it's not easy being green.

Aside from the outstanding beauty of South America, one thing stood out to me most: the food.

Duh. 

If you check those pesky little stickers on your produce before you flick them into the trash, you'll notice that a lot of them say Peru or Chile or any number of countries in South America. Instead of a crowded Wal-Mart produce section of imported fruits and veggies, Chile has blocks upon block of open-air farmers' markets piled high with a rainbow of nature's bounty (now, doesn't that sound like a commercial? next degree option: advertising). During our week there, we dined daily on fresh fruits and incredible salads-- can you imagine a world where fruit has no off-season? A summer tomato sandwich everyday, peaches that fall off the pit in the middle of winter...

So I decided to bring this little trend home with me. As soon as I arrived back in Tuscaloosa, I went to the market and stocked up on every fruit and vegetable that looked edible. It was so exciting at the time: a head of romaine lettuce instead of salad-in-a-bag, lemons and limes to create my own salad dressing, Greek yogurt for a morning parfait, a mango straight from Peru... I feel healthier just thinking about it!

I say it was exciting at first because right now, having had a salad and hummus for lunch, what I really want is a giant Twix bar. Or a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Or a warm chocolate chip cookie. See, the sad thing is, as much as nature has to offer, I'm a chocolate addict. Even sadder, I can't remember the last time I went more than 24 hours without chocolate.

So this is going to be a struggle, the whole green thing. I mean, I enjoy it while I'm eating it; it's making the choice to eat it that's a killer. I've given up red meat, cut back on carbs (sandwiches are kind of a must on days when I'm on campus), limited myself to one diet soda a day (zero caffeine = serious headache), and am trying to replace desserts with natural desserts like fruits and nuts. This little diet of sorts is in no way permanent-- I'm more likely to give up showering forever than to give up chocolate or the occasional cheeseburger-- I just felt like a little detox was due. We'll see how this goes...