You have heard me say this before, and I promise you will hear me say it again – I love sweet foods. I really do. I hear comments all the time from people feeling stressed and anxious by the war on their sweet tooth or whatever it is they crave, that never seems to end. The way I see it – cravings are just our body’s way of trying to tell us something. Our bodies work hard to maintain homeostasis 24/7 doing all sorts of crazy things, like maintaining body temperature and controlling muscle movements in our digestive system to make sure we are constantly in a state of balance. That’s a pretty tough job! So why should the foods we crave mean anything different? We just have to listen!
Instead of chowing down on candy bars and chocolate to satisfy my cravings, I incorporate naturally sweet foods into my diet on a regular basis. This way my body gets what it needs without the harmful effects of sugar like suppression of the immune system, varicose veins, and weight gain. And you know what? I don’t really crave the high-sugar and high-processed sweets that you typically find in a movie theater or the checkout counter of your local convenience store. They just don’t “talk to me” the way they used to years ago.
So next time you feel like having something sweet try red quinoa. It’s a whole-grain so it will be absorbed into your bloodstream slowly, keeping your mood and energy leveled, but sweeter than regular quinoa to satisfy the sweet craving. For more information about the benefits of whole-grains check out my post on why we need carbs.
I added local veggies and sesame seeds to the cooked quinoa. Check out the recipe below.
Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa, cooked
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup peppers, chopped
1/2 cup dark leafy greens (I used swiss chard)
Directions
To cook the quinoa I like to use a rice cooker. It’s so easy – all you have to do is rinse the quinoa, add water (1 part quinoa to 2 parts water), hit the “cook” button and that’s it! It turns itself off once cooked.
If you use the stove – rinse your grains to remove the bitter coating, saponin. Quinoa is usually rinsed before it’s packaged, but it can’t hurt to rinse it again. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups of water in a saucepan, cover with lid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook until the water has been absorbed – approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Roast sesame seeds – place in dry saucepan and apply heat. Once they start popping, they are done. Keep your eye on these guys so they don’t burn.
Water saute veggies
Combine quinoa, sesame seeds and veggies
So next time you have a craving don’t panic and grab the first edible item in site! Listen to your body and see what it really wants.
Tags: Eating Local, Kitchen Gadgets, Recipes, Sugar, Vegetarian / Vegan