naked notes

In my last post I spoke about some rather intense sugar cravings over the holidays.  I am happy to report that I survived, but also that I enjoyed every minute of the trip!  With the New Year in full swing, I find myself excited by new possibilities that have, perhaps, filled the void that I was trying to fill with cakes and cookies.  Hooray for gaining back control without having to feel like I am truly trying to “control” myself.

Of course, craving sugar is not really a seasonal thing.  Not for me, and probably not for you.  So I want to share a tip that that has helped several of my clients.  Try adding more sweet vegetables to your daily diet in order to help curb sugar cravings.  Good options include sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and squashes.  These will give you the sweet taste your body is craving without all of the bad stuff.  I usually find that, when I’ve had sweet vegetables, I just don’t need (or more importantly, want) to indulge in a sugary treat afterwards.  And it’s so easy to give this a try in the fall and winter with the abundance of root veggies.

What works really well for me every time is Butternut Squash.  So delicious!!  Here is a wonderful recipe for a simple Butternut Squash soup from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I am in LOVE with this soup and hope you will give it a try:

Ingredients:

1 Medium Butternut Squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh or ground ginger root
filtered water or low sodium vegetable stock

• Cut, peel and remove seeds from squash

• Cut into same size cubes

• Heat olive oil in a large deep saucepan or stockpot

• Add onion and sauté until transparent

• Add squash and enough water or stock to cover (I use a little of both)

• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft: about 35 minutes

• Blend with an immersion blender, masher, or whisk to desired consistency (you can also use a regular blender)

• Grate fresh ginger or add ground ginger

*Note: You can also experiment with other spices to your taste. I recently tried adding a few dashes of cinnamon to my bowl. YUMMY!

Happy Cooking! Let me know how this works for your sweet tooth!

Category: NY Eat IN

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