Caren Jablonsky's Last Hamburger

In the fall of 1978, I began to make some major changes to my diet.  I was 15 when I decided to become a vegetarian and cut out almost all forms of refined sugars, including soda.  Believe it or not, the last can or bottle of soda that I've consumed really was 35 years ago!  I think the last hamburger I had was from McDonald's.  When I first moved to Phoenix, one of my favorite places to hang out was at the Whataburger across the street from where I lived.  The hamburger was tasty but the apple pie was heavenly!

Love Is:  Eating Healthy!

On the first Thanksgiving on my vegetarianism, my mother began a tradition of making me split pea soup. Speaking of that thick green soup, I had seen "The Exorcist" when I was thirteen, during the trip to the east coast. My uncle actually dropped my two cousins and me off at the theater to see the movie by ourselves! My cousins were 9 and 12.  I thought it was amusing that the green liquid used to simulate Linda Blair's vomit scene was now the main course of my holiday feast. I also enjoyed sweet potatoes and other vegetables as well as salad.  I didn't really miss the turkey, like I thought I might.

The pretty sudden change of diet also brought about a significant weight loss.  I went from 135 lbs. to 108 lbs. in about two months.  My body reacted, shutting down my reproductive system temporarily.  I would later learn that this is a symptom of Anorexia. As an adult I was able to look back at this period of time and acknowledge the emotional stresses that were taking place.  I was fortunate to have several friends who also pointed out the sudden drop in weight and I began to account for the fact that I wasn't eating as much fat or carbohydrates.  I therefore began adding protein powder and other supplemental food items to boost the daily caloric intake. Shortly, the weight began to return.