Food Anxiety

Prior to the watershed year, I was reasonably daring with food. Not in terms of experimenting, which I still am, but risking eating food that may have gone bad. I even used to eat raw eggs, even though that has the risk of salmonella poisoning. I prided myself on having a cast-iron stomach.

All that has changed. Anyone who suffers from anxiety knows that there is a high correlation between stress and stomach troubles. I know that if my stomach doesn't feel right, but there are no tangible symptoms such as loose stools or vomiting, it is my anxiety rearing its head in my tummy. 

So, its understandable that I am no longer as daring with my food. Chicken is what gives me the most anxiety. A few months ago, my landlord remarked that my chicken didn't look cooked, which sent me into a paroxysm of salmonella anxiety. Cue goodling how can you tell if chicken is cooked, long does it take for the onset of salmonella, what are the symmptoms, etc. etc. I ducked the salmonella attack.

Today, I left my chicken outside to marinate and when I reached uni  realised  should I have put it in the fridge. Cue another paroxysm. Fortunately, my anxiety about the chicken going bad was tempered by anger at my landlord, which story is worth a few posts itself, but another day. 

I cam home anc cooked the chicken with great trepidation. I asked my friend to taste it but she declined to be a co-sufferer in case the chicken had gone off. I ate the chicken, knowing fully well that I would spend the next few hours in a paroxysm of health anxiety. And here I am.

The problem is taking a 'risk' with your food makes you feel anxious, while not taking a risk makes you feel like a loser. It is a difficult choiice.