The Cult of Gluten-free and whatever percentage Raw.

Ahhh, the fascinating trend of going raw, juicing and going gluten-free, has infiltrated our lives with some interesting truths about the piety people truly like to believe is happening in their diet, amidst such strong clues to the contrary. Here we are, a population of primarily sedentary, obese individuals living in a Monsanto-opearated food industry, against those who identify themselves with health and wellness, in an effort to fight the good fight against the evil food powers that be...and in the end, another doctor publishes another study, and we are off to find health in the latest trend. It's not new, and some of these diet trends have truly saved lives. But in the case of those who seek optimal balance, we know the truth: it took a variety of approaches, time, trial, error, and maybe some sleepless nights (or nights barricaded in the bathroom), to find out what was best for our bodies. It also took a balance of components in the circle of life, to see that we have many issues in our lives to balance along with the food. To quote Joshua Rosenthal of IIN, food is a sideshow to the issues we truly must balance in our lives to be well.

And so I sit here in a food-induced contemplation, wondering how next to proceed without seeming trendy. I mean, I did buy a pair or two of skinny jeans, so I imagine I am following the trends in clothing. My hair is red and blonde, my nails are sparkly candy apple red, I want a Dodge Challenger or Charger (or maybe even an Avenger). That's trendy. I love green tea and use pink Himalayan sea salt. I think that too, for the moment, is trendy.  Okay so having said that, going soy and gluten-free and saying I am 50% raw vegetarian is the same. I'm current in every way!

All kidding aside, it's a tough walk to cut gluten, soy and sugar out of your diet. I think the toughest thing about it is that as you cleanse, the body starts to cry out for the toxins previously pervading your body. Tonight, I wanted all the foods I hadn't been having, from flour to tofu. For the most part I was successful. It had to be that the last two days, I've been blending my vegetables. I'm using spinach, apples, cucumbers, and whatever other fruit I have sitting around. The funny thing is that I'm not eating more vegetable matter by doing this. It in fact is more of the same, and I find that incredibly interesting.

Back in the day, gluten-free meant you were low carbing, and going raw meant you were probably vegan, which was hugely uncommon then.