As a bakery owner, it was rare to actually leave the store to have a proper meal. I often found myself eating muffins for lunch, or scrounging the last of the oatmeal for a somewhat healthier option. Vegetables and protein weren’t available much, but my body was used to a carb and sugar-heavy diet, so I didn’t mind – at least at first. It is easy to get sick of your own products, but when you want to make sure the quality is up to your standards, and you are trying to develop new recipes, you can’t help but eat more than you should.
The New York times recently reported on the difficulty of Staying Fit when Food is Your Job and talked about how “the image of the roly-poly chef is an enduring stereotype, and sometimes for good reason.” When your life is in a restaurant or cafe and you are constantly surrounded by food, you lose perspective.
Now that the bakery is closed, I have time to focus on my health again. This includes mentally relaxing and, just as important, spending time evaluating the nutritional balance of foods that go into my body. I finally had a “sugar overdose”, and felt that I needed to regain a balance. My friend and former owner of the Polka Dot Cake Studio had the same reaction after she closed her bakery, and enrolled in the Natural Gourmet Institute to focus on nutrition after spending years making cakes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that either of us have rejected sweets, we just decided that we needed to learn more about it.
I have always liked the idea of all natural products. I don’t eat artificial sweeteners and I avoid food-coloring whenever possible, but I haven’t fully explored the world natural sweeteners, whole grains, flour alternatives, etc. that are available. I recently picked up Heidi Swanson’s book, Super Natural Cooking, where she talks about how alternative sweeteners are just starting to become more widely available, and she compared it to the world of salt which has exploded in the past few years. I look forward to having things like unrefined sugar and agave available in more stores than just Whole Foods, for a less expensive price, but in order for that to happen I think that more recipes have to be developed for them and more education has to happen.
I’m taking my time on developing ideas for my cookbook, because I want to explore this world a little bit more so I can include options for people that are concerned with healthy alternatives or have allergy restrictions. I will always enjoy a sugary, chocolate-filled dessert, but sometimes you just want, or need, another option. I don’t want to eat a dessert just because it’s made with healthier ingredients. It has to taste great, or I don’t want it at all.
What are some of your favorite wholesome desserts?
Hi Kelli!
Great post. I sometimes put myself on a sugar moratorium because I eat so many sweets. But lately, in Paris, I eat tons of fruit. Not ideal, there’s still a lot of sugar (relatively), but it’s amazing how sweet and delicious local, seasonal fruit is. And what a surprising alternative it is to baked goods (though I’ll never give those up!)
Hope you’re well.
Amy
Hey Kelli,
Welcome to the club!!
Baking with alternative sweeteners and sans-gluten are actually pretty fun and creative-suddenly you start playing with new toys..coconut sugar,date sugar,maple crystals,yucon syrup,agave,chestnut flour,hazelnut flour,coconut flour..etc.
each of them comes with their own personality..
After three years of my quest,I am also proud to say that I just don’t crave anything anymore-what a relief!!!
Hope to see you in a few weeks.
ayse
I went to the open house at the Natural Gourmet Institute and happened to win in a raffle a book called Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin, who founded and was the longtime president of the Natural Gourmet. The book basically changed my life, I’ve been eating mostly/all whole foods and organic since, guilt-free when I eat something not whole or not organic, but I haven’t even been tempted to have white flour or white sugar, and I feel great. Anyway I’m really just commenting to recommend the book if you’re interested in learning more about healthy eating, it’s lovely!