http://www.care2.com/greenliving/confessions-of-a-veggieholic.html
Confessions of a Veggieholic
I am a Veggieholic. Not to be confused with being a vegetarian or its many variations. I confess to being someone who cannot live without my daily five servings, although usually more, of vegetables. I did not develop this addiction because vegetables come highly recommended for their cancer preventative anti-oxidants. Truly, it has nothing to do with holding off free radical damage, keeping my digestive system healthy or providing essential, life supporting vitamins and minerals. These blessed attributes are but the icing on the cake, so to speak. It is, in fact, much more basic than that. You see I love the taste, texture and the variety of colors that vegetables add to my meals. How can I make you understand that my body craves them, needs them, like some people crave chocolate, bread, or alcohol, I jones for fresh vegetables.
Now, this is a terrible addiction to have when traveling, since we all know, there is plenty of alcohol to be found in airports or cities; and on airlines where food is generally scarce, the flight attendant can serve up all variety of toxic drink. We also know that bread, meat, chicken and cheese is plentiful in any town or borough, but those rascally vegetables are a minimal and often times rare item to be found on menus across America. Mind you, I am not talking about a scattering of green beans, or the absurd idea that French fries and ketchup qualify as healthy vegetables. I am talking about a meal consisting of 80 percent cooked and raw veggies and 20 percent protein and/or grain.
Ah, is that the sound of moaning I hear wafting up and out of cyber space? Well, let me just fall back on an old adage that suggests that one should not knock it, until one’s tried it. When I prepare a meal of fresh cooked chard tossed with sauteed garlic in olive oil, alongside crisp white beans seared with ghee and Indian spices, accompanied by marinated tempeh cooked with our own Maine coast dulse, then follow it with a garden fresh salad of arugula, baby spinach, radicchio and grilled beets bathed with the essence of fruit vinegar and toasted walnut oil, I am a happy woman.
Yes, because it tastes so fabulous, but let us not forget what these foods can do for my body. Make it sing, smile, dance a few steps, improve my memory so that I fondly remember an old friend or lover from long ago. Empower me to create a delicious meal for love, for health, for longevity, for just getting through a long and difficult day. Vegetables provide what is needed to keep you young, active and your brain in top form; and when your body does not receive this essential bounty of nutrients and fiber the whole system comes crashing down. Most people in those dreary crashing moments go for the coffee or chocolate, ok, maybe some ice cream, but I go for vegetables. Say what you will, there’s nothing that can surpass them.
Delia Quigley is the Director of StillPoint Schoolhouse, where she teaches a holistic lifestyle designed to achieve optimal health and well being, based on her 28 years of study, experience and practice. She is the creator of the Body Rejuvenation Cleanse, Cooking the Basics videos and classes, and Broken Bodies Yoga. Delia’s credentials include holistic nutritional counselor, natural foods chef, yoga instructor, energy therapist and public speaker.
Quigley is the author of seven books on health and nutrition, including:The Body Rejuvenation Cleanse, The Complete Idiots Guide to Detoxing Your Body, The Everything SuperFoods Book, and Empowering Your Life With Meditation, available on Amazon.com. To view her website go to: www.deliaquigley.com
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7 comments
add your comment »That's a damn good point. I love how eating healthy makes you feel so fresh and vibrant and, well, healthy! Why wouldn't you if you got the chance?
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You are an inspiration. I just made a list of veggies I'm going to plant in my new veggie garden that you've inspired me to create.
Thank you!
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I know exactly what you mean. I missed my garden this year. I was ill at planting time so it just never got planted. I miss going out to the garden and picking exactly what you want for your salad for lunch. Tomato, green onion, pepper, basil, tiny yellow squash, a few peas, rush in and put it in a bowl and add oil and vinegar or maybe ranch dressing. I love that. And Come Supper time, I pick some green beans, a cucumber, another tomato, maybe some of those pretty strawberries if the birds didn't get them all...next year I am getting it in early and keeping it late. On the Coast we can actually plant something all year long. I may still have time for a tomato plant or two before it gets cold. If not, green tomatos are great fried.
There is nothing like end of the garden soup. You just pick wahtever is left from your summer harvest and cook it all in one big pot. It is always good. I usuallly plant too many tomatoes, green beans and yellow squash, so that is always in there..
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A veggieholic! I love that. I pray that I and my family would turn into veggieholics, too. Thank you for the inspiration!
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It's not only the antioxidant bonus and flavour of vegies, but eating more of them instead of stoggy items (bread, grains, pasta, potatoes - all that unnecessary starch we're not meant to eat anyway) did wonders for my weight and improved digestion. First I tricked myself into liking them by preparing them in some appealing way: nice dressings on salads or adding to good-tasting curries or other stews along with meat, fish or tofu. And then I realized they taste good on their own, raw and crunchy are a quick and convenient snack on the go...
Eating out in towns it's not a problem finding vegetable-rich diet in standard restaurants, but I really would like to see some change happening in the fast-food options, especially those on the roads in country areas. Why can't fresh local vegs be sold on or near petrol stations all over the country, don't they grow in the country? Flying is also a pain, I always pack some fruits and vegs, but unfortunately they go off by the end of a 20+ hour air travel. Can't rely on own supplies there.
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I love vegetables. I love to grow them, a real nessecity in a rural area. A head of broccoli is $3 here in season. Frozen is a good alternative to fresh here. I work in a restaurant and get a free meal when I work. I normally eat large salad without most of the other stuff most people pile on their salads. I don't travel much so taking vegetables with me isn't an issue often.
I do my best to impress the importance of eating veggies daily on everyone I talk to.
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When she mentioned the difficulty finding vegetables on the go, I thought there would be tips for finding them. Disappointed in not finding any, I offer up my own travel tips:
Carry veggies with you. Cut carrots and celery and sweet peppers travel well. Bring your own knife and whole cucumbers, raw zucchini, and fruit, and cut as you eat. Have a small cooler for the car, or buy one at your destination. Chain restaurants are less likely to have good veggie side dishes, but some Asian, buffet, family-style, or more expensive restaurants where they actually cook in the kitchen might have them.
Once you get where you're going, don't head for a restaurant at all, head for the grocery store. Hydroponic lettuce comes with the stem attached and will live longer than picked lettuce if you keep it watered. Entire non-cook meals can be gathered, as well as healthier snack options. Look for hotels with at least a fridge, if not a kitchenette. If you can, bring a hot plate or electric skillet and cook in your room. You will save $$$ over restaurants and get all the fresh veggies you want.
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