I remember one Christmas Eve – I must have been four years
old – when Mom used this line on me. We could open one present before bed, saving the rest for the next morning, but
we had to finish supper first. Mom served peas that night.
Amid the twinkling lights and the disproportionate anticipation that only
a four-year-old can muster, I thought my life had ended.
While everyone else dutifully cleaned their plates, bussed
the table (wiping around my plate)
and tidied the kitchen, I sat there stewing. How could anyone be so mean?!? “Oh, you’ll like vegetables when you
grow up,” Mom promised with a smile. “Now, hurry. We’ll wait for you by the
tree.”
I had an ingenious idea…
Periodically I would hear, “How ya comin’, Annamarie?”
“OK!” I yelled back. “Almost done.”
Plate cleaned, I joined everyone and opened...what else? Pajamas. But we
were always surprised, excited, and thankful to have them.
Heady in the afterglow, we kids rolled wrapping paper shreds into balls and threw them at
each other. Nothing mattered now but the gleeful expectation over the booty to come at the next sunrise. Suddenly Mom
bellowed from the kitchen. “Annamarie! What did you do?!?”
Uh-oh. The strategy behind my “ingenious idea” had been
discovered. I had intended to slip the “evidence” in the trash before anyone
became the wiser but had forgotten amid all the laughter and good cheer. I
slinked to the kitchen and spied the green-pea wreath I had blindly assembled
under the plate’s edges, which Mom unveiled as she cleared the place. Gulp. She couldn’t be mad for
long, though, not since I looked so cute in my new PJs.
Mom, I’m grown up now. And I still hate vegetables!
Yeah, yeah, they’re good for me. I know. But why?
Apart from the vast vitamins and nutrients we gain from
veggies and the fiber they provide, they also balance the pH levels in our bodies.
A balanced pH contributes to a balanced life.
Our bodies can actually balance these levels naturally, but
we can experience such discomfort as acid reflux in the process. Why not help the
body along if we can, so that it can focus on more important things?
The acidic ions seem easier to attain, as they’re found in almost
all foods. But alkalinity? You have to be a little more deliberate about
attaining these slippery little buggers, and there is no better source than
vegetables (though, thankfully, they’re not the only source).
Ideal variations include: asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots,
celery, cucumber, garlic, green beans, green peas and potatoes. Most greens are
alkalizing as are many sea vegetables like kombu, nori and wakame.
Well,
at least I have a reason to strive for a good vegetable supply. According to
Suzanne Somers in her book, Sexy Forever
(I know…I hate the title, too, but I love the content), we should aim for six
servings a day. A “serving” means a cup of raw veggies or a half-cup of
steamed. Are you kidding me?!? No.
But if I can do it, you can, too.
Here are my four secrets:
1) I
start each day with Dr. Schultze’s Super Food Plus. This ground, powdered
substance can be purchased at health-food stores or online. It’s chalked full
of stuff you can’t buy in your local supermarket but stuff that supports your
six-veggie goal (algae, grass, or
seaweed, anyone?). I combine two cups of green tea with two tablespoons of
the Super Food and drink it during my morning make-up routine. I count each
tablespoon as one serving of veggies.
2) I
eat vegetables that I like. Sadly, I like the acidic vegetables better than the
alkaline, but I figure an acidic veggie is better than no veggie at all. And if
it’s a veggie I like, I’ll eat it, right? I always keep tomatoes on hand, for
instance, and try to get as many as two per day. I may just cut two tomatoes up
as a snack and sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Or I may quarter a tomato up
to eat as a side with a sandwich at lunch. (Who
needs chips?) And then, of course, it’s a staple on any salad I make.
3) I
combine a little oil, spices, and vinegar with my veggies. If I measure, say, a
tablespoon of olive oil for my raw veggies or sauté them in a tablespoon of
coconut oil, I’m providing a means for the spices to “stick,” I’m giving my
body good fat sources, and I’m enhancing the palatability of the veggies.
Vinegar makes the taste come alive like nothing else and comes in so many
forms, you are sure to find one that suits you. Vinegar also aids the body in
cleansing it of toxins that do nothing but slow it down.
4) Ever
hear of cruciferous veggies? The short list includes kale, broccoli, red
cabbage, and cauliflower. Though not my favorites, these veggies are touted as
belly-flatteners. That’s enough incentive for me! Since I travel a fair amount
for work, I can almost always get a side of steamed broccoli with my restaurant
entrée and still feel semi-good about my meal selection.
Easy? No. Do-able? Yes. Let me
know how you do.
Enjoy your day. Enjoy this blog.
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