Yep, today (and most days) I’m grateful for Tomatoes and Bread.

My Weird Diet

I was morbidly obese my entire life until around age 25. It took several years lose the weight, and I have managed to keep it off for many more years thereafter. I employed many strategies to achieve my goal, and overall just thought very deeply about my diet.

I developed an appreciation for simple food, as well as an aversion to processed food products. This change in my thinking happened slowly and progressively.

Bread and Tomatoes

My specific food preferences wax and wane over time, but one in particular has persisted for a long while now: a slice of (high quality) bread topped with tomato. I usually choose either sourdough or pumpernickel, but any freshly baked bread is fine. I like the acidity and subtle sweetness of the tomato, the tang of sourdough, or the heartiness of pumpernickel.

Grateful to be Grateful

I am genuinely grateful for Tomatoes and Bread, but much moreso than that I am grateful for being grateful. I have memories of eating bags of chips, frozen pizzas, whole packages of Mac and Cheese by myself. I never appreciated any of it. It felt frivolous. I can appreciate my food now to a degree that I never could when I was so large, and I am so thankful for that.