Last year, when I wasn't doing well, I developed some eating problems. The list of foods that I was comfortable eating shrank down to a select few. I wasn't happy eating food I hadn't prepared myself. I didn't want to try new things. I feared contamination. No wonder I lost my butt!
As I got better, I pushed through my anxieties and started eating a wider variety of foods again. I'm now eating more freely than I have at any time in my life. I don't mean huge quantities. I start eating when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm full. I'm not paying too much attention to counting calories, except to make sure I don't under-eat by accident (which is easy for me to do). And I'm enjoying my freedom quite a lot.
Today I ate sushi. And I don't mean California rolls. I ate raw salmon on rice. It was excellent! I also had red bean ice cream (delicious) and some questionable baked goods that my grandmother had been storing in the back of her freezer for God only knows how long.
Last week I ate pork that I hadn't tested with a meat thermometer when it came out of the oven. (Ken had taken our digital probe thermometer to work in order to test the hot water temperature at a newly constructed building. He also took our silicone spatula. I'm not sure why he took the spatula.)
I'm still a little compulsive around hand-washing. For example, when I was a teenager I wouldn't have thought twice about eating a hamburger and french fries with my hands after shopping around the mall all day, without scrubbing up first. This never seemed to harm me. However, I would have a very hard time doing that today. I can't help thinking of all the things I touched: door handles, money, the plastic tray you carry your food on... I read of a study that showed that plastic trays in food courts have as much poop bacteria on them as the average toilet seat. Now, we never knew that until just recently, and I think it's fair to say that over 99.9 % of people who eat in food courts suffer no ill effects. However, I will not eat a sandwich with my bare hands in a food court, no thank you very much.
(How do I get around touching food in a food court? a) Wrap the item in paper. b) Use a fork and knife for items that one would normally consider "finger food". c) Don't order anything that needs touching.)
How fussy are you about food?
9 comments:
I always assumed that there is so much contamination that I just don't see that it makes no sense to worry to much about the things I do. Works most of the time... except for salads...
I am not fussy about my food at all...unless I fear there will not be enough for me:)
I'm glad you are able to live life to the fullest now. I remember that terrible time for you.
Ron: Yup, that's the line of thinking that I try to stick to.
Granny Annie: That's Ken's approach. ;-)
Lynn: Thank you. I try not to dwell on it, but when I do stop to think about how I was living, it makes me extra-grateful for absolutely everything.
I invented being fussy about food.
"Why are those green things touching my meat?"
I like trying lots of stuff! I used to eat one thing on my plate at a time -- all the potatoes, all the green beans, then all the meat. I have no idea why or when I stopped. My mom always drilled in us the need to wash your hands before you eat so we carry hand sanitizer for eating out. I don't touch anything but food once I sanitize.
I'm a very fussy eater. Not so much to do with bacteria, there's just so much food I don't like.
On a personal note, I've learned to be fussy simply because I'm a moderate-to-severe diabetic, thus I have to watch both my caloric and sugar intake.
On an overall note, I drive my family insane 'cause I have this thing about expiration dates. My mother has no problem in eating food that is semi-expired and/or frozen for a few months. While I have no problem about eating frozen meat that has been thawed & cooked the same day, I draw the line at semi-expired deli meat.
Not just food trays, but the handles on the shopping carts at your grocery store, too! Appalling, isn't it? *shudder* Our stores now keep a container of wipes next to the cart for us more paranoid types.
I remember that hard time! I was so worried about you! Did a lot of praying, and I'm so thankful you're feeling healthy, wealthy, and wise again. :) It suits you.
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