I've eaten more radishes this summer than I have previously in my entire life.
Sometimes, you get that moment about a food. Jumped back into olives, especially Kalamata olives, a while back. Now this is about the radish.
I tried the radish when I was a kid. The peppery flavor appealed to me even then. But radishes were presented as seasonal and only meant to be sliced and put on salads. For a few weeks a year, radishes had an impact but not much of one.
Radishes were mostly avoided in the early adult years — not worth the effort.
The difference this summer was more about the ease of bringing a vegetable to work. The vegetable needs to travel well, doesn't have to be refrigerated (at least for a few hours), and munch worthy, especially in the afternoon.
At first, I was slicing them thin and eating them. After a number of radishes, I started cutting bigger pieces to enjoy.
The peppery taste helps them stand out as a treat, eating them sans accoutrement.
According to Wikipedia, radishes are "rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium" and a good source of "vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium." A cup of sliced radishes has 19 calories.
I had to look that up to see the nutritional value of radishes. Hard to think of radishes when you don't really know why you're eating them, nutrition-wise.
Not to compare radishes to celery, but eating radishes does feel like you're burning close to the number of calories you are consuming (only a perception, not a proven fact).
When I was chasing down olives, salt was the main motivator. But a missing flavor was also an issue — took me awhile to figure out Kalamata olives was my ultimate goal.
In the case of the radishes, flavor was the motivator.
Yes, you can have cravings without being pregnant. Most of our cravings end up being for food that doesn't have long-term flavor (e.g., most junk food). Satisfied in the moment, but no long-term joy.
The radish is an all-around winner. Tasty, healthy, convenient, and really low in calories.
The radish may not be your idea of a winner. Too peppery or too weird to eat; that happens. Finding your equivalent of a radish can make summertime fun eating more fun with some health thrown into the mix.
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