The conversation this week stressed the importance of eating foods that are not far removed from how they arrive in nature. Oddly, commercially prepared salad dressing was singled out as a food product I should always avoid. I don't know what specifically makes salad dressing so offensive. I suspect it is a chemical evil. I haven't used bottled dressing since I read the label several years ago because the ingredient list sounded like a science experiment.
Even amid hormonal challenges, there is much to be thankful for...
Bad as my symptoms have been, two to five women would like for me to know they've seen worse.
HRT
Readily available good medical care
Affirmation that there is a reason I feel the way I do. The guidance of a knowledgable doctor to suggest ways to minimize symptoms.
Fresh produce. A co-worker of my husband's shared tomatoes from a community garden he helps grow on an empty lot in town. Also, the neighborhood grocery offered some of the best peaches I have had in years.
My garden
Homemade salad dressing. My dinner in the stylized image above is dressed with a homemade Green Goddess. I picked up bleu cheese for my next creation. The taste of homemade dressing alone should be sufficient to make the bottled versions obsolete.
I may have a sluggish metabolism, experience panic attacks at bothersome provocations like reclining or the sun setting, and sweat like Meatloaf under stage lights, but I am still here!
It's not so easy to have the worst of something. There is usually always someone who has it worse than we do, which is both sad and yet an important thing to remember. However, we are the only ones experiencing what it's like to be us, so we deserve to feel however it is that we feel and to acknowledge all of it.
ReplyDeleteMMMM. Peach season is my favourite time of year, next to peas and apples in autumn.
Enjoy all the foods that make you feel good.
Peaches are the best...no nectarines...need the fuzz!!! Also homemade salad dressing is the best. Hope you're feeling more yourself soon!
ReplyDelete"and sweat like Meatloaf under stage lights,"
ReplyDelete...while otherwise fairly serious topic, even with Grat Items, but I do need to compliment/lol that phrase.
Oh, you overachiever, you! I'm so sorry that your symptoms are so bothersome (to put it mildly), but I imagine it is validating to realize that there is a reason you are feeling like you are. Hopefully the doctor's suggestions will have you feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI got thrown into menopause when I started my breast cancer treatments, and I'M STILL HAVING HOT FLASHES. They are definitely worse in the summer, so I'm like a walking pizza oven. Hope the HRT works for you; I can't do that because I'm not allowed to produce any estrogen.
ReplyDeleteI love homemade salad dressing, or rather, restaurant made, because I don't think salads taste as good at home as they do when you go out.