Don't kill it, but...

I would be remiss if I didn't inform you of the number one most dangerous threat to healthy eating: your tv.

I was watching the news this morning and caught a commercial for some kind of wireless special something. It showed a younger, professional woman walking down a city street, towards a Starbucks, using the priceless technical device they were advertising.

The Lord instantly revealed my own thoughts to me, "Oh, I want a coffee. I want to feel stylish and in control. A Starbucks in my hand will bring me the power and confidence I need."

Don't laugh! These were my honest, initial thoughts.

My husband and I had argued before work this morning and I was feeling pretty blah. I saw the woman on the tv and instantly saw the solution to my problem: Starbucks!

And they weren't even selling Starbucks! They were selling something technical and wireless.

But let's pursue this. Say I go get a Starbucks. I order something with caffeine and/or dairy and/or sugar and/or carbonation and/or some other worse junk. It comes to me in the convenient, stylish cup with brown cardboard sleeve. Ah. Yes, so hip!

I drink. It tastes good! What was I so worried about? Starbucks is good.

I get back in my car, and back to my real life. The coffee sure is good. Not magical, though.

Plus, now I probably have a headache and/or stomachache and/or the jitters and/or an intense addiction that promises to begin craving early tomorrow.

Sounds like I just bought a Starbucks and lost control.

Veggies and nuts don't do that. They just don't. I can have a nightmare of a day, drink my green drink and eat nuts and flax chips 'til I burst and not lose control. No addiction. No headache. No jitters. No tummy aches. My life may still writhe in misery all around me, but I'll have saved myself the added mess of addiction and poor health.

I so hate to be repetitive, but can't you see with me how it is almost as if God were trying to help me, not hinder me all along? I mean, come on!

As I continued to watch the news and all the commercials that made these segments possible (McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, Jimmy Dean...), a news segment caught my attention: Singulair may be linked to suicide. The pharmaceutical drug used to treat seasonal allergies and asthma is now being investigated by the FDA.

If you want to eat the SAD food, then be prepared to live the SAD life.

I immediately thought back to my Starbucks drama earlier. If you want to eat the SAD food, then be prepared to live the SAD life. Eat the SAD food and then medicate the problems caused by poor eating. But who wants to risk their life to alleviate allergies? Unfortunately, too many of us.

I often want to create my own advertisements: a spoonful each of cod liver oil and bee pollen once daily will actually boost your immune system to eliminate all seasonal allergies. They come from natural, living beings uniquely equipped by God to help us. $20 for both and no side effects--well, except for a stronger immune system, better health and a desire to live. But you know, just stuff like that.

Stupid religion. God is always trying to get in my way.

Plus/Minus

To be honest, there are two aspects of raw eating that bum me out (sometimes more than others).

#1 The prep time. This week, I have been coming home and falling asleep before I can prepare the next day's food. I always run late, though, so even getting up early doesn't give me the time I need to get my lunch ready. I know there are lots of places I can eat out, but there's nothing better than raw, fresh, homemade food. It's a passion! So it's been pretty rough this week, trying to get it all done. The weekend is almost here, though, so hopefully I'll be able to do some better planning.

#2 The short life span of the veggies. Bought a bag of spring mix from Whole Foods last night and had to pick through the dead stuff already this morning. Yuck. But the majority was in tact and still tasted great. And regardless, I am grateful for the convenience of places like Whole Foods.

It's funny, though, because I can remember having similar problems with the SAD (Standard American Diet) food I ate before. I can remember racking my brain for a decent lunch or dinner idea that I didn't have to cook or marinate or slice up beforehand. And there were countless slices of cheese and deli meat that went straight from the fridge to the trash due to mold. Cooking used to be such a dreaded chore.

I have to say that with the raw diet, I actually experience joy from and get excited about the food I prepare. I tell you there's something inspirational about taking just flax and sesame seeds and making a bag of chips! Or how about turning nuts into cheese? The flavors are sensational and the nutritional content is purely exceptional. I seriously need to quit my day job and just make food all day--what a life!

So, for breakfast today I grounded flax seeds, mixed it with coconut oil and topped it with berries and agave. Wow. (I have to thank shelshelsraw.blogspot.com for that recipe!)

I had a busy, busy work day and took a mid-morning break for Holy Yoga and surprisingly, wasn't very hungry so I grazed my way through the day with cashews, a Lara bar, leftover bites of breakfast and mixed greens and sprouts. Maybe it's the heat, but I just haven't been as hungry as usual. I still manage to eat just about all day, though. And I continue to maintain a great weight and more energy than I know what to do with. Really, it's almost like God knew what He was doing when He made all this food in the first place!

Thank You, Lord, for this abundance of food. And the abundant life that comes with it. It's not perfect, granted. But it's exciting.

Leftovers

Ok, so today I had leftovers for lunch. But man are these leftovers so much better than any kind of leftover I used to eat. Gone are the days of old pizza, cold noodles and mushy pasta.

I had soaked wild rice for about four days and then made Wild Rice Salad that I put in cabbage rolls on Saturday night. I stored everything in the fridge and now today the flavors are even better because they've been marinating all weekend. Even a co-worker commented on the delicious scent!

I was in a major hurry for breakfast, though, so I used my raw granola, added blueberries and rice milk and ate it in the car. Talk about fast food!