Chocolate and Beyond

I've stopped obsessing about food!

It has happened. I've stopped obsessing about food, and I think it is far more to do with the types of foods I've been eating, than any emotional issues around it.

I was never really a binge-eater, or someone who overate incredibly when bored or depressed though admittedly, I've had my occasions of comfort eating (and comfort drinking, of wine). However, I did think about what I was going to be eating and when I could, a lot of the time.

Eliminating food groups and eating a natural diet

While diets teach us about deprivation, and the idea around intuitive eating is to legalise all foods until you become safe in the knowledge that you can eat what you want - therefore do not need to overeat - the time may come when you decide that some things are just not worthy of your body.

I'm talking about the kind of processed crap that is full of trans-fats, sugar, chemical additives, sweeteners and any number of other poor quality food substitutes. And just because they're available, it doesn't mean your body was ever meant to consume them as fuel.

Start the day THIS way!

Oh dear, I really should have taken a picture of my breakfast this morning - what a treat. I had it yesterday as well, it was so delicious. Not anti-candida (there was an abundance of full-fat creme fraiche and smoked salmon) but hey.

I soft-boiled two eggs and seared some smoked salmon in a dry frying pan. Then I put the salmon on my plate, with a huge blob of creme fraiche on top, peeled the eggs and split them in two over the top (so the yolks all run down), and garnished with some finely chopped spring onion (chives are better, didn't have them).

The scales were in my way, so I stepped on them

Over the last couple of weeks, I've almost eliminated all refined carbohydrates and sugar from my diet (except for the occasional piece of chocolate, glass of wine and one baked lemon cheesecake dessert when I went out for my friend's birthday last Friday!).

This is a choice, as I've been aiming to follow a way of eating that doesn't encourage the growth of candida in my body. However, I'd rather allow the occasional foray into sugary lands than feel deprived - because we know what deprivation leads to, don't we?

Food face (why do we have to grow up?)

Not the normal direction of my postings or blog, which I like to think is fairly focused, but I couldn't resist posting this gorgeous picture of my youngest nephew with food all over his face (Ronaldo, eat your heart out, you have a contender for the sulky but extremely good-looking trophy).

He was thoroughly enjoying his trifle or cream cake or whatever it was at my aunt's birthday party the other week, and when I saw him covered in the stuff, I just wished I could join him! Why do we have to grow up and start being well-behaved at the table?

Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur - yes, it's good

I meant to have reviewed this rather wonderful concoction before Christmas, when I received a bottle of Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur - a gorgeous throat-coating gloop - and before I embarked on my anti-candida regimen.

I am normally an ardent Bailey's supporter over the festive period, but this yummy beverage was a welcome addition to my drinks cabinet and I easily polished the bottle off! Too easily in fact. It was utterly delicious - a chocolate, cream and alcohol fix, all in one go (you can't really beat that, eh?).

An experimental but delicious lunch!

After pondering over the contents of the fridge to work out what I would have for lunch, I decided to make myself halloumi cheese & veggie stir-fry!

It could have been awful, I wasn't sure if it would work, but it turned out to be de-bloody-licious. Would you like to give it a whirl? I'll tell you what I did.

We'll have the diet industry on its knees!

Well lo and behold, yet another Beyond Chocolate blogger joins the ranks. Wonderful news or what? Liquorice Torpedoes (great name) is also doing the multi-media workshop (I highly recommend) and is making an online record of her journey.

I just love it that there are so many of us out there now! I have, of course, added her pages to my list of diet-dumping blogs and will be following her progress.

The myth of low-fat eating

Chocolate, originally uploaded by cjmellows.

I do so wish there was much more stuff out there on the myth of the low-fat diet, such as Linda Moran's fantastic article on this very subject: The low-fat meal is thought to be a path to weight loss. But is it?

I absolutely agree with her - and have discovered for myself that since I've been 'off-dieting' and have stopped worrying about fat content, things haven't changed that much in terms of my weight - but I'm enjoying my food a helluva lot more.

The third belt notch and feeding my yeast...

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It's been a good while since my last confession, er, posting, because I have been on holiday, feeding my yeast to their hearts' content.

But what do I care at the moment? Because I'm down to my third belt notch (my weight marker, without my scales) and to be honest, it could even be at the forth notch (at least, as soon as I wake up it can, which it was for a bit this morning).