Foodie Friday: Break the cycle with mindful eating

Nutrition Month - Taking the Fight out of Food

So we’ve turned the corner into another Nutrition Month, an exciting time for all of us dietitians to amp up the spotlight on healthy eating.

This year’s theme is “Taking the Fight out of Food.” In my professional life, I meet a lot of people who are in the grips of a long-term feud with food! They feel as though they’ve “tried every diet under the sun” but can’t seem to get their eating under control. In my experience, this kind of thinking about health and especially body weight make people an easy mark for fad diets, which unfortunately don’t work! There is an ever-growing body of evidence demonstrating that people rarely maintain the weight lost on these diets and quite frequently regain more than they lost in the first place.

How can you put this food fight to bed?

Start by accepting your body how it is. Right now. Easier said than done, but it is really hard to do something good for your body (like eat well or exercise) when you’re constantly hating it.

Next, get the facts about how to stop the never-ending cycle of eat-repent-repeat! “Intuitive” or “mindful” eating can help you break this cycle and teach you how to tune into your own body’s cues of what and how much to eat. When you label foods as “good” or “bad”, as most fad diets often do, you may subconsciously start wanting the “no” foods more and the “yes” foods less. If you can successfully put all foods on an even playing field, you can start enjoying all foods without guilt and end that perpetual food fight!

I’ve been known to seek out a little something sweet after a meal and one of my go-to indulgences is homemade ice cream. It’s really quick to make with the right tool (and is sure to impress your guests!). The flavour combinations are endless and you can always find one to match your mood or meal theme. One of my favourites is coconut lime. Give it a try, and make sure to sit down and enjoy it mindfully!

Coconut Lime Ice Cream

Recipe adapted from the All Recipes web site. Don't have an automatic ice cream maker? See note below.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (14oz) unsweetened coconut milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup half and half cream
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 mango, peeled and sliced (optional)
• ¼ cup toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk coconut milk, sugar, half-and-half, lime juice, lime zest and salt together in a large bowl until sugar is fully dissolved. Transfer mixture into an automatic ice maker, and freeze according to manufactures directions.
2. If you would like hard ice cream consistency, you will need to transfer ice cream into an air tight container and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.
3. Scoop ice cream into bowls and garnish with mango and toasted coconut, if desired.

Editor's note: Carmen's recipe looked delicious to me but I don't have an ice cream maker. I did some searching and found this method for making ice cream in a bag for folks without an ice cream maker. I'm excited to try this process!