things are looking up! in case you were worried

I guess I could be characterized as a “critical” or “nitpicky” person. So it is amazing that in all of the Eat to Live book there is only one thing that I think is really crazy. Well there are two things, but one thing is how Dr. Fuhrman says that people who get shakey and low-blood-sugary when they don’t eat are not really dangerously hypoglycemic, but just detoxing from whatever animal-protein laden junk they just ate. I definitely get hangry to the extent where my psyche has a melt-down and I cannot do anything but act crazy and irrational, not even find a food item and eat it. For this reason I never go anywhere without a Luna bar. Anyway, *I* am not detoxing from animal bits. But I guess I could be detoxing from my previous Luna bar. So I’m refraining from final judgment on this one until the 6-week trial is over. It would be worth it to follow this diet forever for the sole reason of curing my hanger episodes. I think Chris O would like that too.

The second thing is luckily part of the google books preview so then I am not really violating copyright to show it to you, right. Now, Dr. Fuhrman is not at all dumb, and he is a reasonable writer. My finicky scientist brain had no problem with any of the chapters about sciencey things, not even the one that I believe is titled “I am The Greatest Doctor There Ever Was” or something like that. (Okay, sometimes he repeats the same exact sentence within the same page, but that just makes me wonder where the crap the editor was. Then I give him the benefit of the doubt; he is probably just repeating himself to hammer home his point to all the dummies.) BUT I really am not so sure about the recipes. For an example:

So, to summarize, that is liquified tuna fish, to be used as a dressing. (There is a nonvegetarian option to the diet. The idea is that if you cannot give up the flavor of meat, you should season your food with it rather than eating a giant hunk of meat. The recipe is a pretty direct practical application of this idea. But HELLO, yuck. I guess the cats would like it.)

That’s not even the crazy thing, this is it, it is part of a soup recipe:

Ok, WHAT? Who is this doctor? Isn’t there something not legal about selling soup as a cure for cancer? Does this “doctor” travel around the country a hundred years ago? This paragraph has been on a loop in my brain since last Friday: it must be a joke – but it’s not really funny – but isn’t that illegal? – it must be a joke… Dr. Fuhrman, I know you google yourself and respond to crazy people on their pro-Atkins blogs. I swear I ate a pound of raw vegetables today and I’m sorry I made fun of the tuna dressing. Who is this doctor friend who sells soup! Is this a joke that I will understand when I am at 1% body fat???

So actually other than that Chris O and I are both feeling pretty good and we both lost 5 lbs. I think my problem was that I was making too many different and weird recipes and it’s better to just think of things you already eat that can be modified (which was also a handy way to transition to veganism). So last night we had the Moosewood ratatouille (no oil, canned tomatoes, with added chickpeas) and a sweet potato and a big salad. We had iceberg lettuce because I have bought iceberg lettuce maybe twice in my entire life and I thought it might be exciting. And it sure was.

So now I just have to think of more things we eat that contain only vegetables and beans and not frosting. For dessert lately we blend a banana, some frozen fruit, and a little bit of soymilk in the food processor. It is quite good and I am sure it will be even more enjoyable when it is not minus a million degrees outside.

I would definitely like to eat a million cookies right now but everyone at work is watching me like a hawk and getting all ready to judge Eat to Live and veganism in one fell swoop and that is actually pretty motivating. Peer pressure does something useful for once after all.