I May Have Just Become a Fruit Lover

It's no secret that I dislike fruits.  I put up with some for nutrition and health, but in general, I much prefer vegetables.  If you must know why, it's because I grew up in the tropics surrounded by an overabundance of rotting mangoes and papayas.  My favorite ways to consume fruitin pie form or as smoothie ingredients.  I especially dislike sour fruits.  That said, I think I may have found a cure to my fruit revulsion.

Enter the Miracle Berry.

Synsepalum dulcificum

After seeing it on the Dr. Oz show, my wife and I had to give it a try.  We found a place in NYC that sells them at $5(!!??).  When my wife came home today with 4 miracle berries and a basket of strawberries, grapefruit, kiwis, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, lemon and lime, the party was on.  We started with the a miracle berry each, chewing the berry and the seed and swishing it for a couple of minutes.  Then began the fun.

• strawberries - OMG.  Were these just plucked from the Garden of Eden??  So good, I had to have another and another.  Then...
• lemon wedge - I still taste a little bit of sourness, but more sweetness.  
• lime wedge - Same as the lemon, but slightly sweeter
• grapefruit - I'd never had grapefruit in my life, but I was spooning it and slurping like a starving mad man.
• under-ripe kiwi - Best kiwi ever!
• pineapple - sweetness!
• cantaloupe - heaven!
• honeydew melon - WOW!

I continued to devour fruits for another 10 mins or so, when the berry effects wore off.

I love my sweets and usually get them in the form of baked goods, but with this miracle berry, I think I can now actually eat a little more healthily by cutting out some processed sugars in exchange for fruits.  The best thing about it is that it doesn't mask any of the natural flavors about the fruit.  It just enhances them, so a strawberry still tastes like a strawberry.

If you're skeptical, check out a few of the links below.  Or find a fruit purveyor in your area and give it a try.  It's about as much fun as you can have eating fruit.




Links
 - CNN
 - NY Times
 - Doctor Oz show