Avoiding the National Day of Gluttoney

Thanksgiving is upon us - it is a day that has been beaten into the American psyche that we should embrace gluttoney and excess in a most primal way. Isn't Gluttoney one of the 7 Deadly Sins?? My personal avoidance to the holiday is a result of my relatives all dying between early October & Thanksgiving -- granted in different years, but it none the less places a bit of a damper on festivities. Thanksgiving isn't so much a holiday for families (whether they be family by blood or choice), as it is a kick off for the Christmas shopping season.

I understand that most people will do whatever "society" tells them to do --

• "...go spend $800 on gifts...",
• ".....Embrace the relatives you can't stand...."

And on and on. I saw ads today that KMart & Garden Ridge would be open all Thanksgiving for those junkies that can't go a day without shopping. And then the icing on the cake is that everyone else seems to be opening between 5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning.

But I digress and back to the issue at hand -- Thanksgiving. Just the thought of it makes me queasy -- all that food -- yuck!! But then I'm not a good judge because I try to maintain a 70% water diet (lots of fruits & vegs) and eat as healthy as I can by limiting processed foods, etc. That being said, I wonder if my body may be a bit more sensitive to changes in food.

Approximately 7 months ago, I began getting sick on occasion after eating poultry. It didn’t matter how it was prepared or where it was purchased from. The results were the same the times I became ill – approximately 1:00 a.m. I would awaken with severe stomach pains; after a couple hours I would finally be able to get sick. This would go on for another couple hours. By the time it was dawn, I wasn’t hurting any more but exhausted from the ordeal.

The last time I had chicken was early August on my way home from Bike Week in Sturgis, South Dakota – we were somewhere in Colorado. I had a chicken sandwich and a few hours later I was sick. My boyfriend witnessed how much pain I was in and kept asking to take me to the hospital. I declined because I knew the routine by now and that it would pass in a few hours.

When I mentioned this situation to a friend of mine she said that she’s noticed the past few months that on occasion when she has chicken, about an hour later, she starts getting very flushed and has a “prickly” sensation inside. Then today, she cooks a turkey -- seasons it with white wine, butter and spices. After having some, she's all flushed and prickly.

I've done many searches on the web trying to find any reference to this but I can't help but think something has changed in the way poultry is being processed that would be causing these problems.

While I've not read the Kevin Trudeau book "What They Don't Want You To Know", I have been a big believer for years that there is some sort of mad conspiracy to keep us sick. The food, insurance, pharmeceutical and medical industries all benefit from us being ill; but one cannot live well on Cheesy Poofs & Dr. Pepper. I wonder sometimes why so many people put the garbage into their bodies that they do -- but then I remember that they are simply buying into what Madison Avenue tells them they should purchase & consume.

At some point though, I hope that more people will become more proactive about their health -- I know the chance of this happening are slim to none especially given the fact that we live in a world where Competitive Eating has become a national sport!

Anyway -- I will eat sensibly as usual and ride on the bike as it's supposed to be a very pretty day. I hope everyone else enjoys their holiday and for those readers of this blog in the U.K. -- enjoy those new Pub hours!!!