Ruby and Tango

Ruby and Tango
Me 'n' Ruby and of course Tango

Thursday 28 October 2010

Food for thought

According to the Health boffins we are supposed to eat 5 pieces of fruit per day, right? How many people manage to do that, day after day, I certainly don't I eat a banana every evening, love it mashed on toast for supper, but that's it. When I go to the supermarket I pass the fruit stall and see all this fare piled high, plums, apples, oranges of all varieties plus stuff from far away. I 'm overcome with conscience and buy grapes and pears etc promising myself I will eat five a day,  but for some reason I just never seem to find the moment, I'm not hungry, or I haven't the time, but TBH I just don't fancy it, so my fruit tends to quietly moulder in the fruit bowl and guiltily bin it.
I have a good breakfast of cereal with oats and dried mixed fruit, so hopefully,  with my banana I'm part way to my five a day.
But it got me wondering how we managed to stay healthy during the war, when fruit was a luxury apart from the lucky people who had access to orchards, and that was only apples. no such thing as grapes or pomegranates. I lived in the suburbs of Glasgow and can recall crates of apples being delivered to school from Canada, I don't remember how often maybe twice in a year, I can still taste them, lovely. I can also recall tasting my first banana, which my brother brought home when on leave, and recall standing by the fence showing it to our neighbour,  that too I can still taste, maybe it's why I still like bananas it was the first fruit I ate apart from an apple,  it seemed so exotic. I was at the dentist on Tuesday for a check up and had a small filling, the doctor commented on the fact I still have all but one of my teeth at 73, so perhaps there was something to be said for the wartime diet, despite the lack of five a day.
On another note, I'd always wondered if the acid in apples was bad for teeth, and read not so long ago  if you eat an apple, or any other acid fruit you shouldn't brush your teeth for at least an hour as it softens the enamel, preferably should rinse out your mouth. Food for thought.

9 comments:

  1. We usually have apples in the house, wash my morning meds down with a glass of pineapple juice and I've switched to munching on dried fruit chips, especially banana, instead of junk snack foods but if I eat 5 pieces a week I'd be surprised. I have all my own teeth as well. They cost me nearly $2,000 and I keep them in a denture cup overnight.

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  2. I love fruit but it doesn't love me. I manage a banana every day and that is about it.

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  3. I'm not big on fruit either, don't like the texture much so I bought a blender and make fruit smoothies, that makes the texture a little more tolerable, but I certainly don't ingest anywhere near the recommended amount. Bananas are a fave of mine along with strawberries.
    I love Rocket Man's comment about having his own teeth, still chuckling as I type this. lol

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  4. With stomach ulcers I only ever manage a banana a day, to much acid. I liked pineapple and custard pies I used to make them, Home made fruit pies and Ice cream I like for a treat.

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  5. Hi Arlene yes it is hard my favorites are bananas natural sugar and good for engery.Also they are easy to eat. There was an argument once about the tomatoe was it a veg or fruit, still don't know. All my own teeth yes really , my poor mum lost hers by the time she was 40years old. Yikes. Hugs Sheila x

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  6. You are so right Arlene, i think these things are stuffed down us too much these days, you have only to look at the generation of people that grew up in the war a lot of them live to a ripe old age and they never had half of what they have today, I think a lot of reason why you still have your own teeth is because when you were growing up there wasn't so much sugar around so your teeth had time to develope properly
    And don't feel guilty about not getting your five a day you are far from alone there, i don't...
    I have a friend who lives on main land spain who has most of her five a day all piled up on her dinner plate at her evening meal and then she wonders why she has terrible wind ( gas ) at night ha ha
    xx
    Thank you for the info on the GB the hubby will look at it when he comes in xx

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  7. LOL good one Chip, I deserved that.
    It seems that bananas are a firm favourite with most of us on here.
    I don't know about the tomato ether Sheila it comes from the potato family so it should be a veg, but as it has it's own seed system it should be a fruit, so take your pick.
    I too bought a blender but ended up using it to blend the carrot when I make soup, as I can't abide bits of them. yeeuk.
    A good reason NOT to eat the fruit, who wants to be a windbag?
    I find pineapples just tooooo acidy Lady Jude and that plays hell with my arthritis. thanks for your comments.

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  8. I loved your new back around well done.
    It is very colourful that suit your weathers?
    It seems these day just talks about five fruit
    and three different colour of vegetables.
    I think that not many people follows to ate so many items?
    I can eat a half of what they said:-)
    Happy Holloween!

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  9. Hi Michiko, thanks for your visit, and compliments on my background, It doesn't quite suit this weekend's weather, not many butterflies around right now, but we can pretend, can't we.
    And no, I don't think many people do follow the eating suggestions.

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