Sunday, October 19, 2008

One Night Off the Green Path



I regularly blog here about the health benefits of organic food and why it is important to eat clean foods, free of antibiotics or pesticides, and support local farmers who are struggling to provide us these pure foods. Well, last night I fell off the wagon and now I’m truly struggling today.

Best Friends and Bad Choices
One of my best friends came to visit, and we decided to celebrate at one of our favorite NYC restaurants. Now I’ve been eating in a lot recently to save money and with my recently heightened travel schedule I’ve just enjoyed cooking meals at home when I’ve had the chance. So my body has been treated to an unusually consistent and abundant supply of fresh, organic produce and natural grass-fed meat and organic fish. Plus, every dinner has included a large glass of organic juice (carrot, apple, celery & beet is a favorite). And as a result, I’m generally healthy, active, sleep soundly and have high energy throughout the day.

I just chose badly last night while wearing our rose-colored “let’s celebrate” glasses. I won’t name the restaurant because this isn’t about them – in fact they do offer some organic items on their menu. But I ventured off my typical diet and ate heavily seasoned and rich sauces, very few veggies, non-organic meat and horror, some complimentary sugary desserts.

My Aching Body
Today my body is not celebrating. I tossed and turned all night – feeling toxic and achy. I woke up with a puffy face, red eyes and a headache. I should mention that we weren’t drinking alcohol so I cannot attribute this feeling to being over-served.

Who would have guessed that one night could make such an impact? So if one night can do this, imagine what a lifetime of eating toxic, unclean, pesticide food can do? Think about all the people who eat this way every day and don’t even realize how they are making themselves sick. I wonder if these folks even realize that they don’t feel well or if they are just so used to feeling this way that it feels normal.

Getting Back On Track
So today is now Detox Day…not exactly how I planned to spend my Sunday, but I need to erase the damage before my body starts craving more junk. More on my special detoxification procedures and how/if they worked in next week’s blog. This little lethal lesson makes me appreciate even more how lucky we are to have healthy, organic food choices as it also amplifies the power of making just a few simple wrong choices which is good green learning for us all.


Mary Beth Gonzalez

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