Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

Dear Diary,

You've heard of turning Green With Envy, right?  But how about Orange with Carrots?  That's what's going on over here.  I joked a while back that I'm eating so many orange foods that my skin might begin to take on that Just-Back-from-the-Spray-Tanner-Booth glow pretty soon.  And the joke is on me.  This is a real thing.  It's not just what happens to your sweet baby when you feed her too many sweet potatoes and pureed carrots.

I was at book club last night and we were talking about some of our old skin grievances.  One horrid skin issue that's plagued me since having my first child seven years ago is a severe peeling of the skin on my hands (eczema?)  I've seen dermatologists and allergists alike and no one seems to have a clue.  So I try to moisturize and ignore it.  It ebbs and flows.  The good new is, I was bragging last night to a friend that since I've been eating all these whole foods and abundant veggies, my skin issues have vanished.  The bad news is...well, the same friend, while inspecting my peel-free skin, said, "Hmmm..that's weird, the palms of your hands look kind of orange in this light."

It wasn't the light.  They're orange.  I've been eating baby carrots like they're my own raw currency.  And yellow and orange peppers.  And sweet potatoes.  So many sweet potatoes.  Just last night I made (and devoured!) a yummy sweet potato, lentil and kale soup for dinner.

Yummy Soup from "Eating Clean Recipes"

So, I'm orange.  It's better than turning green from kale or blue from countless blueberries, I guess, but maybe I should try to get out that old color wheel and start being a little more careful to vary the colors of the fruits and veggies I eat (and thereby the nutrients I'm getting).  In the meantime, you can count on me to be a very visible reminder that we truly ARE WHAT WE EAT!

Talk to you soon,

Your Little Orange Friend Rebecca