously, we aren’t all going to turn into farmers, but alarmingly, many people are close to being “consumer slaves of the food industry.” The next best thing is to eat food, which is as clean, whole and fresh as possible.

Balance Organic and Non-Organic, Home-Grown and Imported

Next comes the question of organic or not? I tend to buy organic those things that I eat raw, especially if juicing, as it’s the most concentrated form of a veggie or fruit. If I didn’t have to consider money and if I didn’t take carbon footprint into consideration, I’d buy everything organic.

In real life, because I do have a budget and am keen to buy local produce, I eat those foods, which are most heavily sprayed (the so-called Dirty Dozen) as organic, and the least heavily sprayed ones (the Clean 15) as “normal.”

As for other foods not on these lists, I examine them, and make a judgment call. Much as I love things Chinese, I do tend to avoid Chinese grown foods.

Balance Raw and Cooked, Nourishing and Not-so-Nourishing

Although I am a raw food chef and have a high raw diet, I don’t expect anyone to go fully raw, including myself. I go with the flow and just make sure that, as a whole, my body gets more of truly nourishing foods, be they raw or cooked. I do have certain no-no’s, however, such as no meat and very few animal products. But these are my choices, and I allow myself to fluctuate as much as is within my healthy and happy boundaries.

It’s worthwhile to start checking in with your body, mind, and spirit before each meal, so that you become a conscious eater. This includes answering the questions listed here on my Happy Conscious Eater Checklist:

• Where are you? (geographically, emotionally, seasonally, occasion-wise)
• Who are you with?
• What’s available?
• What do you feel is right at this point in time?
• What is your goal?

What would help you become a happy, conscious eater? Ask me, I’ve been through a lot on my eating journey and love talking about food!

Visit the R.A.W. Inside Out page to find out more about Pauliina's work.

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