In spite of some hunger pains, it wasn't too hard to give up chocolates and related treats during Lent . . . mainly because they weren't coming into the house. Lent is over and through the generosity of friends, boxes of delectable, chocolate shop goodies are all too available. I haven't indulged . . . yet!
After I discovered that it would take an hour of hard jogging to burn off about 240 calories - the calorie content of one candy bar, I'm afraid of wasting my daily allotment of calories on a small piece of chocolate.
Lent is over, however, and my family does enjoy a homemade dessert once or twice a week so I've been researching comfort foods that have been altered to taste good but still take out some of the fat and sugar. It is amazing but it can be done.
Before Lent, I made cheesecake which can run over 300-400 calories for a slice besides padding your heart with bad fat. This recipe used three packages of non-fat cream cheese and two packages of 33% less fat cream cheese. The sugar was reduced by a cup and it was hard to tell the difference. I guess you just have to think about where and what you can substitute or cut from a recipe to make a difference! Even the crust used low-fat crackers. To enhance the 'health benefit' side of the creation, I added a topping of fresh strawberries. Now, I'm on the look out for a low-calorie chocolate layer cake recipe. After all, one does not live by lettuce alone . . . at least in my book!
I do not, however, use any of the artificial sweeteners in my recipes. My husband has severe reactions to them (landed him in emergency once!) and they really aren't that good for you.
I have had an 'adverse' reaction to my Lenten fasting . . . I can't bring myself to go back to eating candy and sweets . . . I feel too good! Once I got used to indulging in apples, baby bell peppers, and such for meals and snacks during Lent, the taste quality went up 100%. When you don't mix excess sugar into the diet, the sweetness of the garden-grown stuff tastes so much better. I'm seeing how long I can hold off on this!
Another reason I'm trying to basically stick to better eating habit was inspired for a former friend who knew better but never ate healthily. Interesting way to find inspiration but it was something that was said that caused me to sit up and take heed. The person actually said that given her eating habits and weight, she knows that diabetes will be in her future. I was shocked at her casual thought about this disease. It made me rapidly reconsider how I approach food and whether the food was in charge of me or I of the food.
You don't suffer when you cut out excesses in your food intake and the types of food you eat. When you think about how blessed we are with available fruits and vegetables at our markets, it is almost an insult to God to not use what He has given us for health. Hey, not saying sugar and chocolate is out but it should never be the substitute for a good, home-prepared meal.
