Saying Yes to a Taboo Food

I was watching Eat, Pray, Love last night and there was a small scene in the movie that really stuck in my head.  Liz and Sofie were having pizza in Napoli and Sofie was not eating hers.  (which I know did not happen in the book so it really caught my attention).  When asked why Sofie explained she gained ten pounds and had asked what the roll was called.  "A muffin top," laughed Liz, "I have one too.  So what?  When you are with your boyfriend does he ever tell you to put your clothes back on?  No, of course not, he's so happy to be there with you naked."  Liz goes on to say how she's tired of saying no to foods and to always being on a diet.  She doesn't want to be obese but she does want to enjoy food.

I think this resonated so much because I used to be heavy and I was always dieting.  I love Weight Watchers for showing me portion control but I am sad that avocados, olive oil and nuts were so taboo because they were high on the points scale.  Fat free artificially flavored foods were really pushed and I lost sense of what to eat when I wasn't trying to lose weight. 

I believe there's a balance.  We need some healthy fat to feel full and satiated.  Saying no to real food to eat some man made item that doesn't quite classify as food seems so ridiculous now.  I no longer count points or calories; avocados, nuts, low-fat and whole yogurt are in my fridge and I have not gained weight.  I don't look for as much extra junk because I'm satisfied by the foods I do eat.  I have treats but no where near as many as I did while dieting.  (low in calorie that they might have been).

I am not saying go out and eat with abandon.  But if you are in Naples eat the pizza! 

So here is my weird and delicious way to use avocados.  It is from Gena at Choosingraw.com. 

My husband enjoys this and likes none of the ingredients individually, except for the chocolate.  We like it less sweet and use 4 dates per avocado.  You really need to keep blending this in the food processor to avoid date chunks.  You can also add a spoon of coconut oil for additional flavor. 

Avocado Chocolate Pudding (aka, Chocomole!)
1 ripe avocado, pitted
6-10 dates (depending on size of dates and desired sweetness – I’m usually happy with 8 medjool dates), soaked if necessary
½ tsp vanilla
4 heaping Tbsp cocoa or 2 Tbsp. carob powder
½ cup water

Place all ingredients in a food processor (you can use a blender or Vita, but food processors work much better for this recipe) and begin blending.

Tired of the diet treadmill?  Want to have more energy and feel good?  Check out my website at http://empoweredplate.com/ or email me at:  janinemchale@empoweredplate.com.