Carnie's Comments
If you ask me what my favourite fruit is, I'd probably say watermelon. However, this wasn't always my answer.
I you'd have asked me a few years ago I would have said strawberries. I love them however, I can't eat them anymore.
It was a couple of years ago, after consuming more than my share, I broke out in a rash. It was alarming. After reviewing recent habits with my doctor, he concluded I was allergic to strawberries. I quit eating them and with the help of some medication, the skin blotches cleared up. His diagnosis was correct.
Another thing I can't consume anymore is maple syrup or anything maple-flavoured. It nauseates me now.
The experts on the world wide web tell me that as we age, our immune system weakens and becomes less efficient at distinguishing between harmful and harmless substances which can lead to overreactions.
I'm thinking about that today as I enjoy a bumper crop of garden-grown tomatoes and worry about getting gout. It happened to a friend of mine recently and it was a steady diet of tomatoes that caused it. It was very painful, and he had trouble sleeping for quite some time.
It seems like yesterday I was young and carefree. Now I'm worried about gout!
You know, one of my grandmothers used to say, "It's a tough life."
I get that now.