What’s the Ideal Diet? (and a Carob Mousse Recipe)

–By Suzanne (“Nana”)

As you know by now, I am a health food geek as well as a professional health coach. I am often asked whether I’m a vegetarian or a vegan or macrobiotic or a raw foodist or into raw dairy or the blood type diet or grass-fed beef, or….

The short answer is yes! I am all of those things! And more.

So Which Diet Is the Right One?!

My nutritional philosophy is a moving target! I eat a wide variety of foods and sometimes I am a raw foodist, sometimes a vegan, sometimes a lacto-ova vegetarian…and sometimes I eat meat. I love to eat and consider myself a foodie, but my food has to be healthful (at least according to some experts–there isn’t always consensus about the absolute optimal diet, especially when it comes to the vegans versus the meat eaters!).

In my professional training program, we studied more than 100 dietary theories, all of which have reasonable validity. For me, it’s more about tuning into my own body and determining what is right at the time based on my age, activity, season, and mood.

Avoiding Diet Extremes

As a health coach I help people to reach their goals by looking at their diet (and lifestyle) and determining how they can make small changes.

A new client recently said to me, “I guess you are going to tell me to stop drinking coffee.” My answer: “Of course not!” My philosophy is that food should be enjoyed and make you healthy. Through a process of reflection and tuning into the body, we look at where we are with our health and where we want to go and then make slow, incremental changes and see how we feel. Sometimes when we feel better we find we no longer need coffee; other times we find that a little coffee in our lives doesn’t impact our health. What is healthy for one person may not work for someone else.

Food Needs to Taste Good!

I don’t believe in eating food that is supposed to be healthy but tastes awful to you. That is not going to bring you health!

Food should make us healthy, happy, and joyful. After decades of experimenting with diet I believe that individuals can find the right diet for their body to be healthy, happy, and vibrant. I don’t believe in rigidity and deprivation. Rather than depriving myself of flavors and textures I enjoy, I prefer to discover healthy alternatives that crowd out the less healthy stuff.

This week I have been on a raw food kick (in between roasting shitake mushrooms and eating a grilled organic, pastured, all-beef hotdog!).

I also found an amazing raw “chocolate” mousse recipe in a book called Living on Live Food. This mousse is quick and delicious, and as the author Alissa Cohen, says, “has all the chocolate taste, none of the guilt.”

Magical Mousse
I am a big fan of creamy stuff: cheese, whipped cream, sour cream, ice cream, you name it. This mousse is creamy and sweet with no dairy and no sugar! I would serve this mousse to even the most discriminating guests. I even had it for breakfast today!

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2/3 cup dates, pitted and soaked
• ½ carob powder
• ¼ cup almond butter

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and blend until creamy.

Enjoy!

Be well,

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