The Big Picture Regarding Food

I think everyone needs to find balance in their life regarding what they can and cannot eat. If a food causes an allergic reaction or inflammation, then of course they must avoid it. My list includes plant proteins, peanuts and tree nuts, and MSG. I also must limit sugar, because I am diabetic. My doctor said limiting sugar and simple (refined) carbs will also help lower my cholesterol.

I thought I could make life easier for myself by substituting coconut flour for regular flour. My first attempt was a complete failure. The recipe didn't fail, my expectations of it did. My second attempt involved only a small substitution. I made regular cornbread with just a heaping spoon of coconut flour added. I thought the texture of the cornmeal would hide the texture of the coconut. It didn't, but it was tolerable, unlike the biscuits I made on my first attempt.

In the past I tried to make a cauliflower pizza crust. Personally, what I have learned, is don't believe the hype that "it will taste the same" and "you can't tell the difference."

Yes you can.

It's simple....if you love regular baking powder biscuits, coconut flour and egg biscuits will not be the same. They will not taste the same. They will have a different texture, and they will taste like coconut and eggs, but be as dry as popcorn farts. I don't buy the author's claim that her kids love them and her non-Paleo diet hubby loves them too and everyone thinks they are a wonderful substitution for regular biscuits. First thought in my head...what kind of crap have you been feeding them?

I have heard that chocolate will mask the coconut and egg flavors. It seems to me that the best recipes would be something that you expect to taste of coconut, with the addition of coconut flakes to mask the graininess of the flour.

The truth of the matter is, cauliflower will taste like cauliflower and coconut will taste like coconut and eggs will taste like eggs. How you combine or create with these foods is a personal thing and requires quite a bit of experimenting with different recipes, but don't expect them to taste exactly the same as the food you are replacing.

The best healthy replacement I ever ate was spaghetti squash. Haven't tried it in years. My mom grew it once and we had a boatload of it. I grew it once, alongside a pumpkin vine. We had one pumpkin, which we carved into a jack-o-lantern. When we scooped out the seeds we found the inside of the pumpkin was a spaghetti squash cross!

A couple notes...coconut flour is very high in fiber. Go easy on yourself at first.

Don't forget to enjoy life. Eating healthy is good, but if you hate what you are eating, where is the joy in life. Moderation, everything in moderation.