Food.

When I first started dating my boyfriend, I warned him that I am the pickiest eater he will ever meet. He completely doubted me. "There's no way you're pickier than me," he said.

"Wanna bet?"

I was born with a curse. My entire life, I have been the pickiest eater ever. I will not eat most vegetables or fruit, I gag at the scent of peanut butter. I'm not the biggest fan of meat, except chicken. Yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk make my stomach turn. My theory is that it's not really the taste of food that scares me away (athough there are some foods that taste straight up terrible). I honestly think the scent and texture of foods play a bigger role in the decision of whether or not I will eat them. To me, those senses are a lot more profound than just taste.

I also cannot swallow a pill. Included in my theory is the idea that this is connected to the whole texture issue. My mom always says that it's "just in my mind" but it's also a physical thing--the pill simply will not go down. If I have to take a pill, I crush it up in applesauce.

Speaking of applesauce, I only like the cinnamon kind. I like apples, but I don't like the way you can taste the chunks of apples in the applesauce. Add a little cinnamon, and the problem seems much less prominent, as the chunks seem like cinnamon.

My diet consists mainly of noodles, along with other grains. I eat lots and lots (and lots) of mac n' cheese (healthy, I know). I like Italian sauces like cheese sauce and Alfredo sauce with my noodles, but I stay away from meat and red sauce. I also really like bread. Especially if there's cheese on it, but not Swiss cheese. I also enjoy eating bread sticks with my noodles.

I do not have OCD, but I always make sure my food is free of any toxins like chopped up onions or celery, lettuce or tomato. If this means picking them one by one out of my taco meat then so be it (speaking of tacos I like mine very specific--soft shell with only beef and cheese, as long as there is no spicy seasoning). I also make sure that no food on my plate comes in contact with another food. Combining foods is just a plain no-no.

I only eat one thing at a time, saving the best for last of course. However, I find this difficult at times because if I take too much food (or am served too much food) I will end up full before I even get to the best item. Because of this, I try to compare my hunger with the amount of food on my plate, and eat the largest percent of the best item (usually mac n' cheese).

You might think this is damaging to my health, and you're right. The only way to control my weight is by limiting what I eat, which isn't that much of a problem. But being as picky as I am really sucks sometimes. My diet does not consist of enough variety, and I'm really sick of lectures from my parents and my doctor. A bad diet, combined with very little sleep (which describes me) is not healthy at all.

My metabolism is what keeps me going. I'm not fat, but I'm not skinny either, and up until now my metabolism has kept me looking like a stick. Slowly but surely, my metabolism is beginning to slow down, which means slowly but surely I continue to gain weight.

I only wish there was something I could do to be healthy (besides adapting to new foods, of course). This curse really takes a toll on my life, because it's impossible to go out to eat without ordering the same thing every time (chicken strips, a cheese quesadilla, noodles). My parents get so fed up with me never eating what they cook for dinner. And as for my health, well, it's only downhill from here.

So I've proved my boyfriend wrong--I am the pickiest person he's ever met. But maybe that's not such a good thing after all.