One of my clients is currently undergoing the very difficult task of completely cutting refined carbs and sugar from her diet. For the moment that even includes eliminating honey and maple syrup. Hard core! I am joining her on this eating plan to encourage her and keep her company. The delightful thing to realise is that once you stop eating sugar and let your body settle into the realisation that there is no more sugar coming then the cravings go away. Let me say that again: the cravings go away. I had read about that but always thought it must be BS. I mean, how could I ever NOT have a craving for chocolate??? But it’s true.
Even so, there are times like this: it’s the weekend, I’ve just completed a load of tasks and jobs that were weighing on my mind and now I feel like I can let lose and celebrate. But how shall I do that? I don’t drink. I just stood in the kitchen trying to listen to my body and decide what would be good right now. This pile of bananas was speaking to me. And voila, a healthy banana split was born.
I realise that in some parts of the world you may not have access to a really good coconut yogurt as we do here in the UK (love my Coyo!). I use it because coconut has an inherent sweetness and it’s full of good medium chain fatty acids. If you cannot find it where you are you can substitute a firm plain Greek yogurt – the protein content is higher than plain yogurt and it’s generally firmer. Stay clear of ice cream unless you have access to a good coconut milk based ice cream that is sugar-free. And for goodness sake, don’t go low-fat. Low-fat products contain more sugar and besides, fat is what makes yogurt satisfying (and the new thinking is that fat is what keeps you from craving sugar!).
Bananas are full of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and they are easy to digest. Orange is a brilliant flavour enhancer and that zingy scent is such a mood lifter. Almonds contain healthy fat and fibre and may help reduce cholesterol, and raw cacao nibs are bursting with antioxidants.
1 ripe banana slice lengthwise
½ c / 120ml firm coconut yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
zest and juice of ½ orange
10-12 almonds, chopped
1 Tbls raw cacao nibs
1 Tbls desiccated coconut
Take ½ c yogurt and mix in zest and fresh orange juice. Place in freezer for 20-30 minutes. When it’s really chilled and firm slice the banana, top with yogurt, garnish with nuts, raw cacao nibs, desiccated coconut and if you’re really fancy, add a bit more orange zest on top. Enjoy!