Haters, Health, and Good Food

My blog is close to approaching the 5,000 views point. And like clockwork, out come the trolls. Well, one troll. Under my Raw Pizza Margherita recipe a stranger from the Internet posted, "That doesn't look appetizing at all." I deleted the comment, but it also got me thinking.

Though this was the first negative online critique of my food, it was not the first in the real world. Co-workers are one of the most common sources of criticism. My daily breakfast of a smoothie and a juice (pictured below) have received comments of, "What ARE you drinking?", "That looks disgusting," and "Is that swamp water?" Meanwhile I am silent as they tote bags of McDonald's past my desk.

 My morning breakfast of blueberry-banana smoothie and apple-green juice.

I will be honest, no one drools over smoothies and dehydrated juicer-pulp crackers the same way they do for Papa John's or a McGriddle, because the parasites can't survive off of fruits and veggies alone. Certain food can be an addiction as strong as alcoholism. And it is justified in our culture just as fiercely.

But I LIKE the way my food tastes, as does my husband. Both of us are making plans to go shopping for pants this weekend, because the old pairs are falling off us! Sure, my pizza might not look great to one stranger on the Internet, but to my family it tastes great! You know another thing that doesn't look great? Unhealthy obesity. Factory farming. Illness and disease. The boils under my armpits which I had to have lanced which disappeared when I gave up dairy and soy. I know every ingredient that has gone into the food I have been making the past three months, and I feel at peace with that knowledge.

There will be more trolls, because there will be more recipes from me that challenge the conventions of the Standard American Diet. There will be people who cling to the comforts of canola oil and mystery meat that want to call what I am doing weird or gross. But there will also be a rainbow of plants to meet me each morning and not being out of breath when I run up the stairs. There will be exciting new flavors, as well as a chance to live a little longer and watch my son grow. Some of the 5,000 views might recognize that and be inspired to make positive changes in their own lives. So, sorry haters, more recipes to come!

Not the best picture, but these size 10 jeans were too small for me a year ago. They are non-stretch and by the look of it, I need to retire them!