My neighbor is about the sweetest human ever! Originally from Hong Kong, she is now in her 80's and speaks very little English. Over the years, I have done my usual neighborly things, taking over jars of plum jam when I make enough for an army, giving her dozens of persimmons when my tree ripens and taking over a small Christmas gift each year. Over time, she and I have developed quite a bond and she now calls me her 7th kid. Recently she told me that her kumquat tree is ripe, and I was thrilled! When eaten whole, with the skins and flesh together, these little babies are what I call "Nature's Sour Patch Kids"! They are sweet and tart, firm yet soft.. all the things a good candy has. Except that instead of being loaded up with sugar and ingredients I cannot pronounce, it's filled with a cornucopia of nutrients as well as a little burst of juice when the flesh is pierced. As if being an amazing replacement for candy isn't enough these little babies pack more fiber in just five little pieces of fruit than a cup of broccoli by nearly 2 grams! Talk about staying regular. Not to mention 59mg calcium, 19mg magnesium, 41g vitamin C, and 177mg of potassium.
So, if you can find some of these babies, I hope you will give them a try. I think you will find that they are a great treat when you are craving something a little tart while a little sweet.
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I love the taste of butter. It just has this amazing salty, slightly sweet, creamy way about it. It melts into my tastebuds like the grounds soaks up water after a rain. My love affair started at about age 10 when my Aunt Kimmy first introduced me. Before that, we had only had Country Crock in my house. I thought that butter always came in brown tubs. I literally had no idea that it didn't. It became my kryptonite. I wanted it on everything. Any time I get sick all I can think about is a delicious piece of toast with butter. Or noodles with butter. Oooh, or rice with butter and a splash of soy sauce. While others enjoy sweet treats, I tend to lean towards savory, salty, crunchy and creamy. Don't get me wrong, I like sugar just fine, but if given the choice between a dill pickle and a churro, I will pick the pickle any day of the week. We all have a guilty pleasure! I am grateful for my love of savory over sweet. Because of it, I tend to get far more fermented foods, nuts, but still consumed far too much of the high fat processed foods that are part of the everyday Western diet. Then, once adding into the equation I could not have gluten, my dietary habits changed significantly. No longer could I just eat what I had been.. every label had to be inspected for possible traces of gluten. And, the more I researched what the ingredients were, the more I learned how many trans-fats, added grams of sugar, and chemicals that I could not pronounce were in my foods. Even though I was feeling better overall, I was still not at optimal health. My body continued to have lots of inflammation and I caught almost every virus within the speed of light. My immune system was basically shot from nutritional deficiencies that come with having a damaged gut that cannot do its job, Fast forward to me starting my studies and the individual nutrients needed came into more focus. Even though I didn't really have a sweet tooth, my consumption of gluten free junk food was highlighted. At that point I realized that I needed to make more choices that had a fewer number of overall ingredients. Every bite I was taking had the ability to either make me feel better, or make me feel miserable. I was either fighting my disease and keeping it in remission, or feeding it. Every single bite was, and still is, a choice. Today, when I want something full of buttery goodness, I first reach for a handful of nuts to see if that satisfies my craving. When I want a sweet treat, I treat my body to fruit before I grab the chocolate. And, for every cup of coffee, I try to balance it out with at least one cup of water. I still love butter and salty, umami flavors, but strive for more of a balance diet. I might be a dietetics student, but we all have days where we falter and eat a giant plate of something that is "bad for us". The question is, are we conscious about these food choices, or are we on auto-pilot? Personally, I find that my awareness of my choices greatly influences my outcomes. Xo,
Michelle As a kid growing up in a Lutheran household, we were taught a differing view of Halloween. It was a serious thing that impacted Martin Luther’s views and eventual action to reform the church. We were also warned constantly about all of the bad stuff that could have happened to the candy, from drug needles to poisoning, so I never really enjoyed the whole thing.
Once the Hubs and I met, Halloween became about his kiddos, walking the streets, waiting at curbs and seeing all of the cute costumes other kids were wearing. I began to enjoy it through their eyes. But, since we were out with them, our house stayed dark. We put up a “Sorry No Candy” sign and went about our business. Today, I see the holiday in a new way. I see the public health side of the holiday. As someone with celiac, my options are limited, and it makes for a lot of time researching what is safe and what isn’t. On another note, I’ve been educated about the hazards of sugar and it’s affects on long term health. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, inflammatory symptoms and more have been linked. An article posted by UCSF along with countless other resources by experts provide guidelines. Most say to limit daily sugar to 6 tsps (25 g) for women, 9 tsps (38 g) for men, and an even smaller amount for children depending on their age. So, because I can’t control anyone but myself, our lights will again be off this year. Not because we will be out and about, or hate children in costumes, but because I don’t want to be a part of a growing problem. The Hubs and I will likely be in the back room watching Netflix or I’ll be in the office doing homework, but neither will be plopping sugar bombs into plastic pumpkins or pillowcases and literally feeding the issue. |
AuthorI'm Michelle, and I've got a full plate! As a full-time dietetics student, step-mom, wife, study coach, and tutor in my late 30's, some days I'm barely scraping by. But, no matter what is on my plate, it's always gluten free! Categories
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