On the Eighth Day God Created Quinoa

Over the weekend, I was cooking and asked my sister to help blend some vegetables when she asked me if I knew anyone who juices. Initially I misunderstood her question. Anyone who juices? Then she explained what she meant; the not so new fad of blending fruits, some vegetables and oddly enough some weird grains in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle or lose weight.

When it comes to dining I am a minimalist. I do not eat a lot. No, I am not trying to maintain a certain figure and I am not trying to lose weight either. I really do eat when I am hungry and that sometimes is once or twice a day. While I am a minimalist, I do eat most things and will try most foods at least once. I have no known food allergies or religious restrictions however, I do not eat pork but I love eating bacon (and no, turkey bacon does not count).

Now, back to the issue of juicing. I mentioned to my sister that one of our cousins juices and had actually made me a dark green concoction of some vegetables and fruits that actually tasted good. Five years ago, I did not know any "juicers." But today, they are all over the place and I am forced to behold their culinary prowess because for most juicers, the glory is not in the juicing but rather in letting the world know that they juice. Thus, my Instagram feed is jammed with green leaves and weird berries the juicers in my life make on any given day. Sometimes I wonder if they robbed someone's pet rabbit, because a lot of the leaves I see being juiced do not resemble leaves of the variety for human consumption. 

I am just baffled by food fads. When I hear references to so called super foods or super fruits I roll my eyes. Who told anyone these foods were super? What made them super because for all I know these foods have always existed so why are they suddenly becoming super all of a sudden (insert snarl)? The food fads that I find amusing though are the gluten-free and paleo diets. I  understand that some people are allergic to gluten but for others, it is just a fad and an attempt to feel as though they belong on the hip train. Who told you you were allergic to gluten? I'll wait for an answer... I just do not get it. And then for my friends who are on a paleo diet, where did that come from? What will be next? The astronaut diet? 

I am just amused when my fellow humans "come upon" some foods that already exist and turn them into the elixir of life. Haven't these foods always existed and aren't they staples in some cultures? Sometimes I almost want to be convinced that God hasn't rested from his creative work. He made quinoa just recently on the eighth day and kale on the ninth. And if I let you in on a little secret, he's about to make cilantro on the tenth. And yes, you read it here first. Happy Monday and keep juicing and living the gluten free life!