Rabbit food

Bert got back from a routine check-up the other day with the news that his triglycerides were too high. In researching what we could do to lower them, I got to wondering what had happened to my usual health-fanatic eating habits these last few months! Funny how the stereotype is that Americans subsist on nothing but fast food and cola; and yet it took my leaving the country to start eating unhealthfully.

See, in the States, I had a couple of loose guidelines that I just automatically followed when buying groceries or making a menu selection: 1) as natural as possible -- meaning organic where available, whole grain where applicable, and as unprocessed and preservative-free as can be; and 2) lots of fruits and vegetables. This was still feasible even on the limited budget of a U of A German Department teaching assistant: it just included lots of (organic) frozen meals from Trader Joe's, and a lot of buying things in the raw.

However, when you move to a new place and don't own a car, your choices become a bit restricted. For one thing, you start shopping according to weight and distance instead of nutrition; and if you're also too busy (or lazy) to hunt around and figure out all your options, you can end up in a bit of a rut. In addition, since I don't have a freezer, food preparation can't really be done too far in advance and therefore gets a bit time-consuming. I also make (yes, it turns out this is indeed possible) almost a third less than even the pittance I had as a Master's student -- made worse by the fact that, now that I no longer live in The Climate of Constant Summer, fresh produce gets rather pricey in the winter. All this in combination starts to make that pot of beans and rice look pretty appealing.

Add all this onto the fact that, for the first couple of months, people were constantly trying to feed the newcomer -- and as everyone knows, "social food" is not usually a plate of carrot sticks. Especially around here, typical gathering fare usually includes generous portions of cream-sauce-covered pickled meat parts washed down with copious quantities of delicious foamy beer. The result?

I don't even want to know what my triglyceride levels are.

It's a good thing I walk everydamnedwhere or I'd weigh three hundred pounds. As it is, my clothes still (sort of) fit, but I think my poor tissues and arteries were simply crying out for a few phytochemicals. So after Bert came home with this reminder that what you eat means more than just the fit of your waistband, I took it as a wake-up call to get back on the produce cart.

When Nigel was here, we wandered around the Saturday farmer's market in Neustadt's main square and found all sorts of delightful yummies: sweet and crunchy fresh bell peppers, ripe avocados, tender lamb's lettuce, juicy tomatoes, pungent garlic and spicy onions. We made fajitas with pico de gallo and guacamole the next day, and I could just feel my cells swelling out and smacking their little cell lips. Last Monday, I filled my shopping backpack with (granted, the suddenly available) oranges, strawberries, bananas, radishes, spinach, more bell peppers and tomatoes... and have spent the last three days gorging in colorful antioxidant-packed decadence. They weren't even that expensive any more, and so far have lasted half the week! For dinner just now, I covered a pile of tender fresh chopped veggies in an olive oil and mustard dressing, and am chomping it down so gustily I'm probably making horsey noises.

And you know what? Those disturbingly anthropomorphic pieces of cartoon fruit who counseled you as a kid to eat your vegetables ain't lyin'. I feel super. It's been about ten days or so that I've been making this concerted effort to take advantage of the fact that I live in a first-world country that has such bounty available, and I don't think I've felt lethargic or crabby even once. (Okay, maybe a little crabby every now and then. ;) But it's still a noticeable improvement!) Bert's been along for the ride, and so in addition to rabbit food, I've also been cramming fish oil pills down his throat: the omega-3's are not only good for practically everything in your body, but have also been shown to markedly reduce triglyceride levels in your blood.

So pardon me while I go refill my enormous mixing bowl with more Garden of Eden. And I can only say, if you've been feeling a little "blah" recently, I will happily don a puffy felt-covered apple costume and wag a gloved hand at you in a gentle reminder to eat your vegetables!