We've been SOS-Free (no added salt, oil or sugar in the food we prepare) for some time now and are loving it. It's actually much easier than we thought and we've seen great results. Connie's blood pressure and cholesterol have dropped, (I haven't checked mine) and she's lost another dress size.
We've loved the health benefits and also the experience we have with our food. It tastes more delicious than ever before. That we didn't see coming and really like it. A very unexpected bonus.
Recently we watched an interview with Dr. Frank Sabatino on Chef AJ's The Truth About Weight Loss Summit where he talked about the relationship with being SOS-Free and cravings. It made a lot of sense and added another layer of benefit to stop adding salt, oil and sugar to anything we make. Have a look:
That was such an interesting revelation that when we eat foods with added salt, oil and sugar, producing spikes in dopamine, our bodies think they're producing too much so they start producing less. No wonder foods without added SOS don't taste as good. It's because of this that we keep turning to the SOS foods for what seems like greater satisfaction, but finding they bring unwanted side effects like weight gain, high blood pressure and cholesterol and even diabetes.
It becomes clear that our bodies would crave these foods in order to get the feel good of the greater dopamine produced. The good news is that our bodies are constantly restoring balance. So when we eliminate these SOS foods, the body re-regulates the dopamine produced by whole foods to be very satisfying and our cravings subside.
Also, after watching this talk, I see that the word "good" in the phrase "tastes good" really means "feels good." It isn't really about the taste but about the dopamine hit we get when we eat it. Our minds associating the good feeling with the taste says it's the taste that's good. What a great con-game there, eh?
In fact, since being SOS-Free and experiencing such a greater depth of taste in the same foods we used to add some salt and oil to, we see that the salt and oil were actually masking the true taste of the food. So much of what we were tasting was the salt and oil, thinking we were tasting the food. We can't believe the sweetness in every food. It just takes a few weeks for your taste buds to adjust to begin to experience the true taste of food.
The recipe is Peppered Kale Mushroom Potatoes, a one pot dish with mushrooms that tastes so delicious and is quick to make. Enjoy.
To Your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Peppered Kale Mushroom Potatoes (Serves 2-3) *Adapted from Mary McDougall
- 6 cups potatoes, cubed in ½ inch cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- 3 to 4 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch kale, torn in small pieces away from stems
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Aminos (optional)
- 1 tablespoon curry paste (optional, replace with 1 tablespoon chili powder)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place cubed potatoes on parchment paper for air frying or baking. Air fry for 25 minutes at 350º or bake for 35 minutes at 350º. They can also be boiled.
While potatoes cook, add onion, garlic, filtered water and mushrooms to a large frypan and cook, stirring often, until onions and mushrooms are soft (approximately 6 minutes).
Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
Add Coconut Aminos, (or 1 tablespoon filtered water if not using Coconut Aminos), curry paste or 1 tablespoon chili powder and stir well.
Add potatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes until kale is tender.
Serve warm.