My Complicated Relationship with Vegetables

For those of you who know me well, you know how I feel about vegetables. I wouldn't describe it as "intense dislike," but, in truth, I'd rather not eat them. If you are reading this and thinking -- "Wow! I really enjoy spinach/broccoli/cauliflower/carrots/cucumber! I could eat that stuff all day! I wonder what her problem is?" -- consider yourself smirked at by your pal WunderGlo. I know you don't really like vegetables. Don't lie to me or yourself. We'd all rather have a cookie.

However, given the fact that I am both a vegan and a cancer warrior, I've had to load up on veggies during the last several months and make them a part of my daily diet. It hasn't been too much of a challenge but, in the same breath, it hasn't been a culinarily exciting time, either. Steamed zucchini and raw carrots aren't offensive, beets are exceptional, and veggie burgers and hot dogs do quite well at approximating the real thing. 

Recently, though, I've become truly inspired and excited about something veggie-based that is insanely good for me: green juice.

This vegetable and fruit based juice is not your regular can of V8. I'm talking about freshly made juice, made from my very own juicer (compliments of my mother-in-law), created with a variety of organic vegetables and fruit. You can also get these hard-core, nutrient-rich drinks from many vegan restaurants in L.A., but I prefer my homemade brew. Honestly, as I drank my massive juice this morning -- a concoction that included kale, celery, cucumber, carrots, and apple -- I actually thought that I might prefer green juice to beer. I think that might be taking it too far, but that's how much I'm enjoying this stuff.

Green juice is awesome for you, loaded up with the nutrients and enzymes that makes your digestive system a very happy camper (it's also fantastic for your entire body). And most importantly to me, it helps your body maintain an alkaline state, which is exactly what cancer cells don't want. And I'm all about giving "the cancer" a hard time. 

I never thought in a million years that I'd be drinking green juice daily and enjoying it. But here I am, cancer-free, determined to stay that way forever, and surprising even myself.