by Kcurly on April 1, 2010
Mashed cauliflower from my very own plate!
So many of us associate mashed potatoes with comfort and childhood. I personally have fond memories of dunking my chicken nuggets into them. But enough of that! Begone evil thoughts!
Potatoes can still be a good source of nutrients, especially if you leave the peel on and leave out the butter and other delicious stuff. However, if you’re looking to cut out starchy foods, mashed cauliflower can be the way to go if you still have a craving for mashed potatoes.
To make them, I just boil the cauliflower, puree or mash it, and then add garlic, cheese, or a little butter. My son loves it and calls it mashed potatoes. Now it doesn’t taste exactly like it, but to me it’s the next best thing.
Health Benefits of Cauliflower:
- Contains allicin, which can improve heart health and reduce risk of stroke
- Help maintain a healthy cholesterol level
- Low in fat, high in fiber, Vitamin C, and folate
by Kcurly on November 2, 2009
For the last three or four weeks, I may not have been following my calorie restriction and I may have eaten a ton of Halloween candy. But one thing I can brag about is having kicked the addiction to diet soda. A lot of you may be wondering what the big deal is. If you’re like I was, having a three or four cokes a day was okay, especially if they’re diet. For me, it was a way to avoid overeating, something fun to drink during a movie or when out with friends.
Growing up, I rarely drank soda. We drank water or juice, mostly water. When we did have a soda, it was never diet and usually on the weekends or when going out to eat. As a teenager, I never had a drop of acne and I credit that to all the water I drank.I also never had cavities until the end of my college years.
Fast forward to college and I’m drinking a Sunkist everyday. Talk about the freshman 15! (Or is it 20?) Then I discover DIET beverages (cue the angels singing). This was the answer I was looking for, or so I thought. I’ve been drinking them ever since. I did switch from aspartame to Splenda at one point, but quickly came back to the aspartame.
Since college, I’ve suffered from mild headaches off and on. If I stopped drinking my sodas, I would get splitting headaches from caffeine withdrawl. Quitting sodas significantly lessened the following:
- constant bloating
- frequent headaches
- tired, burnout feeling
- acne and dull looking skin
It’s a hard habit to quit though. For some people, it’s a part of daily life. But it can be done! Here are some tips for quitting soda that helped me:
- Don’t try to quit cold turkey. Cut back to one a day or two depending on how much you drink on a daily basis. Cutting it out completely will only make you want it more.
- Once you’re down to one or two,try drinking diluted fruit juice in its place. If you feel strong enough, go ahead and just drink water instead.
- If you need caffeine just to help get you going in the morning, try a cup of coffee or tea sweetened with honey. I only drink honey in my coffee, unless I’m at work and then I’ll just have a pack of sugar. I try to avoid artificial sweeteners period. Honey and sugar are extra calories, but honey is full of nutrients and antibiotic properties and sugar is only about 15 calories per teaspoon. Of course moderation has to be utilized with both.
- A lot of people are just addicted to the action of drinking soda. They like the feel of the bubbles, etc. If you’re having a hard time, try using some juice diluted in seltzer water to get you on the road to recovery. Juices are not all nutritionally dense, so try not to overdo it.
- Be warned that you may experience withdrawal from both sugar and caffeine if you’re a heavy soda drinker. That can include headaches,
Here is an interesting article that explains what sodas do to the body.
