Creativity + Cooking…and a recipe
Let's talk about food sensitivities and allergies for a moment. There is some heated debate about whether they are real or just a hot new fad, particularly in regards to gluten. I'd love to discuss this with science and nutrition theories, cause there's a lot of information out there (another blog post fo'shizzle!), but for now, I'd like to share what I know is true for me:
Some foods after eating them, make me feel lethargic, bloated, gassy, and I'm pretty sure cause my skin to breakout. When I don't eat these foods (namely gluten, dairy, corn, and sadly maybe chocolate… wahhhhhh!), my blood sugars are awesome, I have regular bowel movements (poop talk is important in health conversations!), and I feel nourished. I don't get hives or need an epi pen when I eat these things I suspect my body can't tolerate, so it's not a full-blown allergy, but there is not a doubt that being constipated and bloated is really the pits. So, I'd prefer to cut them out of my meals because I want to feel light, energetic, satisfied, and have clear skin on the regular.
But, this also brings in a very clear picture of how much emotion we attach to food (hence, the term "emotional eating"). I LOVE DAIRY. Cheese, yogurt, cream in my coffee. I love it all. Chocolate is my favorite comfort food, especially around my moon cycle, and there is a little feeling of loss when deciding to cut out my favorites. A little grieving for my favorite childhood comfort foods. And I have been known to bemoan to my siblings about the extra planning and scheming it takes to really stick to keeping these delicious and often sneaky ingredients out of my belly. Many convenience foods contain common allergens, so making sure I have healthy snacks with me to provide energy throughout the day requires some planning. (Plus finding a vegan, plant-based protein powder has been a HUGE, frustrating challenge! Let me know if you have one you like!)
Choosing to eat this way also requires creativity. I realized recently that I need to change my mindset a bit in this area. I've been on-again, off-again with my devotion to cleaning up my diet, but have decided that with the spring energy of detoxing, I want to recommit seriously to supporting my body's needs and preferences. So rather than complaining and feeling frustrated with having food sensitivities, I can approach it with a sense of creativity and curiosity and playfulness and adventure. How can I make this dish that I love be more friendly for my body (aka dairy-free, gluten-free) and have it taste just as, if not more, delicious? This is a quest and an adventure that I'm going to be exploring this season (and this year!) whilst sharing the results with you, in case this is a topic that resonates with you.
So first up, a success of a new dish I am completely obsessed with! I saw a friend eating this amazingly creamy and yummy looking breakfast out of a jar one day. You mean something so decadent can be easily carried with you as you run out the door?! Yes, yes it can! The original recipe includes yogurt, so you dairy eaters out there are welcome to include that back in. What I love about this recipe is that it's super easy to make a big batch or put it in individual containers for a single serving to grab on the go. You can play with a variety of flavors of fruit additions (frozen, dried, or fresh) as well as adding nuts, seeds, nut butters, or additional protein for a little extra oooomph! My favorite is just simply adding frozen raspberries, but go wild!
Give it a taste test and let me know what you think.
Now over to you! Do you have food sensitivities or food allergies? How do you feel when you avoid eating these things? If you have any gluten-free, dairy-free recipes you just love, let me know… I'll include them in my quest for creativity in cooking!