I typically don't make New Year resolutions. Looking back at 2009, however, there were a few things I wish I could have done differently. Self-help experts say putting them on paper (or sharing them publicly like on this blog) will help drive changes. I thought: why not give it a try?
I will spare you the more personal goals. My top food-related resolution for the New Year is to cut down on sugar in my diet.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I have a BIG sweet tooth. Just look at the number of posts tagged with "desserts" on this blog. I can think about sweets, especially cakes, all day.
During the week I have pretty good self-control and can keep myself away from sweets. (I resisted the urge by looking at pictures of sweets online). But come the weekend, my defense broke down and I could just eat sweets, almost nothing else (I still had some fruits).
It got worse during the holiday season, which coincided with my birthday. It gave me additional excuses to indulge in sweets. I recently tallied up how much I made/bought/ate over the holidays and I was shocked to say the least.
Everyone knows the harmful effects of excessive sweets on our health. In my experience, my energy level tanked quickly after a sugar-induced high. I may be paranoid, but I'm really worried about developing chronic diseases like diabetes down the road.
I felt I need to change this bad habit right away.
Abstaining from sugar is not going to work. There's no way I can eat just one cookie or one tiny serving of cake at one time either, so portion control is out of the question.
My strategy is to have sweets as a meal and thoroughly enjoy it only ONCE A WEEK. If I have sugar cravings at other times, I'd reach for hot water (yes, surprising but it works), nuts, lesser evils (in my case at least) such as chips and crackers.
So how did I do so far? I didn't completely adhere to my strategy, but close. My willpower wavered and I had small amounts of sugar here and there. Another problem also emerged: I ate too much of other non-sugary snacks.
My first "sugar-meal" in 2010 was a German pancake called pfannkuchen for brunch. It's actually more like a sponge cake but much easier to make (no flipping of pancakes).
I got the recipe from the cookbook Totally Vegetarian and served slices of the cake with sliced banana, maple syrup, cranberry jam, and peanut butter alternatively. Moist and lightly sweet with an hint of almond, I savored it to the last bite. Then it'd be another week before I had sweets again!
Pfannkuchen topped with sliced almonds fresh out of the oven
A slice of pfannkuchen served with sliced banana and maple syrup
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