By Michael Litrel, MD, FACOG, FPMRS
We all know our bodies are gas tanks and what we put in them will either cause us to sputter through the day or make us feel like we can take on the world but for some reason, when a piece of pecan pie is staring me in the face, all that logic kind of goes out the window.
And that’s how I came to be laid out on the couch the other night, so tired I could barely move. Was it a food sensitivity or just overload on sugar? Whatever the reason, I couldn’t help but wonder why oh why did I eat that darn pie?
After getting off the couch from my near comatose state, I went dumpster diving to find out just how much sugar one piece of that sinfully good pie had. I knew it had to be up there but I was shocked when I looked at the back of the box. (Yes, I know. Packaged pecan pie at that!)
Holy moly! 470 calories and 29 grams of sugar in one piece of pie! No wonder I felt horrible! Right then and there, I knew my love affair with pecan pie was over. Or, at least we wouldn’t be meeting nearly as often.
I was determined to start making better choices so like any woman who’s experienced a break up, I went online in search for something better. When I looked for healthy food, I was overwhelmed with all the choices. This was pretty new territory for me so it was kind of confusing at first. But the more I looked, I narrowed it down to what I really liked and found tons of recipes that were not only easy to make but looked delicious.
I made shrimp piccata that very night. I just replaced the pasta with rice and oh mama, it was soooo good. Did it taste as good as pecan pie? Well, that’s like comparing apples to oranges but I will say it tasted amazing. And more importantly, I felt great afterwards! So great in fact that I had enough energy to take my doggies for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.
Now if I can just remember that awesome feeling the next time a piece of pecan pie stares me in the face. Oi.
