I’m an obsessive girl. Moderation was never in the playing cards for me. In true Scorpio fashion, I hear a little fact or sense the inkling of a feeling, and run with it like there’s no tomorrow. This is a reason I’m (personally) pretty legalistic in my diet. Because for me, it’s all or none. If I don’t have any of the cake, I’m totes fine! But if I have one bite, I’m basically like LET ME EAT THE WHOLE THING AND THEN CAN WE PLEASE DRIVE TO RALPHS AND BUY ALL THE THINGS.
Even in my healthy Paleo eating, I go through obsessive phases. I find a certain food I just loveeee and swear my oath of eternal love. Here are the foods currently kindling my heart.
FROZEN BERRIES (AND FRUIT!)
Up until a few weeks ago, I was completely omg fruit= sugar how COULD you even? (With the caveat that we’re all unique snowflakes and some people function well on the higher carb route.) Then I went on a food combining tangent, and realized a few select “acid” fruits pair well with meat. Since I am quite the carnivore, I figured, why not? I decided to start with the low-ish carb strawberries. As I hesitantly bit into the beautiful frozen crimson flesh, it was as though the gates of heaven opened, with sweet ice cream flooding my soul.
I have since expanded to frozen blueberries, blackberries, and even apples. I can see why Eve struggled with that temptation. That being said, I’m wondering about my personal fruit limits. High histamine strawberries seem to spark flushing and inflammation, while blackberries and apples contain FODMAPS: Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols. FODMAPS are types of carbohydrates which can ferment and cause IBS problems. Blueberries are also a bit sugary for me.
I really just need to become a modernationist person I guess. But why eat one bag of berries, when you can eat five? {Sigh} Thank goodness for intermittent fasting!
BOK CHOY
While I adore vegetables, I tend to have difficulty digesting them. (Oh hey FODMAPS and plant anti-nutrients like salicylates, oxalates, saponins, and who knows what else!) Couple that with the fact that I like to avoid lots of starches (squash, sweet potatoes, etc.), and can’t have too much of my favorites like spinach (super high histamine) or brussel sprouts (goitrogens) and that effectively leaves me with….?
I just discovered (rediscovered) Bok choy, a truly underappreciaited gem. In fact, when I checked out at Whole Foods the other day, the cashier was like “umm… what is this?” Bok choy is easier to digest than its cruciferous cousins like brussel sports and broccoli. Anti-inflammatory in nature, bok choy is particularly high in vitamins K, C, A, potassium, and folate. Bok choy is even half as concentrated in Omega-3s as walnuts on a calorie-for-calorie basis. Oh hey!
I’ve been boiling Bok choy on the stove and seasoning with turmeric and ginger. Yum yum!
CUCUMBERS
I’m honestly embarrassed by my cucumber consumption. When I go to purchase my dozen cukes or so, I tell myself in my head that I’m “juicing them.” I literally tell myself this. (No, I’m not juicing them.) I also tell myself that technically you’d have to eat 9 cucumbers to equal 1/2 cup of peanuts. Not that I count or encourage calorie counting, but it puts things in perspective, and makes me feel not as weird about the cucumber skin graveyard appearing nightly in the kitchen.
Cucumbers are my love. Just my love. I love nothing better than sipping on wine and munching on cucumbers while I research and write and wait for whatever epic dinner I have brewing in the oven. They’re essentially just water and some benign fiber, and satisfy my crunch/munch addiction, with a boost of hydration!
Also does everyone have that #mindblown moment when they’re 15 or so and realize pickles are cucumbers?
