Green Queen

ON THE SECOND DAY OF NOVEMBER:

I woke up, brewed a cup of mate tea and ate an apple. I bought bananas a week ago and they're still green. I've never had bananas take so long to ripen, but anyway, I plucked off the 'almost yellow' one and ate that too, then I got ready for work.

I've been eating whole fruit when I wake up every morning for about a month now. I read in some book that fruit is better as the first meal of the day because your body is able to digest it more effectively. I found that interesting, so I've been trying it out. The truth is, I like eating fruit in the morning. I don't eat enough of it throughout the day, so it's been easy to eat it for breakfast and ensure that I'm getting my daily dose.

I'm glad that I care about that. I'm glad that books like that book are interesting to me. Today I'm thankful for my body and good health.

I used to roll my eyes when my mom would lecture us about good nutrition. I just thought she was some crazy old hippie who learned to eat boring food out of a VW van. My first year at Utah State, I lived in the dorms with a girl who was vegan. Interested, I learned a little about the meat and poultry industry in the United States. Naturally, I was turned off and I gave up meat for a little while, but I was a first year college student and without the cafeteria I had no option but Top Ramen, so my "feat against meat" ended quickly. But I was still interested, and as the years went by I learned more, and more, and some more. Then I started learning about things other than factory farms, and hormones and antibiotics. I started learning about pesticides, and preservatives, and insecticides, and genetically modified products and I really freaked out.

Long story short, I've been trying now for a few years to live a life free of animal products and heavy processing and rely on a whole foods plant-based diet. I feel great. It's taken time to get used to over the years, but I've learned more about nutrition and diet than I ever would have known and I've become a much better cook. Food tastes better and I feel great about eating it.

I'm grateful for the healthy and nutritious examples I've had throughout my life and for a healthy body that I'm trying to take the best care of.

Kait