May 5th, 21:48
I'm using this blog to document my experience on what I'm calling "The Smoothie Fast." The fast is in honor of my dad who is preparing to undergo chemo and radiation therapy to destroy a cancerous growth in his throat. Due to the location, the radiation would cause great damage to his teeth resulting in major infection, consequently it was necessary to pull all but 14 of his teeth this Monday. Between the toothlessness and the direct radiation to his throat, eating solid foods will not be possible for a few months - he is already on a soft foods/liquid diet and I have decided to join him. My reasons are to show support for Dad, to remind myself to pray for him, to remind myself of my complete need for and dependence on God, and to help devise a wide variety of tasty and nutritious things for Dad to eat.
I began my Smoothie Fast last night, about a day and a half after Dad was forced to do so, and so far it's going surprisingly well. I have a recipe book called Smoothies that is giving me some great ideas and I'm exploring soup, pureed legume and soft cereal options. I started with a banana/strawberry/pineapple/protein powder smoothie for dinner last night, then a similar concoction for breakfast that included strawberry yogurt instead of protein powder. Lunch was a delectable blend of my favorite protein source, peanut butter, banana, skim milk and fat free vanilla frozen yogurt. For dinner I whipped up an enchilada soup in recognition of Cinco de Mayo. Ingredients are canned pumpkin, green chile enchilada sauce and chicken broth topped with some cheese which quickly melted to liquid form. I included chicken chunks and corn tortilla strips for Jason's sake, but didn't serve anything solid to myself. Soup was served with a side of refried black beans - yum! I've finished my day with a non-fat chocolate frozen yogurt shake and then a couple bites of hummus to satisfy my "salty tooth." I have not been hungry and kind of wonder if I will lose weight or gain on this plan!
Mentally, though, this has already been challenging. I made a list of everything I CAN eat and have gotten some additional ideas from my friends, but I keep thinking of the many favorite foods I am choosing to avoid for what will prove to be a long time. The idea of not chewing or experiencing anything crunchy for two plus months is a bit daunting. But when these thoughts come to mind, I meditate on these truths:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Man does not live on bread alone. (bread...)
I also remind myself that Dad has no choice in this matter and the least I can do is sacrifice a little to support him.
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