STOP! SMOOTHIE TIME!!

Every year around this time, I start getting really excited about raw foods. It's backwards, I know.
It's probably because it was in the fall of 2002 that I first worked with the raw foods concept. Anyway, it's time again for me to do a little juice/smoothie feast.

Let's talk about my diet in general. I have one of the worst digestive systems ever, and it is really unfair. Even as a kid, when I didn't know or care much about nutrition, I was never much of a McDonalds/pizza/fried food eater. I was a picky eater who didn't eat much. Sure, I ate those things, but my family did not rely on it as "dinner." I remember that going to fast food was something we did on a summer afternoon after my mom had taken me to the pool (before we got one.) Anyway, in my very early 20's, I started having the worst problems ever. Nobody and nothing could help in any way. I basically took it into my own hands at that point, and years of trial and error later, I now have a few options. One of them is sticking exclusively to raw foods, and if it is leafy at all, it MUST be made into a smoothie with my Vitamix. Recently, I have been experimenting with other things, and going back to dairy is a NO, wheat and other grains are a NO (but I miss rice and want to try again!) but plain baked potatoes and plain lentils are great. Wow. How fun. I won't go into lecture mode, but you CAN get all the nutrition you need with exclusively (or damn near exclusively) raw foods, especially if you are active and actually NEED more carbs. However, it is time-consuming and expensive.
"Don't you get bored?" Of course I do!! I used to be one of those people who felt DAMN SPECIAL because I was a fruitarian, I didn't need deodorant anymore (yes, this happens), and blah, blah, blah. Then I spent some time on a web forum with thousands of people who were like that to an extreme, and I realized that I did not want to be like them. Yes, I do get bored. I don't think I'm particularly special (at least not because I do or don't eat something, heh heh). I want some toast. I want some yogurt. I want a cupcake. Sometimes, I do eat those things. But it means 12-72 hours of being so sick and uncomfortable that I can't work, clean the house, work out, do much of anything except lay around and read books. And it's not worth it. For years I went to conventional doctors. Recently, a naturopath (helped a bit, but helped more with other, non-digestive issues). Most recently, a chiropractor (helping with digestive efficiency but not really with tolerance to foods). So really, I HAVE tried, and if feeling well enough to live means not eating Thanksgiving dinner, then so be it. I have wasted so much time already.

So back to the point...today was my first day of (hopefully) three weeks of smoothie-tastic energy. (How cheesy. And yes, I know that overlaps Thanksgiving, but again...I cannot find a vegan roast recipe that does not include something I need to avoid. So we're doing something different.) If I make any new and delicious recipes, maybe I will post them.