By Nordia Henry, Staff Reporter 
OOOH, SCRUMPTIOUS, lip-smacking, tasty.
It comes in all shapes and sizes - round, long, curly, slender and fat.
The sweet tantalising aroma of the yummy orange-coloured snack makes my mouth drool. I glide my tongue along the side, lick it and then suck on it until it dissolves.
Hmmm, It takes just the right 'trix' to make my buttons tick.
Call me crazy, but I'll have it in the morning for breakfast without anything else and each time I get that craving I must grab a handful or two. Biting into the crunchy goodness invigorates my body, soul and spirit, my brain automatically kicks back into gear and I'm ready to take on the world.
There are other food that I yearn for but at least I can resist those. I cannot do the same with cheese trix. For me, a bag of trix is like oxygen I cannot live without it. The feeling is like having an asthma attack whereby if you do not get oxygen you will die. Well, that's how passionately I feel about cheese trix. It's A MUST HAVE.
I always have a pile of cheese trix at home and my drawer at worker is never without a bag of the orange goodies.
No, I'm not a pregnant woman having weird cravings (so at least for now I don't have to worry about my child being marked by cheese trix). The problem, some would see it as such, is that I'm addicted to cheese trix.
ADDICTION - A VALUE
JUDGEMENT
In the moments when I'm not craving or reaching for a bag of trix I realise that some of the things we so greatly desire are not the best for us. My love of cheese trix is probably out of control because when the desire strikes I cannot resist, although I'm aware that eating it for breakfast and as snacks throughout the day and night cannot possibly be healthy. In my case even more so. Cheese trix is one of the many things that irritate my asthmatic condition and trigger my sinusitis. In short, it inevitably makes me sick and miserable. Yet I continue yearning for the crunchy feel, the sweet aroma and yummy taste.
Psychologists and psychiatrists define addiction as a disorder characterised by criteria that include spending a great deal of time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family or occupation activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it.
That may be so, but the way I see it, addiction is an imprecise term laden with value judgements although it does capture the essence of my trixy
relationship.
ESSENCE OF MY TRIXY
In some odd way I've always been proud of 'addiction', however, I did not feel so proud after speaking to New Kingston-based nutritionist Dr. Heather Little-White. I learned this week that my precious cheese trix is referred to as empty calories because it has no vitamins, minerals and protein which are essential in building and maintaining the body. It has only a low trace of nutrients, carbohydrates and fat. Dr. Little-White notes that "the trace of cheese and fat makes the eater feel
comfortable.
"It is also not a recommendable food item for children's lunch kit seeing that it has no nutritive value," she adds. "It is only a psychological boost for the eater. If it is eaten once in a while, nothing is wrong but as an addictive meal it is harmful to the body since it contributes nothing to the building up of the body parts; it is just a quick fix for the person who eats it."
Stephen Dawkins, Sales and Marketing Manager at 'Poly Foods Limited', one of the makers of cheese trix, says "the nutritional value varies (and) because of the flour content it has a lot of carbohydrate which gives the consumer a certain amount of energy."
He adds: "The amount of cheese used in the manufacturing of the product gives the eater a certain level of protein, therefore the consumption determines the level of protein. Cheese trix is a snack, not a product to be used as a food item, it is a supplementary food. Unfortunately, in Jamaica, many people use it as a meal because of the cost but this should not be substituted for
regular food."
Still, even with this information I have not been able to wean myself. I should, but my craving has actually increased in recent days. Maybe it's too soon to let go. But I'll think about it.
Crunch...crunc...crun...
There are food cravings and then there are weird food cravings.
Reporter Nordia Henry confesses to a wicked addiction to cheese trix.
She just can't kick the habit, she says.
Dear readers, are you 'addicted' to a particular food item? Let us know and
we'll carry a true confession of your lustful yearning.
