On my way to acupuncture on Thursday, I ran into this gang of dachshunds! We had one growing up and I still freak out when I see them. This gang was particularly cute. The one in the middle was yapping at me in a kind of unfriendly way but he was still a cutie! Speaking of dachshunds, Steve sent me this funny video the other day of a dachshund licking a lions teeth clean that is so amazing!

Yesterday I met with a nutritionist at Sloan Kettering! I had been waiting for the appointment for almost a month and had prepared tons of questions for her about how I should be eating and things to avoid. One of my burning questions was about whether to eat foods with antioxidants because I had read that they can interact with chemotherapy and prevent it from working! Her answer to this was reassuring and it that its fine to eat those foods but not ok to take supplements. She just said “Eat Food!” She was very funny sometimes because she would get animated when I would ask about certain things and say “No! No! Don’t eat that!” I got that response when I asked about Kombucha!! She said its filled with bacteria and she doesn’t think it’s safe (for anyone not just me). But I may still have to drink it when I get better. I can’t help myself!! Most of her recommendations were things I was already doing and her suggestions on foods to cook and eat around chemo were pureed soups and foods that are easy for the body to digest. It’s basically how I ate and cooked for myself during grad school. Lots of vegetarian soups and stews and legumes. She also talked about how there are so many food trends out there and not to get wrapped up in them. She said that the juicing craze was dangerous and not healthy  because it makes your blood sugar levels drop and then your stomach is empty. (I already had this belief and never had any interest in juicing or juice cleanses). She said its better to get the pulp from the food so to drink smoothies instead. She also said that almond milk is not that great because it has no protein and recommended that I drink actual milk (organic, of course) or yogurt. This morning I had some really good yogurt for breakfast actually! I got that brand Siggi’s in Coconut and added those strawberries I got at the farmers market last week plus banana and Ezekiel’s cereal. And of course, watermelon with salt (for hydration purposes).

The nutritionist recommended 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables in addition to two protein based meals a day. So last night my friend Rosie came over and I made my favorite Kale Salad. Here’s a pic and I list the recipe below. It’s pretty easy and you can mix and match anything you want!

Lauren’s California Style Kale Salad

1 bunch of Kale

1 apple, cored and sliced thin

2 radishes, sliced thin

2 carrots, shredded

1 avocado, cubed

a handful of raw almonds, coarsely chopped

juice from one lemon

apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp

olive oil, 3 tbsp

Break kale leaves from the stem into a bowl and discard stems. Wash leaves in 2-3 changes of water until the water runs clear (no dirt or bugs). Pour lemon juice over kale and break up the leaves into smaller pieces and massage the leaves. Continue to do this for about 2-3 minutes until the leaves start to look darker and are breaking down. (This helps to make the leaves less coarse and I think easier to digest). Then add the rest of the vegetables along with the apple cider vinegar and oil. (Side note: you can totally add more or less vinegar and oil. I don’t really measure things when I cook so I just guessed those amounts). Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste! I hope you enjoy it!

Finally, I have a surprise for you. On Thursday night, my friend Matt came over and buzzed my head again so that I am now bald! I have been seeing women at Sloan rocking the look and I think they look beautiful. So I’m getting close to rocking it in public myself. For a preview, I thought I’d share it with you!

Steve things I should rock it with nice eye make-up. I may go over to the Benefit store near my parents house and get them to teach me how to make my eyes look nice since I am no expert at wearing make-up. But I think my clear glasses make a nice accessory too! So it looks like we are actually off to Fire Island for the night. I am not excited about the car ride there (traveling is not fun for me) but I am excited to do some yoga and meditation at the beach or on our deck. The nutritionist praised doing yoga and daily meditation practice. She said it’s essential for boosting immunity! Ciao!