Monday 11 July 2016

The 50 Banana Challenge!

I am a notoriously picky eater. I don't like most vegetables, a lot of fruit, and, well, flavour in general. For whatever reason I have always preferred bland food. In general, this also means I prefer food that is bad for me, or, at least, isn't good. There is no clear reason why this is the case. My family are pretty open eaters, and my sisters seem to have turned out more or less normal in their eating habits.

Still, I made it to age forty without getting scurvy, and if my growth was perhaps a bit stunted, I still managed to just make it in on the short side of average.

One item that has been on my 'don't like it' list for as long as I can remember is bananas. I never liked the taste; I never liked the squishy texture; I never liked they way they all seem to come with black bruises all over them. Nope, I just don't like them.

The problem is, bananas are just so ridiculously good for you! They are loaded with vitamins, give you a good shot of carbs before/during/after exercise, and have been linked to lowering blood pressure, reducing cancer risk, and helping with mood. Plus, all the cool athletes eat them!

I figure it is about time I gave bananas a chance.

Now, just the other day, my wife told me about an article that said you have to eat something fifty times before you know if you really like it. That seems strange to me. I already know I don't like bananas... Maybe though, fifty bananas would change my mind?

Today I am starting my own fifty banana challenge! I'm going to eat fifty of those suspiciously-shaped yellow suckers and see if it will change my mind. My plan is to eat them directly after cycling. I'm usually ravenously hungry at that point and more willing to eat anything.

***

The first banana has been consumed! The taste wasn't great, but it was tolerable. It was the texture that that caused me problems. It's just really unpleasant. Hopefully that is something that will go away over time. I'll let you know how it goes!


18 comments:

  1. I'm in the same boat; I hate fruit, salad or anything that is particulalry good for me. This of course is an issue given that the foods I do like tend to consist almost solely of red meat. I have mitigated this by slowly introducing a bit of fruit over the last few months in a bid to be a bit less carnivorous!

    Of all the fruits that I have so far integrated I have to say strangely it is the humble banana I enjoy most. If eating them is genuinely intolerable to you then I suggest try buying a nutri-bullet or blender and making them into a smoothie with a few strawberries. It is actually quite pleasant.

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    1. Unfortunately, I don't like strawberries either! (One fruit at a time).

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  2. " you have to eat something fifty times before you know if you really like it."-- I think this is a highly suspect information.

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  4. Good luck with the challenge. I find they have a better texture if you buy them when they're still slightly green, then eat them just as they've turned yellow. If the skins have started to go black, avoid them like the plague!

    Another tip - try eating them with something else, for example sliced and served with double cream ;)

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    1. Yeah, not really a fan of double cream...maybe ice-cream!

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  5. Watch those potassium ions though...

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  6. Standard drawbacks to ANYTHING enjoyable:
    1) It's illegal
    2) It's immoral
    3) It makes you fat

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  7. Good luck with your banana challenge. You've inspired me to do similar - the 50 pizza challenge (with beer).

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  8. I am NOT eating MARMITE 50 times. And that is final!

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    1. Although I didn't learn it until I got to Britain, it has apparently been proved that Marmite you either love or hate and it isn't going to change!

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  9. On the bright side, your down to 49 bananas!

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  10. Bananas are so. Aria le with texture, and different people have different preferences - I like a firm, was green the day before and fresh out of the fridge texture...

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