It's currently getting very chilly here in Johannesburg. Cold combined with the added stress of COVID and the grueling hours I have been working, I have found myself craving sugary treats - and having very little will power to say no. When our bodies are tired and stressed, what we tend to crave are things that give us instant gratification and surges in serotonin and dopamine to help us feel better. Refined sugar does just that, as does trans fats and artificial flavourants too. This is often why, in times of stress, emotional distress and exhaustion, we found ourselves craving all the "naughty" foods and having very little self control to say no to the serotonin and dopamine spikes that come with them. While I fully believe in being able to treat yourself and allowing yourself to splurge on delicious things in moderation, having endless cravings for chocolate, sweets, fried foods and junk does not end well. I'm not talking about weight gain, I'm talking about the levels of inflammation these foods can cause if consumed in high quantities. I've written a post about how diet can cause and reduce inflammation in the body (see link - http://wix.to/20BFBdE ), which you can read if you have any interest. So I won't go into great detail about that here. What I would like to shead light on in this post is that in order to keep our bodies healthy and happy and to protect ourselves for all of the nasty bugs that emerge during the cold winter months, we need to keep our bodies fuelled with excellent nutrition, moving with exercise and in doing so, reduce the amount of inflammation in the body. Food IS medicine, in more ways the most people believe. Phytochemicals and micronutrients have potent healing properties and most people just simply do not pay attention to this - I used to be one of them. I would just eat because I was hungry or because it tasted good, not even considering that I should be providing myself with the best nutrients available. I've said this before, your body is fueled by what you feed it, every single cell runs off whatever you put into your belly. So if you put crap in, you will get crap out.
Pay more attention to what you are eating. Swap out the high sugar, high trans fats, high processed foods for healthier alternatives, fuel yourself with healthy, wholesome, anti-inflammatory foods. You are guaranteed to notice a difference and your body will thank you for it. **Chunky Nutty Chocolate Vegan Oats with Caramelized Banana** Ingredients: 1/2 cup gluten free organic oats 1/2 cup mylk (I used sweetened almond) 1/2 cup filtered water 1 tsp raw organic cacao powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp organic coconut blossom sugar 1 banana sprinkled with coconut blossom sugar 1 tbsp macadamia nut butter 1 tbsp cacao nibs 1 tsp desiccated coconut Method:
1. In a small to medium sized pot, place the oats, mylk, water, coconut blossom sugar cacao powder and cinnamon and mix. Bring the mixture to the boil and then allow it to simmer on a medium heat until the fluid has reduced and the oats have swelled and become soft. Stir often so that it does not stick. 2. Slice the banana into +/- 2 cm thick slices and sprinkle with coconut blossom sugar. Place the slices under the grill for about 2 minutes or until golden. I am fortunate to have an electric grill which I used, but you can also pan fry them in a tbsp of coconut oil. 3. Spoon the oats into a bowl, spread and sprinkle the caramelized banana, desiccated coconut and cacao nibs over the oats and then drizzle the macadamia nut butter over the top. Et Voila! You now have yourself a delicious, healthy, wholesome breakfast that's to die for. If you like your oats a bit nuttier, you can add a tbsp of nut butter to the oats itself and stir it in.
I hope everyone is staying calm and healthy. Please don't let the hysterical behaviours of others get you down!
Stay tuned, I'll be posting more soon.
Sending love and healing energy to everyone.
Cayla