Eating the Rainbow: Trout, Corn, Broccoli and Purple Potatoes with Cultured Lemon Garlic Butter
Today is the last in a series on eating and intuition.
Too often nutrition advice gets distilled down to what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat. When we embark on a reset to shift habits & feel better, there is an opportunity to examine our behavior more closely around food. Healing is just as much about eliminating symptoms as it is about getting to know, trust and honor ourselves better.
Have you ever:
Eaten when you aren't hungry because you were at a dinner party?
Eaten foods that make you feel unwell because you didn't want to be high maintenance?
Not asked for what you really wanted at a restaurant?
Drank alcohol to "go with the flow" despite not wanting to?
If you're nodding along, you likely picked up the message somewhere along the way that being easy to feed is part of being easy to love. Being difficult, as in, taking care of your body and advocating for your own needs, is a threat to belonging for some of us.
After University, I waited tables at a vegetarian restaurant in Santa Barbara called The Sojourner to put myself through culinary school. The Soj was a local institution and gathering spot. It was not uncommon for patrons to spin a crystal over the menu to decide what to order — and equally common for them to hand over laminated cards listing dozens of allergens to be sent back to the kitchen.
As someone who was passionate about food & who could seemingly eat everything without consequence at that time, I found it hard to believe these claims were valid. And honestly, some weren't — people feigning allergies to things they simply didn't like, people looking for validation in special treatment. I left that job doubting the many dietary needs, dogma & preferences I'd encountered. Back then, social belonging mattered more to me than advocating for my own needs.
What I didn't understand then was that a third option existed — advocating for myself in a firm but connected way. In other words, staying connected to myself first and foremost, while being open yet not defined by my connection to others. I had internalized a need to belong and not “bother” others, even when it meant overriding my own body. Twenty-five years later, I still catch myself doing it at times.
There is a pause -- sometimes minuscule -- between what we believe to be true for ourselves and what we say or how we behave. That pause is where our intuition lives. The feeling in your body just before you say "I eat everything," while knowing the truth is not so simple. Every time we override that pause, there's a cost -- not just physical, but to our relationship with ourselves.
A cook & friend taught me that empathy for others extends inward. Catering together, I'd get tangled up in special requests and dietary restrictions. She never did — she just saw it as making people feel welcome. Watching her, I softened the edges hardened working in commercial kitchens for so long, & eventually learned to welcome myself the same way.
My questions to you:
* Are there ways you need to be more "difficult" to take a stand for yourself?
* Are there ways that you prioritize being easy to be loved at a detriment to your own health?
I'd love to hear them if you feel called to share. 🩷
Grain-free Chocolate Chunk Nut Butter Blondies Makes 20 blondies
Recipe by My New Roots
This recipe by Holistic Nutritionist Sarah Britton hits all the notes - it comes together in one bowl with a spatula, has few ingredients, & is universally delicious, while being dairy, grain & refined sugar free.
Ingredients: 2 large, organic eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup unsalted nut butter (I used almond-hazelnut) ¾ cup / 100g coconut sugar 1 tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. fine grain sea salt 3.5oz / 100g dark chocolate (70% or higher), roughly chopped a pinch flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), optional
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325°F / 160°C. 2. In a small bowl whisk eggs and vanilla extract together. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine coconut sugar, ¼ tsp. fine grain sea salt, and baking soda. 3. Measure out the nut butter and place in a large bowl. Add the egg mixture, stir thoroughly to combine. Add the coconut sugar mixture and fold together. The dough will be very thick. Add about half of the chopped chocolate, using your hands if necessary to incorporate. 4. Press the dough into a parchment-lined 8×8″ (20x20cm) brownie pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the top and press each piece slightly into the dough. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt and place in the oven. 5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the blondies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan completely before cutting.
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