[Kelly with her youngest cutie-patootie, Ginger. Image from Kelly's Facebook page. ]
Many of you already follow Kelly, the powerhouse behind The Spunky Coconut blog, mom of three, grain-free baker and cook extraordinaire. When Kelly asked me if I’d like to join her for one of her popular podcast chats, it took me all of a tenth of a second to say “YES!”
We had a blast! Head over to Kelly’s blog to listen in to our chat about the ACD, kombucha, homemade coconut milk-based yogurt, stevia, Sweet Victory and Nourished, favorite Toronto restaurants, cooking with beans and what Kelly called my “Canadian accent” (I don’t hear it–do you?). ;-)
The recipes are all great for anyone following an anti-candida diet (ACD); for vegans ; those on a gluten free, refined sugar free, egg free or kosher diet; or Type II diabetics.
Available for just $12.95 (US), the book offers
57 pages of information and recipes
Over 20 healthy, delicious breakfast recipes, with beautiful full-color photographs
14 newly created, original recipes, developed just for this ebook
An introduction outlining the basics of the anti-candida (low glycemic) diet and the version I follow
a section outlining key ingredients used in these anti-candida desserts
tips on how to prepare healthy breakfasts that are anti-candida friendly
For a full Table of Contents and photos of many of the recipes, see this post.
Buy more than one and save : Buy a package of two or all three ebooks and save! Buy Good Morning! with the previously published Anti-Candida Feast for just 18.25 (20% off), pair it with Desserts without Compromise for just $18.95 (20% off), or buy all three for $24.95 (25% off the regular price!).
To purchase one or all ACD-friendly ebooks, click the button below:
Grrrr! This beast will gorge itself on just about anything! [Source]
The Ugly: The Monster Returns
Here it is, 2011, and it’s already time for a confession (don’t worry, it doesn’t involve criminal activity). Once again, it appears the dreaded beast has reared its ugly little head. If you’ve been reading my blog for any time at all, you likely already know that I’ve been dealing with “the beast that is yeast” (ie, candida) since around December, 2008 (and following the anti candida diet, or ACD, since March 2009). And while candida is, indeed, beastly, it’s not the particular monster to which I’m referring. No, the beast I mention here is one with which I’ve struggled my whole life: the Binge Monster.
I’ve both been wanting to write about this issue and also avoiding it for a few weeks now. You see, over the past couple of months or so, after more than a year watching the numbers on my scale move steadily in a downward direction, they have once again begun to creep up–five pounds up, at last count. And while my weight has fluctuated by one or two pounds quite often over the last year, with a couple of days of “clean” and “green” eating, it tends to stabilize again.
But not this time.
Five pounds is real. Five pounds is substantial. Five pounds is a button on your shirt that’s now too tight. It’s one more hole on your belt (which, up until four months ago, you couldn’t wear at all). It’s a little less definition under your cheekbones, a bit more girth around the middle, a pinch around the elastic of your underwear. Five pounds is half a dress size. Like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, the scale seems to admonish you: ”I will not be ignored,” it screams, tacitly threatening the established routine.
I worried about posting this on the blog because I didn’t want to disappoint so many readers who’ve followed my progress up until now. After all the accolades, all the encouragement, I was mortified to have to admit that old habits have wormed their way back into my life (and let me be clear on this: I have not veered from the diet. Not a grain of white sugar or refined flour or mushrooms or alcohol or other forbidden foods have passed my lips; I am still eating ACD-friendly foods, and my candida symptoms, overall, miraculously still continue to improve. It’s just that the re-introduction of certain ingredients and foods—like flours, cocoa and baked goods–have generated more desserts hanging around the house, which led to eating more desserts, which led to. . . five pounds).
Would my readers see this slip up as a failure (as I did)? Would they think less of me? How could I let them down after all this time? How could I let myself down?
[It may be ACD-friendly, but too much of a good thing is still too much.]
The Bad: How Old Habits Are Revived
When I first began the anti-candida diet 22 months ago, I felt so ill and was so desperate that, honestly, I would have followed any regimen that could help alleviate the symptoms (the worst of which was an angry, painful and constantly itchy rash across my chest and most of my torso).
At first, I put no restrictions on how much I ate. The diet was easy: my old nemesis, the Binge Beast, lurked in the shadows but never dared venture into the light. The notion of bingeing simply wasn’t in the realm of possibility back then (seriously, who binges on zucchini or broccoli?). Even when I experienced a fleeting desire to “cheat” on the diet and eat something with sugar or gluten, the lingering raw, pink rash was enough to dissuade me. Like a photographic afterimage or the barely discernible outline of a house blown away in a hurricane, that pale, freshly scarred skin was a visible reminder of why I needed to persist.
But then I began to feel better. Baking, and desserts (of a sort) and chocolate returned to my life. Sure, they were ACD-friendly, but they still triggered that buried, recidivist impulse when I ate a chocolate cookie, a piece of brownie, a bowl of ice cream. And before I knew it, I was eating not one, not two, but four brownies at a time.
For most people, sugar cravings are supposedly eradicated after 5-10 days on the ACD, but that has never been the case with me. Instead, my cravings continue to cling more ferociously than the toddler at Mama’s knee on the first day of school. One day, I suppose, I’ll get used to it.
As with other addictions, the binge mechanism requires a constant ratcheting up of the stimulus–in this case, certain foods–before satiation is reached. You may be pumping food in at one end, but your stomach doesn’t register it the way a “normal” digestive system would. And so, someone who binges is able to consume perhaps twice as much–three times?–as a healthy eater before the “fullness” switch is flicked. And even then, it sometimes takes nausea for the breaker to finally trip, the “overload” signal to get through.
I already knew that the feedback mechanism, in those of us who binge, is damaged. It’s like filling a bucket with an old leaky hose: for the bucket to be filled, you’d have to turn the faucet on full blast, expending more and more water with more and more waste that never reaches the target, until the container is finally replete. In the same way, my own fullness circuits require more and more alimentary input to finally register “enough.” But how does one fix this damaged circuitry?
Geneen Roth advises us to honor the true source of the hunger–be it physical, psychological or emotional. Each time you listen to these messages, it’s like fixing one tiny leak, filling the hole that allows the nourishing foods to escape without your notice. Eventually, the sequence is completely restored to its original condition, and your body and mind both register the full impact of the food you eat. I know I was waylaid from that journey over the holidays–it’s so easy to become sidetracked by old habits. I am still waiting for that day when I am effortlessly aware of my body’s signals and, like the HH, can pass up even one last pea on the plate because “I’ve had enough.”
Bingers never have enough.
In her latest book, Women Food and God, Geneen Roth talks about emotional (or compulsive) eating with the same accessibility, insight and sagacity as always. And food, she points out, is a fallback position when we seek nurturing. She writes:
The bottom line, whether you weigh 340 pounds or 150 pounds, is that when you eat when you are not hungry, you are using food as a drug, grappling with boredom or illness or loss or grief or emptiness or loneliness or rejection. Food is only the middleman, the means to the end. Of altering your emotions. Of making yourself numb. Of creating a secondary problem when the original problem becomes too uncomfortable.
After 22 months (and before this latest turn of events), it appeared that both my health and my weight had more or less stabilized, yet I found myself still dissatisfied. Yes, my health has vastly improved, but I’m still not 100% better. I had grown tired of writing “no progress” or “status quo” on my Progress Tracker page.
Is it because my recovery has plateaued and I’m bored? Is it because my health is not where I’d like it to be, my symptoms (albeit drastically reduced) still lingering? Is it because, despite major strides with candida, other health issues persist, and I’m simply frustrated? Is it because The Ellen Showhasn’t called me yet?
When I think of the progress I’ve made, I can’t help but notice there’s a little voice in the back of my head,the child’s voice that begins to whine, “Twenty-two months, and still not all better?” Sure, there are many worse things than a candida rash that just won’t disappear, and I am thankful my illness is no more serious than this. But the part of me that connects to that little voice still wonders, ”why can’t you just disappear already? When will you leave me alone and let me live my life without having to think about you every. single. day? When will I be able to return to my old life?”
The answer, I now realize, is perhaps, “never.” I can’t return to my “old life.” And then, rather than accept that this diet will likely be my new, and perhaps permanent, way of life, there comes the whining toddler again, pouting and complaining, ”Well, if I can’t eat what I really want–sugar and chocolate and frosting and layer cake and fudge–well, then, when I concoct something that’s at least moderately tasty, I will eat more than I should–heck, I’ll eat it all–because I need something that’s at least a little bit sweet in my life.”
Do I capitulate and repeat old behaviors, because that’s the easiest, the most comfortable plan of action? Or is there another solution?
The Good: Renewed Commitment and Determination
When it comes to matters of karma and fate and previous lives, the HH is more of a devotee than I; yet I do believe that events, circumstances, people and personal issues come into our lives for a reason. In this case, I was delivered a mini-epiphany by none other than Nietzsche himself, in the form of a book written by author and psychiatrist Irvin Yalom.
In discussing a patient who relapsed and manifested psychological problems that had already been vanquished years before, Yalom cites the great philosopher, who theorized: ”when we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.” In other words, we regress to earlier behaviors after trauma or too much stress or overwork. Well, that made total sense to me: over the past two years, I’ve made huge strides in the battle of the binge and combating candida. Slowly, but certainly, I’m beginning to tap into what my body craves as compared to what my psyche craves. But when one’s reaction to chocolate harks back more than 45 years, a mere 22 month-timespan on an anti-candida diet isn’t enough, on its own, to vanquish that impulse.
Well, duh. Of course food isn’t the solution. Food is never the solution, unless you’re the lone survivor on a desert island with no chance of rescue, like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Rather than abandon the ACD, I’ve decided to recommit with renewed vigor; a renewal of our vows, so to speak. For a while, at least, I’ll be stepping back to an earlier stage of the diet that removes some of the foods I’ve recently re-introduced (such as chocolate or agave nectar–sniff, boo hoo). I’ll begin a candida-focused cleanse and return to some of the best principles of the NAG diet.
I recently read through a copy of Meghan Telpner’s latest ebook, 21 Days to Health, and found it a great refresher course for me: these are all steps I’ve either taken before or still maintain, but having them written out in logical succession will be a wonderful motivator as I work through this renewed challenge. Rather than extend an already too-long post even more, I’ll save the details about what, exactly, I’ll be eating (and not eating) for another time. (I plan to post an entire “ACD Diet” page in the next month or so.)
I hope you’ll continue to stick around for the journey, bumpy as it may be (I promise I’ll still serve you yummy food along the way).
As I’ve said before, I see this blog as a chronicle not just of weight loss (or gain), but also a journey toward wellness and learning to eat like a “normal” person, making peace with sweets and cravings and emotional eating. I feel a bit like the novice tightrope performer whose step has faltered and now sees clearly what the next moves must be to regain balance; I’m determined to forge ahead on that journey. With that approach in mind, I’m confident that, eventually, the ever-elusive goal, wellness, will be revealed.
[A quick note and special request: The VegNews Awards polls for 2010 are open! If you like Diet, Dessert and Dogs or my cookbook, Sweet Freedom, please head to the site and add them to their lists! You can nominate me for the blog, cookbook author or tweeter categories. How great would it be for an allergy-friendly, whole foods site to top their lists? (And guess what? Ms. Ellen is already nominated! I sense that a meeting will be coming about somehow. . . ) Your support is much appreciated, everyone!]
[Simple to make, delicious to eat: red lentil pâté]
The first time I purchased an ebook from Christy Morgan (aka The Blissful Chef), all I really knew about her was (a) she lived in LA; and (b) she cooked according to macrobiotic principles. Well, since I’d studied the macrobiotic diet in nutrition school, I knew it meshed very well with my own food philosophy and even the anti-candida diet (ACD), as it focuses on whole and local ingredients and traditional preparation methods. And as someone who’s been pining to return to LA (especially on The Ellen Show!) since my last visit there when I was 17, I was pleased to know that fact about Christy, too.
A few weeks ago, I bought the most recent in the “Cooking with the Seasons” series for summer. This is the second in a series of Christy’s ebooks that present recipes geared specifically toward each season. In this ebook, Christy talks a bit about how summer is the “fire” season and why it makes sense to prepare foods that are fresh, mostly raw, quick and easy–to avoid the heat of the kitchen and preserve our energies for other activities during the warm weather. She also discusses her approach to cooking, which she describes as “macrobiotic, vegan, raw fusion.” The sixteen recipes in the ebook reflect that philosophy as well.
The first thing that struck me as I browsed through the recipes was that were so many in it I could eat–with no (or very little) adjustment. Whole foods, low fat, easy preparation and nothing processed–these are the kinds of recipes that fit perfectly with someone on the ACD!
I decided to plunge right in with the ”Red Lentil Pâté with Cashews,” a quick and easy spread that’s perfect to serve to guests or for a light dinner. This is a lovely appetizer with a light texture that’s quite different from the rich, nut-heavy spreads that are more commonly served as vegan pâtés; in keeping with the light summer theme, this recipe has no added fat (though the cashews do add some, of course).
I adored this pâté. It works beautifully as a finger food or even–as I found myself snacking on it–straight from a spoon. The preparation is super-simple (though you do need some time to let the mixture boil down). I was skeptical at first about the amount of curry powder in this–it’s a full tablespoon–but once the mixture cooks up and the lentils begin to soften and dissolve, the final balance of seasoning is perfect. Once cold, the mixture firmed up beautifully as well.
Serve this on crackers, as I did, or slice a thick block to have between slices of hearty bread, with some lettuce and sprouts for a great summer sandwich.
Next up was the “Fresh Herb Salad with White Peaches.” Again, the ingredient list was mostly fresh, whole fruit and vegetables with flavorful fresh herbs as garnish. The combination of peaches, greens, and just-picked herbs sounded fantastic to me, and a great way to use seasonal produce and some of the lovely basil from my garden. Although I couldn’t find white peaches, the final result with conventional fruit was strikingly colorful and vibrant, like a festive float at a summer celebration:
[Fresh Herb Salad with White Peaches--and this is anunretouched photo; the colors really are this intense!]
Finally, I cooked up the “Garden Fresh Millet Quinoa” for dinner; I knew I couldn’t go wrong with two of my favorite grains. Another quick and simple preparation resulted in a light, flavorful dish that was so much more than the sum of its parts. A mélange of colors, flavors and textures contribute to a filling and satisfying meal that both the HH and I enjoyed immensely.
With other recipes like “Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta,” “Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque,” “Kale with Lemon Miso Dressing,” “Summertime Succotash,” or “Mixed-Berry Couscous Cake,” the book offers tasty, fresh ways to use your summer produce and stay cool in the kitchen. And at only $4.99 per book (or $7.99 for both!), Cooking with the Seasons: Summer is a great find.
To provide a sample of the book’s recipes, Christy has graciously allowed me to reprint the Red Lentil Pâté with Cashews. If you enjoy lentil curry, you’ll love this.
This is a light spread and one that tastes equally good cold or slightly warm.
1/4 cup (60 ml) filtered water or broth (I used vegetable broth)
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 Tbsp (15 ml) curry powder (I used mild)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) dried coriander
pinch fine sea salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) minced ginger
1 cup (240 ml) red lentils, washed and picked over
3 cups (720 ml) filtered water (I used vegetable broth)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tamari (I used Braggs aminos)
1/2 cup (120 ml) lightly toasted cashews, chopped
fresh cilantro, for garnish
Heat the 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a medium saucepan over medium-high flame. When the water starts to sizzle, sauté the veggies, spices, ginger and salt for a few minutes. Add the 3 cups (720 ml) water or broth and lentils to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 30 minutes. Stir in the tamari and cashews and keep stirring, scraping the bottom of the pot as necessary to avoid scorching, until the mixture becomes very thick and paste-like (this took me another 20-30 minutes).
Place the mixture in a loaf pan, bowl, or decorative dish and let sit at least 15 minutes to cool and firm up (I refrigerated mine for a few hours). Serve garnished with cilantro, with crackers for spreading. Will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
I rarely post non-recipe entries these days, but with the holiday carousel already well underway (the HH and I will be attending our first party of the festive season this weekend), I wanted to share some thoughts about the holidays, anti-candida style.
My friend The Architect and his wife have thrown an annual Christmas bash for the past decade or so, and the HH and I have been lucky enough to attend each year. (Like a Same Time, Next Yearremake–without the sex, that is–we meet up repeatedly with the selfsame dozen or so guests and always look forward to catching up on the previous 12 months). This time, though, I’ll be dealing with the scourge on my skin, the infestation of my intestines, that plague on my psyche: the Cursed Candida!
It can be incredibly difficult for anyone on a special diet (and by “special diet,” I mean anything that’s not the Standard American Diet–ie, anyone reading this blog) to navigate the holidays. Like it or not, you become keenly aware of the restrictions imposed on you, and the shaky line between friendship and maintaining your health; between wondering, “What would make a good hostess gift?” and, “will there be anything I can eat?”. Sometimes, you might even wonder if it’s worth attending the event at all, when you are (mostly) relegated to outside observer while everyone else indulges in supersized portions of flaky hors d’oeuvres, cheesy bites, holiday meats, chocolate truffles with Grand Marnier ganache, or big, sloppy slices of trifle and bread puddings. Waaaa!
So how do you enduresurvive traverse the barrage of sugar-laden, cream-laden, chocolate-laden, booze-laden, lard-laden buffets, holiday tables, restaurant menus and dinner parties that will be crossing your path until, oh, mid-February?
[Stevia-Sweetened, ACD-Friendly Chocolate Pots de Crème]
Well, folks, I won’t stevia-coat it; this diet can be a huge challenge, and at times is very, very tough. And make no mistake: even as I enter month Number Ten on this regime, I still find it a constant battle to ensure I don’t fall off the wagon and plummet headlong into the vortex of overeating, bingeing and regretting my transgressions (the gastronomic kind–not to be confused with those other, more famous, transgressions). As a sweets addict, I can relapse with the least provocation; thankfully, I made only a half-batch (10) of those ACD-friendly Matcha Chocolate Truffles, as I consumed them all within two days. (Hmm. Good thing I’m not back on sugar, isn’t it?)
This year, I’ll be following a fairly rigid version of the ACD, even through the holidays. What that means is no alcohol, vinegar, moldy foods (ie, mushrooms, citrus except for lemon/lime, melons, peanuts), sweet fruits (goodbye, dear mango! Sayonara, persimmon! Auf wiedersein, medjool dates!), and no conventional chocolate (ie, with sugar). I’ve only recently begun to incorporate unsweetened chocolate and some non-sweet fruits (apples, berries, pears) into the mix.
As a result, I thought it might be useful to outline some of the strategies I’ve used in the past and plan to use this season to keep the holidays a happy time, even on an anti-candida regime. For those of you new to the diet, I hope this offers some help!
[ACD-Friendly, Stevia Sweetened Mini Spice Cupcakes with Choco-Carob Frosting]
Invitations to Parties and Others’ Homes:
Over the years, I’ve finally set aside any initial fear of offending my host(ess), and always bring at least one dish I can eat (raw kale salad is usually a huge hit with everyone, and it can be whipped up in minutes before you leave). I bring enough for everyone, so that it doesn’t appear I’m simply feeding myself. Yes, this creates a bit of an inconvenience and extra expense, but it’s worth it to be able to eat something. Most parties will serve veggies and dip, so you can munch on the veggies, at least.
I also always eat something before I go, even if it’s just some (wheat-free) crackers and almond butter. That way, if my own salad is truly the only ACD-friendly food in the place, I won’t starve.
It can be difficult to stand around chatting with people as they imbibe champagne, wine, or whatever and eat all manner of yummy, rich and savory foods–but try to keep your mind on the real reason behind the party: to socialize, to meet people, to get together with friends and family. They really are better than a piece of pumpkin pie, aren’t they?
Holiday Meals
If you’re cooking up your own holiday meal at home, the best thing to do is find an ACD-friendly recipe that the rest of your family can enjoy, too. I’ve found that most vegetabledishes, salads, appetizers, and even main courses are perfectly acceptable to just about anyone as long as they’re tasty.
Desserts are a little more complicated, as stevia is not for everyone. If you can, cook up a dessert that can be divided in two, with one half for you (stevia-sweetened) and the other sweetened with “regular” sweeteners. I’ve accomplished such schizophrenic sweets in my recent Matcha Truffle recipe, the Faux Chocolate, Carob-Coconut Sweeties, and even Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Pudding. All of the desserts on this page can be made that way, too.
Get creative with the ingredients you are permitted to eat, or find yourself some good recipes to use. I’ve been working on these holiday-worthy ACD-friendly desserts (pictured) that I’m compiling for a Holiday E-Book, too. It should be ready in the next week or so, so I hope I can provide some great options for holiday menus to many of you!
Despite what the experts have promised, my sugar cravings didn’t go away in a week, or two weeks after being on the diet, or–well, ever. Sorry to admit this, but even after 10 months with NO CHEATING on the diet, even after losing 43 of the 45 pounds to my goal weight (whoo-hoooo!), I still have them, and have them almost daily. For those of us with sugar addictions–much like any addiction–they may never go away.
And when I’m hit with a massive craving for chocolate, or cake with frosting (okay, sometimes even minus the cake), or chocolate chip cookie dough, I still go prowling through the kitchen, opening and closing the refrigerator repeatedly in the hopes that I might suddenly, miraculously spy something sweet that I am “allowed” to eat. (Sadly, no, healthy Twinkies do not magically appear). Then what?
Well, friends, in those times when I’m desperate for something sweet, I must admit that I succumb to the urge. No, no–I don’t mean that I eat something sugary! But I do eat as much as I like of any ACD-friendly sweets. This may mean consuming six squares of my faux chocolate in quick succession, or an entire recipe of Carob-Coconut Sweeties, or even some avocado-carob pudding (use stevia instead of dates). True, I may be eating more than I should in one sitting, but if it prevents me from hooking up with my old sweetheart, Sugar, then I’m okay with it. The moment usually passes by the time I reach the fourth square of “chocolate,” and I return to my regularly scheduled menus, crisis averted.
Feeling Blue without Favorite Foods
Despite your best efforts, despite being motivated, and despite really, really wanting to get healthy, there will still be times when these food restrictions and the havoc they play with your “normal” life will feel like a huge burden, and you may wonder why you are sticking with the diet when results are often slow to manifest. At times like those, I try to resuscitate my drive by getting in touch with positive energy, either from people that are close to me, or other reliable sources of optimism. Call a friend, your sister, your cousin, your sponsor–whoever will be able to support you in a moment of weakness. Barring that, here are some resources I’ve relied upon to keep the momentum going:
Websites:
Whole Approach. This is the website that I turn to when I need a reminder about the anti candida diet (I’m following their plan), or when I want to read what others in a similar situation may be experiencing and solicit feedback from them (the forums on the site are great).
Yeast and Your Health site. This is a personal site maintained by Lisa Geary, B.Ed, MA. Lisa has experienced systemic candida herself and has compiled an amazing array of information about what it is, how to deal with it, and how to overcome candida.
Jeffrey McCombs’ website. While I don’t follow this exact plan, the site was recommended to me by a reader whose candida was cleared up by following McCombs’ candida protocol. Much of what he writes also jibes with the treatment I’m receiving from my naturopath here as well (such as saunas to detoxify).
Reading:
Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook by Jeanne Marie Martin and Zoltan Rona. The Mother of All Candida Guidebooks! This is the tome I used the first time I followed the candida diet, and I refer to it frequently. It also includes some good recipes, such as the Veggie Burgers I posted.
The Candida Cure by Ann Boroch. A recent (2009) addition to the literature on candida, this is a pared-down version of Martin and Rona’s book, with very similar advice. Good as an introduction for those just starting the diet.
The Healthy Cookieby Meghan Telpner. While not a candida-based memoir, this ebook is Meghan’s own story of how she overcame a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease through diet and lifestyle, refusing to accept that she would have to be ill for the rest of her life. Her attitude and approach are entirely upbeat and entertaining, as well as truly inspiring. For anyone dealing with health issues and how to cope, this book offers great encouragement.
The Glass Castleby Jeannette Walls. Another memoir not strictly related to candida. But even living through the most dire of childhoods, Walls manages to incorporate daily doses of fun, love, and humor. With riveting story-telling skills that never dwell on self-pity, Walls moves ahead with zest and joie de vivre, getting on with it when necessary and offering readers hope and inspiration. And isn’t that what living with candida should be, too?
This holiday season, I plan to focus as much as possible on the intentions behind the gatherings rather than the foods on serving dishes. Being “fully nourished” means feeding not only our bellies, but also our emotions, our psychological needs, our friendships and our relationships with loved ones. As Meghan says in her book,
“Feeling well involves being in good humour, genuinely cheerful, optimistic and positive. Health is the ability to make decisions and take responsibility for our own actions. When our health is good we carry less fear inside and therefore can lead our lives more honestly and with more integrity. We can see the good in our lives and know that the bad will pass. We feel gratitude for what we are blessed with. Perhaps most importantly, when we feel well, we can feel, live and spread love. Wellness breeds happiness and true happiness can ensure sustained wellness.”
Remember that you can recover from candida, and it doesn’t have to rule your life. Here’s to a happy, healthy and naturally sweet holiday season!
What are your strategies for getting through the holidays when you don’t eat the same foods as everyone else? Please share in the comments!
It’s now been approximately five months since I began this round of the ACD, and, over this time, I’ve slowly been coming to the realization that, well, it’s not likely to end any time soon.
As I may have mentioned before, the last time I pursued this regimen, it took two years to eradicate the yeastie beasties. Why so long, when for most people, six months is more than adequate? I’m just lucky, I guess. (Either that, or those childhood PB and chocolate milk breakfasts, teenaged May West and coffee-with-Coffee Mate breakfasts, 20s-era birthday cake and oatmeal cookie breakfasts, and 30s-decade Weight Watchers mousse and Diet Pepsi breakfasts really weren’t that healthy, after all. Seriously, I couldn’t have done worse had I walked into a pesticide factory and started downing beakers of random chemicals). When it comes to eating foods that nourish and strengthen my body, it seems I still hadn’t quite learned my lesson.
While I was able, eventually, to reintroduce gluten and sweeteners to my diet last time (and my naturopath assues me that will happen again, even this time), I fear that eventually, as with any addict reintroduced to a source of the addiction, I began to abuse the privilege. When I last went off the diet, rather than enjoy an abundance of fresh-fruit based desserts or an occasional (ie, less often than 5 times a day) sweet indulgence, I went the whole tofu and chowed down on a daily injection of chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate (in fact, I even considered changing the name of this blog to reflect that fact). And while I still dearly love desserts, even healthy ones (heck, I just wrote a whole cookbook devoted to them!), like any addict, I really have no self control when it comes to my trigger foods.
I mean, have you ever heard of an alcoholic who can stop at just one drink? I think Denis Leary’s character, Tommy Gavin, a firefighter who can’t seem to avoid getting sauced, is a prime example of the principle:
Week One: “I’m handling it. It’s just one drink.”
Week Two: “I’m handling it. I’m only having one a night.”
Week Three: “I’m handling it. I only drink when I feel like it, but so what if that’s all day? I can stop any time.”
Week Four: “Muh habble it. Dwnn tuh meh naw drkkeng drurving!” (Please do not adjust your set. Comprehensible dialogue will return once he sleeps off the inevitable hangover).
And so, dear readers, I’ve finally decided to just accept my own shorcomings as well as my current situation (after all, self acceptance is the first part of healing, right?). I’m determined to embrace the ACD, limitations and all. If I have to stay on it for a year, so be it. If I have to stay on it for life, well–I won’t be happy, but I can live with it (and I wasn’t living too well without it, come to think of it). It’s not as if I’m malnourished, or even that I dislike the foods I’m consuming; and I’d never share a recipe on the blog that I didn’t think was appealing to anyone’s taste buds, special diet or not. It’s just that I miss baking. I really, really miss baking. And I miss eating what I bake.
Still, given the choice, I’d rather continue to see my health improve (about 85% there at the moment) and continue to see my weight decrease, than eat chocolate every day. Besides, I’m learning to think of the ACD as just another culinary challenge: it’s time to begin creating delicious gluten-free, maybe even grain-free, stevia-sweetened desserts for a while. Let the kitchen games resume!
As I mused about the situation, I was reminded of two experts whom I admire and respect, albeit from two completely divergent fields.
The first is Geneen Roth, acclaimed author of When Food is Loveand a regular columnist in Good Housekeeping magazine. When the HH and I relaxed up north this past weekend, I brought a slew of magazines to peruse by the pool, and came across Roth’s latest column, entitled, “Reality Bites.” She wrote about how she’d recently been diagnosed with allergies to both milk and chocolate–two of her very favorite foods.
At first, Roth rebelled against the diagnosis, thinking, “I refuse to give up the foods I love.” Eventually, she came round to the reality of the situation, stating, “It’s hard enough to have. . . allergies. But when you can’t stop thinking about how much you hate the fact that you have to spend your time doing what you need to do, you double the difficulty.” Well, I reasoned, I have quite enough difficulties in all the other areas of my life at the moment, thank you very much; I’d hate to convert eating into yet anohter hardship as well.
The second expert I thought about was Jon Kabat Zinn, who penned Wherever You Go, There You Areand Full Catastrophe Living. To Zinn, a champion of, and pioneer in, stress reduction and mindfulness meditation, living in the moment and appreciating the here and now is paramount to a happy life. Again, I couldn’t help but think, “Look at all the other wonderful things in my life right now–a secure job in these crazy economic times; a (rather appealing) roof over my head; a loving HH; long-term, close friendships; and two of the most adorable canine kids I’ve ever encountered (okay, I may be a tad biased on the canine thing).
["What do you mean, 'a tad biased,' Mum? We're crushed."]
The point is, I decided it’s time to focus on the positives in my life rather than the deficiencies. I may even resume the practise of keeping a gratitude journal (in which you enumerate at least 5 good things that occurred each day, every day. Over time, believe it or not, your mood is elevated just by focusing on such things.). It’s much more productive, and healthy, to maintain a focus on what’s good in life instead of the list of foods I have to give up for a while.
Roth said it beautifully when she wrote, “Giving up certain foods doesn’t mean giving up what you want to feel when you eat them. Staying away from sweets doesn’t mean that you need to deprive yourself of sweetness or comfort or joy.”
And so, I will continue to forge ahead with the blog in this new direction and hope all of you who’ve been reading for a while will stick with me, even though my recipes will be geared toward more gluten-free and low sweetener recipes for a time. And to all the new readers who’ve found my blog by searching for anti-candida recipes or allergen free foods, welcome! The gluten and natural sweeteners will return eventually.
But for now, I hope you’ll all join me on this often challenging, necessarily innovative, and naturally sweetened healing path.
“Mum, don’t worry about not eating sweeteners–we do it all the time, and our food still tastes great! Then again, we eat poo.”
[Simple dal with basmati rice on dandelion greens. . . definitely ACD friendly!]
I have a recipe in the works for later today, but after my last muffin post and all the questions I received about my anti-candida diet, I thought I’d post a quick update. First, thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement–it would be a lot harder to stay on a restricted diet like this without the support of fellow bloggers and readers. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–the blogging world is, truly, magical.
About the diet, many of you asked: will I have to be off fruits (or sweets, or sweeteners, or flour) forever? Will this *&%$@!!^ ACD diet ever end? Will I ever be able to eat my own baked goods again? And isn’t the HH just so darned lucky to have me bake for him when I can’t even partake?
The short answers are no, yes, yes, and ABSOLUTELY YES.
The (not entirely) Bad News: As I’ve posted previously, I have once before been on this diet, about ten years ago. At that time, I stayed on this first phase of the diet about 2 months. Given that I started the ACD this time on March 7, I’ve been on Phase I a lot longer than I would like. But there is change on the horizon! After visiting my naturopath last week, I was given a slightly altered regimen. He also did a live blood cell analysis that can determine the levels of candida and any other critters in my system, which can speed up diagnosis and treatment. I’ll be finding out the results at an appointment later this week.
Once Phase I is over, I will begin to reintroduce all the foods I’ve now cut from my diet, unless tests indicate that I’m allergic to any of them. Since I’ve never had proper allergy testing, I am about to undergo those as well. As a holistic nutritionist, I find my “case study” immensely interesting. As the unique individual who must undergo the tests and follow the diet, however, I find it to be a collosal drag.
Ah, such is life.
And now, the good news:Candida, it seems, has done for me what my own willpower never could: it has kept me on a healthy eating regime for three months (and counting). And, as a result of that, my weight loss tally has now reached 23 pounds (10.5 kilos)!
So, in a bizarre way, candida is the silver lining in my weight loss journey. With the exception of one or two nagging candida symptoms, I am feeling better than I have in ages. My back woes have disappeared. My achy knees are spry and springy. My sinus problems are about 70% improved. And–best of all!–I’ve discovered some favorite old clothes that I haven’t been able to wear in years (it’s been about six years since I last weighed this little).
For now, I’ll continue to cook and experiment with ACD-friendly foods, and post mostly about those, with the occasional baked good thrown in. (And if you’re yearning for some whole foods-based, naturally sweetened, delectable baked goods before then, there’s always the new cookbook!).
It’s become a bit of a challenge to delve into my culinary creativity and see what I can come up with that’s tasty, aesthetically pleasing, and still appealing to “regular” eaters. Surprisingly, I’m finding many recipes on other blogs or in my existing cookbooks that are ACD-friendly. More to come!
Oh, and if you’re interested in finding out more about candida and how to treat it, I’ve discovered a wonderful website by a woman who’s been there herself. The site contains a plethora of well researched, up to date information. Check out Yeast Infection Answers.
To those of you celebrating, hope you’re having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!
[Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from Sweet Freedom]
Okay, let’s get to the dessert first (really, we should all eat a meal that way at least once): I received my cookbook’s (paper) proof in the mail today (the sample that I must approve before production can begin) and I’m thrilled! Now that the publisher has the approval, they can swing into action and the book should be ready by May 25th (the date by which they’ve promised it will be available). On that date, you’ll be able to purchase it directly from the publisher or (for those in the Toronto area) from me! The book will be available through amazon.com about a month after that. I’m also hoping to offer an e-book version at a lower price, so stay tuned! In the meantime, if you need a reminder of what types of goodies will be represented, take a peek at the cookbook blog.
As always, thanks for your patience–and thanks for indulging me by allowing me to blather on about this on DDD! I’ll be providing all the specifics about how to order, cost, etc. as soon as I know them.
And next, our “diet” update: This week marks the end of Phase I (six weeks!) of my anti-candida diet.
Having spent the last six weeks without the company of any fruit, baked goods, desserts, sweeteners of any kind (save stevia) or any other foods that could feed candida, I’m happy to say that I do feel I’ve made progress. In a nutshell, over the past six weeks:
I rediscovered the versatility of beans, the allure of cauliflower popcorn (minus the bucket), how much I like fresh beets, and the pleasing simplicity of millet (more on that in a future post).
The overweening lethargy and muscle heaviness I’d been experiencing has lifted; I now find it easier to walk around, easier to walk up the stairs, easier to complete my workouts at the club (hey, septuagenarian couple with the matching T-shirts! Howdy, punky chick with the spiky hair! Nice to see ya, burly guy with the black ankle socks!), and have even extended my time on the treadmill a bit.
Many of my sinus problems and much of my nasal congestion have evaporated. I’d estimate that my sinuses are about 70% better than when I began the cleanse.
I’ve lost about 12 pounds. I say “about” because I wasn’t certain of my exact weight the day I started the cleanse–but I do know it was an all-time high. I’m now at the lowest weight I’ve been since I started this blog in October, 2007 (yikes! Has it been that long?)
On the other hand:
Many of my original symptoms remain. I’m still experiencing other rather unpleasant side effects of excessive yeast, such as absentmindedness, “foggy thinking,” rashes and absentmindedness (oh, wait, did I say that one already?–ah, you see what I mean).
And so, what’s next?
Well, according to most ACD sites and experts, one should remain on the diet until all symptoms have abated, or at least six months, whichever is shorter. Six months?? Honestly, as much as I may be keen on quinoa, think tofu is tops, am enamoured of arame, or even cherish chia, I can’t see living without fruit or most whole grains for that long. On the other hand (seems I’ve got several hands, here), it’s become abundantly clear to me that I feel better physically, have more energy, and am able to lose weight when I follow a very “clean” and healthy diet such as this. As long as my system is overrun with that scourge, candida, I’ll be drawn back again and again to unhealthy eating.
And believe me, the irony of the situation isn’t lost on me: I’m about to publish a desserts cookbook, yet I suffer from an overabundance of candida–typically caused by too many desserts. And while the bulk of my diet is composed of incredibly healthy foods–ones I truly enjoy–that’s not to say that those wholesome, healthful foods are the only ones I eat. My weakness is chocolate, and more than once I’ve been hoist by my own Lindt 70%. (I’ve probably ingested enough of it over the past year, in fact, to supply all of Switzerland on Valentine’s Day). Add to that my own baked goods and treats–albeit healthy–and you’ve got too much of a good thing, as they say.
And so, I’ve decided to forge ahead with the next phase of the cleanse (which allows a wee bit more variety in the diet) and keep at it as long as I can. The basic approach on the blog will remain the same, and I’m going to attempt to include desserts in moderation (even if I won’t be eating them as much). I’m still determined to achieve that elusive ”normalcy” I wrote about way back when the major focus of the blog was the “Diet” in “Diet, Dessert and Dogs”–to be able to eat like a “normal” eater , consuming a wide variety of foods and courses (including dessert) in moderation–to kick this sweets addiction once and for all! (Or, at least, keep trying).
And when I do reach that goal, promoting a dessert cookbook–even baking all the samples that will go along with it–will be not only possible, but enjoyable.
Because really, never having dessert again would surely suck all the sweetness out of life.
“Um, Mum, while we understand that your book and your diet are important to you and everything, forget about blog updates–how about dog updates? We have some exciting developments going on, too, you know. What about my new white hairs on my muzzle–or how Chaser managed to catch that Frisbee over the fence yesterday? ”
Your hubby calls with the fabulous news that he’s been given a promotion (in this economy!), and to seal the deal, his boss has asked both of you to join him and his lovely wife for dinner. “Nonsense!” you reply. “Why not invite them over here, as a thank-you? I’ll cook dinner.”
Or perhaps you’re shopping at Whole Foods when your eyes meet across the leafy greens. One look at his raven hair and chiseled chin and you’re smitten. He approaches shyly and mutters, “I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this, but you are so pretty I just had to ask you out to dinner.” You counter with a smile, “Well, actually, why don’t I ask you–in? I’d love to cook dinner for you.”**
Or maybe your best friend from childhood is coming to town and wants to meet you to catch up on old times. She’s staying at the Hilton and invites you for drinks. “No, no, please come to my place for dinner instead!” you insist. “After all this time, you deserve a good home cooked meal!”
Well, dear reader, whatever the occasion that prompts you to cook for someone else, I have one small piece of advice: now is not the time to try out a new recipe.
There are a few simple rules of dating. One: Don’t discuss previous relationships. Two: have two pairs of shoes by the door, so you can choose the high heels or the flats, depending on how tall your beau turns out to be. Three: never order spaghetti on a first date. Four: the first time you cook for someone, never, EVER try out a recipe you haven’t made before.
I’m sure we’ve all had this happen at least once–we acquire a new cookbook and are immediately besotted with one of the recipes. We just have to try it out, we decide on the spot. Following the instructions verbatim–even reproducing the gestures of the hand model in the photos–we weave through the various steps exactly as written. We time it with NASA-worthy precision, then throw open the oven door to find–utter catastrophe! The result resembles a molecule-mixup from a seriously malfunctioning Star Trek replicator: misshapen, gnarly, perhaps, or charred beyond all resemblance to a foodstuff. Or perhaps the dish looks the same as the photo in the cookbook, but one nibble reveals a taste like curdled milk served over rancid eggs.
I’ve had my share of kitchen disasters, believe me. Over the years, I’ve learned always to create a trial run of any new recipe the week before I’m actually going to serve it (given that we’re only two people in our house, this has resulted in many a strange meal when I’m testing dishes for a crowd). But I learned my lesson years ago. When I was still trappedsleepwalking ensconced in my starter marriage, I decided to go all out and roast a turkey for my in-laws at Christmas (I was still eating meat in those days). Well, even back then, I was no expert at turkey, having never made one before.
I pulled out my trusty copy of Joy of Cooking(the original, not that dreadful new edition that came out in 2006 ) and followed the instructions to a “T.” In order to prevent the turkey from drying out, the book suggests draping a clean kitchen towel over it, then basting directly over the towel. No problem; I didn’t even mind ruining a tea towel in honor of my in-laws.
No, the towel didn’t catch fire. And no, I didn’t overcook the turkey, or serve it raw. In fact, the meat itself was cooked to perfection; once I could bring myself to cut into it, the flesh was tender and moist. There was one wee problem, however. You see, the book didn’t stipulate that you should use a white kitchen towel. I was a relatively new cook–what did I know?? All we had were towels that matched our then-decor, blue and green check.
Towels. Entirely covered in little checks, alternating bright blue and vibrant, Martian green.
Yep, you guessed it.
Oh, and by the way–did you know that kitchen towel dyes are not colorfast when you baste them with turkey grease?
Needless to say (and thankfully!), no one was brave enough to consume bluish-green meat. We ordered Swiss Chalet and made do with my tried-and-true side dishes.
When I think of kitchen disasters, I also remember my old friend Bill. Bill was a social butterfly who loved to throw dinner parties, and I was regularly a lucky recipient of one of those coveted invitations. He was, generally, a great cook, and everyone relished his parties, both for the food and for his lively, witty, often hilarious sense of humor. We often pretended we were cohorts at the Algonquin Round Table (pretty audacious, I know–especially since I was appointed the Dorothy of the group), slinging puns and sarcastic quips at each other all evening over martinis (affording me the opportunity to paraphrase one of my favorite Benchley lines one rainy night: “Let’s get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini.”).
So. . . . when Bill decided to attempt Pad Thai for the first time at a dinner party, no one blinked an eye.
Ooops. Rice noodles, as we now know, don’t cook up the same way as regular pasta. After bobbing and boiling for 10 full minutes, Bill’s Pad Thai noodles were more like barely set Jello. Undaunted, he threw together the veggies and sauce for the dish, and combined them with the noodle goo. Everyone ate in respectful silence, masticating tiny mouthfuls of sweet pink mush. Not too many quips that evening, I’ll tell you (I think our tongues were stuck to the roofs of our mouths).
I’ve never tried my hand at authentic Pad Thai, but this recipe, a raw version, is one I made at a living foods cooking class with my friend Caroline Dupont several years ago. The dish was created by Jennifer Italiano, owner of Live Organic Café here in Toronto. It’s one of the best raw Pad Thai recipes I’ve found–peppery with an abundance of fresh ginger and garlic, bathed in a thick, creamy sauce and boasting a mosaic of crisp, colorful veggies. I used to make the “noodles” with a spiral slicer (which extrudes long threads of zucchini resembling spaghetti), but I now prefer to simply use a carrot peeler to generate long, thin strips that better imitate rice noodles. (And they never turn to mush).
If you’re not fond of raw foods dishes, I think you’ll still enjoy this. The HH remarked that it would be a great side salad with any Asian-inspired dish. Nevertheless, he ate an entire plate, no main course required. It’s also a great base for a light dinner, and a wonderful dish to serve guests–but just not the first time they come over.
“Mum, you really shouldn’t have thrown away that turkey. We would have been happy to eat it–especially since we’re color blind!”
Raw “Pad Thai”
adapted from an original by Jennifer Italiano via Caroline Dupont
Refreshing and not too filling, this dish offers up an impressive array of veggies in a sweet and spicy Asian-inspired sauce.
Base:
2 medium zucchinis, washed and ends trimmed
1 large carrot, washed and ends trimmed
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 each red and yellow pepper, thinly sliced [I didn't have peppers, so used broccoli instead]
1 cup (240 ml) slivered red or white cabbage
1 green apple, julienned
3/4 cup (180 ml) finely chopped cauliflower
3 Tbsp (45 ml) grated or shredded coconut
Sauce:
3 Tbsp (45 ml) pure maple syrup or agave nectar
juice of one lemon (about 2-3 Tbsp or 30-45 ml)
2 small cloves garlic, minced
4 dry unsweetened dates, soaked in room temperature water for 2 hours*
1/4 cup (60 ml) tamari or soy sauce
1 inch (5 cm) piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt, or less, to taste
1/4 tsp (1 ml) cayenne
1/2 cup (120 ml) natural almond butter
up to 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, to thin the sauce
To create the “noodles,” simply peel the zucchini lengthwise with a carrot peeler, rotating it as you go, to create long, thin strips that can serve as your “rice noodles.” Arrange these on a large platter.
Repeat the motion with the carrot to create long strips, or simpy grate it if you prefer. Place the carrot, onion, peppers, cabbage, apple and cauliflower in a large bowl.
In a blender, combine all sauce ingredients and 2 Tbsp (30 ml) to 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the water. Blend to combine, then test thickness. If the sauce is too thick, add more water, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. (I like the sauce very thick, as the natural moisture in the veggies is always drawn out and thins it out more than you’d expect).
Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and toss to combine well. Spoon the veggie mixture over the zucchini “noodles,” then sprinkle with the coconut. (If you’re taking photos, do it now.) Toss, then serve immediately. Makes 4 large servings. Will keep, covered in the refrigerator, up to 2 days.
Anti-Candida Variation: Omit maple syrup, dates, and apple. Use 5-10 drops of stevia in place of the syrup and dates in the sauce, and replace the tamari with Bragg’s aminos. Still yummy!
[For even more desserts, check out Desserts without Compromise, my new ebook with 19 original recipes (all sugar free, gluten free, egg free and dairy free)! To learn about the recipes or to purchase, click here. To see photos of all the desserts, see this post.]
[Raw key lime tarts--NOT an ACD-inspired recipe (yippee!) See below.]
After the great response I got from my Anti-Candida Breakfasts post, I thought you all might be interested in some ACD desserts. Since this phase of the diet is very clear about NO SWEETENERS (except for stevia), NO FRUIT (except for limes, lemons and avocados), and NO FLOURS (except for bean flours, in teensy amounts), we ACD followers have to get pretty creative when it comes to satisfying the sweet tooth. And believe me, my sweet tooth has been mighty insistent of late.**
So today’s post is all about desserts–the non-sugar, non-sweetener, non-flour way! Doesn’t that just sound unbelievably appetizing? (I know, I have been deluding myself this way for over a month now). OOOOOH, YUM! Read on to share my painbe glad you’re not me find a few surprises you might actually like!
Faux Applesauce
[Seriously, doesn't that look just like applesauce?]
For some reason, the ACD vetoes all squashes except zucchini, yellow squash (basically jaundiced zucchini) and spaghetti squash. While browsing through one of the forums about the diet, I came across this idea for mock applesauce–essentially, you bake a spaghetti squash, scoop out the (remakrably spaghetti-like) flesh, then purée it with cinnamon and stevia. I added a touch of ginger and cardamom as well. It was surprisingly good, and, I’m sure, would be fabulous if made with an actual sweetener like agave or pure maple syrup. I’ve been enjoying this after dinner on occasion when I need something I can pretend is fruit.
“Chocolate Pudding”
[Well, the texture is perfect, at least. . . . ]
I placed the title of this dessert in quotation marks, because there is no way anyone would mistake this for actual chocolate pudding. Oh, the texture was fabulous, but when you sweeten cocoa with stevia, the result is, shall we say, rather pucker-inducing. Well, except to me, when I’m desperate for chocolate and don’t care if it’s bitter or has a stevia “aftertaste,” that is. The HH wouldn’t even finish the first spoonful (though he did concede that the texture was great). I’m going to work on a non-candida version of this because I know it will be irresistible when made with some other type of sweetener!
[Pure yum!]
One of my favorite junky sweet treats when I was in my teens and 20s was Nielsen “Macaroons.” They were essentially milk chocolate (or should I say, “milk chocolate flavored“) rosettes–sort of like Hershey kisses with toasted coconut in them–and I adored them. I’d stop at the Bulk Barn on my way home from class and purchase a small bag, then munch away during the bus ride home. In my 20s, of course, I was able to do so without any ill effects or physical consequences (well, except for the time that guy in the seat beside me put his hand on my knee–not connected to macaroons, I reckon). My, how times have changed since then! Not only can I no longer eat that way, but these days, I’d be whacking that guy’s hand with my umbrella and disturbing fellow passengers by shrieking at the top of my lungs.
Although I haven’t eaten the Nielsen variety in about a decade, these little confections reminded me of them–only much, much healthier. To me, these sweets taste like actual milk chocolate (not chocolate “candy”), mixed with coconut.
Now, I know there are about 17,428 versions of a “nut butter, carob and coconut” treat on the Internet, but this one is my own (original!) creation, and dear to my heart. And besides, I’d love to know whether any of you out there agree about the taste (or is it simply my ACD-addled tasted buds playing tricks on me?).
Carob-Coconut Sweeties
I’ve deliberately made a small batch here, so that (if the highly unlikely situation should ever arise, you understand) it’s not a tragedy if you happen to eat the entire batch. However, if you’re sharing with more than one person, or serving several, you may wish to double the recipe.
In a food processor (I use my Mini-Prep; any small processor is recommended for this recipe), blend the almond butter, tahini, carob powder, salt and chia until you have a smooth paste. Add the stevia and vanilla, if using, and whir again to blend. Add the coconut and hemp seeds and pulse until evenly distributed. Scoop the mixture by teaspoonfuls and roll into balls. Refrigerate (or freeze) 20 minutes or more to allow the mixture to firm up a bit. (If you can’t wait to dig in, they’re still delicious right away, but they will be fairly soft). Makes 4-5 balls.
ACD variation: use stevia instead of other sweetener and be sure the vanilla is alcohol-free.
[This is carob, but for a chocolate variation of the pudding, use chocolate almond, soy, hemp or other milk]
As I mentioned in a previous post, this is one of my favorite treats, even when I’m not following the ACD. This version boasts carob, cinnamon, and a touch of stevia. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a teaspoon or two of ground flax seeds to the mix as well. (You wacky dessert-lover, you!)
I was amazed to discover that this recipe, which I’ve been eyeing for almost a year now, is actually more or less acceptable for the ACD! A few minor adjustments, and the HH and I were both able to enjoy these lovely tarts (pictured above is the date-sweetened crust). You could also make the filling on its own and spoon it up as a pudding. As a bonus, this is a raw dessert. You don’t want to overindulge, however, as it does contain quite a hit of fat in each serving.
3/4 cup (80-90 g) dry, raw macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, or a combination
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt, optional
1/2 cup (120 ml) pitted dry medjool dates, chopped (see note)
Filling:
3/4 cup (180 ml) chopped just-ripe avocado flesh (1-2 avocados)
3-4 Tbsp (45-60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) agave nectar, light or dark
2 tsp (10 ml) finely ground chia seeds, optional (but the filling is more runny without it)
lime zest or kiwi slices for garnish
Lightly grease 5 individual tart pans, or line with parchment rounds (I use 3″ or 7.5 cm pans with removable bottoms). If your pans don’t have removable bottoms, it’s worth it to line them with parchment paper rounds, as the crust will stick otherwise. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, process the coconut, nuts, and sea salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the dates and process until it comes together in a “dough” (it’s ready when the mixture sticks together if pinched between your fingers and thumb). Press the “dough” evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the tart pans.
If you’ve scraped the processor bowl fairly clean, there’s no need to wash it for this step. In the same processor, blend the avocado, lime juice, agave and chia and blend until very smooth. Spoon the mixture evenly into the crusts and smooth the top.
Freeze the tarts until firm, at least 2 hours. Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving, garnish with zest or fresh fruit, and enjoy. Makes 5 tarts.
ACD Variation: Instead of the dates, use 2-3 Tbsp (30-45 ml) smooth almond, cashew or macadamia butter to help the dough adhere. Or omit the crust and just eat the filling! For the filling, use stevia to taste in place of the agave.
**Every source you read about the ACD says that, as long as you stick to the plan, your sugar cravings will disappear in 3-4 days. Excuse me while I guffaw. I’m well in to Week Five, and sugar is calling to me just as loudly and insistently as ever.
PS. To read about a real dessert recipe by yours truly, flip open the May/June issue of Clean EatingMagazine for my second Happy Endings recipe!
UPDATE: SOME OTHER ACD-FRIENDLY DESSERTS on Diet, Dessert and Dogs (This is just a partial list. For a full list, see the Recipe Index):
Desserts without Compromise, my ebook with 19 ACD friendly dessert recipes, from grain-free fudgy brownies to cookies to mousse to vanilla custard–all sugar free, egg free, dairy free and gluten free (desserts for all phases of the diet)
Cupcakes, frosting, puddings and other non-sweet dishes in my Anti Candida Feast Ebook(for those just beginning, and 2nd phase of the diet)
) Your support is much appreciated, everyone!]
