I have a confession to make that some people might find shocking and others will find absurd. I am afraid of strawberries. To be honest, I'm not sure why I feel this way, but while others are happily munching on strawberries, I try to casually avoid them, embarrassed to let others know about my inhibition. I know they taste good, but I struggle to put them in my mouth. One evening, when I was younger, I really believed I could handle a strawberry sundae, but when my mom handed it back to me in the car, I was convinced that there was a dead fly in my sundae. Only when we got home and into bright light did I realize that it was only a chunk in the strawberry sauce. But by then my appetite was gone. When I was in high school, I told my prom date that the seeds bothered me, so for prom he arranged for the chef (his sister's boyfriend) cooking our dinner to make a strawberry dessert sans seeds especially for me.
Recently though, I've had sort of a break through. In preparation for our family reunion towards the end of July, my sister has initiated a competition to help us all lose weight. The point is to see who can earn the most points, and you get points for exercising and for eating at least five fruits or vegetables a day. You lose points for eating junk food. In the beginning, I was feeling pretty competitive and determined to get my five fruits and vegetables in a day, which made me realize how few I typically eat. In fact, I've had to work at it to get enough fruits and vegetables. And it's tough to get five fruits/vegetables in when I only have bananas and carrots in the house (I'd like to count tomato sauce, but unless I’m willing to drink it, I suppose it shouldn’t count towards my five). So, I went to the store to stock up and the strawberries looked really good. Of course, I discovered that they were much easier to eat when drowned in milk and sugar, but I figure, at least I'm working through my strawberry issue. And really it's about time. After all, I am thirty. I ought to be adult enough to be able to handle a few strawberries.
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3 comments:
I remember that prom. :) Also, tomato sauce totally counts. Just look at the labels on spaghetti sauce touting how they help you fill the five-a-day requirement! Cooked tomatoes give you lycopene -which does something good for you, though I can't remember what.
Apple sauce and raisins, and adding frozen veggies to my instant soups and microwave lunches at work helps me up my intake. Also if I buy apples and have them sitting on my desk, I'm more likely to go there than the secretary's candy dish. Of course, it helps that she's on the other side of the building, too. :)
Wow! Good job. I don't think I'll ever get over my fear of bananas. I don't even eat banana flavored things. I just can't do it. Way to go on making progress! I put my strawberries in crepes . . .that helps.
Andrea,
There are times when I count ketchup as my vegetable. I hear the Reagan administration did that too, citing it as a vegetable for hot lunch trays in school. And I think it has lycopene too, along with lots of salt. But I'm trying to be on the up and up with my family. I agree with you; I'm going to start counting tomato sauce, but I won't count ketchup. :) Thanks for the other tips!
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