Thursday 22 January 2009

Uncharted Apricots

In which I try to be good.

A new challenge in the listingslightly household: five fruit/veg per day. We even have a chart on the fridge to record progress. This week has not gone well for me.... it's cold and pesky outside and I want baked potatoes, cheese, cake, cheesecake even, and oatcakes. These do not count. Today though I exceeded myself by eating a dinner which included red pepper, onion, red cabbage, carrot, chickpeas, raisins, avocado and apple. It was nicer than it sounds, promise.

Sydthecat is not participating, although his personal challenge (unbeknownst to him) is to run about more and to this end we have been trying to encourage him to play with a crinkly paper ball, with limited success. Mostly he sits and looks at us throwing it backwards and forwards with an indulgent (and indolent) air, pouncing only if it lands pretty much on him. He is enjoying his portly middle age rather too much I fear.

The five fruit/veg thing is weird though - it becomes a bit odd trying to work out whether you've eaten enough of something for it to count as a portion. I've always been scared of people who size up your lunch as a calorie count - it must take the fun out of a sandwich when you can see a big fat number slapped on top of it - and I don't want to be eyeing up my salad wondering what size cereal bowl is the measure of it. Tsk. Still, I am pleased to discover that three dried apricots = one portion as I find them a bit suspicious. I'm not sure a chart with a barely acknowledged competitive edge is a good way to encourage me to like fruit, but still.... on my 300th birthday I may finally be grateful to satsumas.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

7 cherry tomatoes is one portion, also 2 satsumas, half a bag of salad. Opinion is divided on whether mushrooms count or not.