We all have heard that a vegan lifestyle is a far healthier choice when it comes to what we put in our bodies. Of course, there are multiple arguments to despute this, but I have made an unsolicited discovery: Peeling and chopping vegetables is a cardio workout!
While prepping the produce for tonight’s dinner, I found myself sweating, my brow furrowed in concentration (one must be extra careful when peeling and cutting with limited vision), my feet planted shoulder width apart, my core tight, my arms doing the brunt of the work. Turns out it’s not just what we put in our bodies, but what it takes to get it there!
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When eating, my visual challenge is like a game. Depending on the dish, it can be a total surprise as to what is going in my mouth. Salads are the best example of this. I know what is in the salad but I have no idea what each forkful brings until the tastes explode on my tongue and I feel the texture as I begin to chew. One of my favorite salads consists of lettuce, mandarin oranges, almond slivers and chicken. I never know what I’m getting each time I load the utensil until It arrives in my mouth. After three years of this, it’s still a bit unsettling but I try to get into the spirit of the reveal.
Tonight I was serving myself the pot roast I prepared this morning (as I shared above), and was trying to find and transfer the carrots from the crock-pot to my plate. I could tell the potatoes by the feel of them when the spoon touched them, but the carrots blended with the meat and the resulting juice from slow cooking all day. After continuing to spoon and up close viewing to try to identify the orange carrot that looked the same color as the rest of the crock-pot’s contents, it struck me that once again this meal was burning me some calories. By the end of the endeavor, I was sure that my right bicep was twice the size it was this morning.
I am happy to report it was all worth it. The potatoes and carrots and roast – oh my! – were delicious. And if the connection between carrots and eyesight is true, then I can add that to the top of the list of the health benefits of this meal that started 12 hours before sitting down to eat.
I’m thinking tomorrow I get Siri moving. “Hey, Siri. Call Nino’s Pizza.”
