2.26.2012

Would you drink this?

That was the impending question. Sitting in the glass was what looked like green slime that was harvested from an algae ridden pond. The brain can't help itself but to say, "No!" to that.

About a month ago, I watched the documentary, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Actually, I watched it through from start to finish twice in one weekend. There was so much in there that sparked interest and concern in me, I couldn't let it go. What was it that seemed so right?

We knew we needed to eat better. We realized that fresh fruits and vegetables had to take rule over most of our plate. How much salad can one person tolerate? The western way of eating doesn't cater to this way of thinking.

When I would plan a meal and make a grocery list, I would think like this:
  • How many days am I going to shop for? I think 6 would do it.
  • What meals do I want to prepare for those 6 days?
    • beef dish
    • chicken dish
    • pork chop dish
    • some sort of fish, if I have to
    • shrimp is good, we like shrimp
    • what's left? Oh, a ham steak or a ring of sausage.
  • Now I'm getting somewhere. What will I serve with the meals?
    • potatoes and carrots will go with the beef. I'll probably make beef stew.
    • mashed potatoes, corn for chicken dinner.
    • peas and carrots for the pork chops.
    • rice goes ok with fish, right? and maybe green beans.
    • bacon wrapped shrimp. oh yeah!
    • steak cut potatoes or sweet potato fries with the ham.
  • I've got my list, now to the store!
Do you see my problems? Everything I make is centered around what meat will be served. And my veggie choices are really slim. This isn't anyone's fault, it is the way our society has been taught to think. When you go to a restaurant, you look at the list of entrees which are all meats and you get two sides to go with it. Same problem.

So the day I went to the store and got my first $30 juicer and started making the tasty green juice for my morning nutrient supply, I knew people wouldn't show much support. I held a clear bottle of the power packed juice in front of someone at work one morning and asked him if he would drink something like this. Squishing his nose in disgust he promptly stated, "No!", which didn't surprise me in the least. If you had asked me the same question a few months ago, I would have had the exact same response.

The sad thing is, a plant-based diet can do so much good for you. You really can heal damage done to your body from the pure nutrients found in the good foods that spring forth with life from the ground. If an elephant can get big and strong by being a vegetarian, why can't a person? Ok, I'm not interested in becoming a hard-core vegan, but I do want to eat myself well, not slowly poison myself to death by eating things that do not benefit my health. Let's just say I have a lot of rethinking to do on meal planning. And I don't care what it looks like, I will gladly drink the green juice, but I'll house it in a travel mug to keep the looks of disgust away.

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