Friday, May 1, 2009

Vegetables: Love'em or Hate'em They're Here to Stay


"I give whatever grows out of the ground for food." Genesis 1:29 (MSG)

Throughout my entire life I have had a vehement disdain for anything resembling a vegetable. Growing up, I sat at the dinner table many nights crying as I tried to choke down a pea. It should not have been difficult. My parents' rule was that I had to eat the same number of vegetables as my age. 8-years-old = 8 peas. Easy peasy-- Get it?! (I crack myself up!) No really, for me it was pure torture. I cried and cried, and I never did learn to appreciate veggies.

Fast forward 28 years. I am desperately trying to bury the proverbial green hatchet. In a salute to broccoli, I made this delicious broccoli cheese soup for dinner last night. It was so yummy that it was all I ate. I forgave broccoli. With mercy oozing out of my soul, I even considered that peas and I just might reach a truce soon...if it weren't for this:

PAIN. LOTS and LOTS of PAIN.

I went up to my bedroom writhing in frustrating, annoying, indescribable pain. It was worse than natural labor. I had no idea what was happening to my insides. Surely my appendix didn't just burst. Right?All I knew is that I was pleading with God to make it stop. After clenching my teeth for what seemed like an eternity, I finally fell fast asleep. And when I woke up, it dawned on me.

Broccoli = Gas

Gross. Dirty, dirty trick. See what I get for trying to be nutritionally responsible (please ignore the cheese and other fatty goodness included the photographed soup)?

I'll keep trying. Broccoli will not defeat me. I'll beat this body and make it my slave. And one of these days, vegetables won't make me sick anymore. Literally.

Please share any hints, tips or tricks that you know to help me turn my taste buds green!(Figuratively, of course.)

7 comments:

  1. Pull a Rod Arnold and Juice it!

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  2. the more you eat them, the less trouble you have because your body will adjust after a bit. :)

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  3. How much soup did you eat??? That experience and pain afterward sounds totally awful. Yeah, it sounds like your body's not used to it. Don't give up yet. You sure made something very yummy with that green, healthy, gassy vegetable!

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  4. You can always take Beano before eating gassy food. Broccoli is high in fiber and will make you gassy. Just don't eat a whole bunch at one time.

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  5. By the way..... I love vegetables. I like sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, cucumbers, carrots, peas, green beans, beets, pea pods on and on. They are great for you! I try to eat veggies and fruit every day. If I don't I feel sluggish . They are good for! Keep trying.

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  6. I *heart* the idea of juicing, BUT I need a juicer first. I keep checking Craig's list for one. We all know that people buy them and never actually use them. Hopefully I can drink my veggies and we can make nice soon! :)

    AND I only ate one small bowl. I would say mayb 3/4 to 1 cup of soup. Crazy?!

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