Moroccan Sweet Potato and Eggplant with Dates and What I Learned on My 21 Day Detox
That being said, when it comes down to it I did feel great and it did help digestion and my sleep was wonderful.
Now that it is over I look back on the real reason I joined.
This is an excerpt from a post I had in draft before I started. “The first step in my journey to mindful eating was realizing it is OK to be hungry every now and then. This is a daily struggle for me. The weekends have proved to be extremely hard when it comes to not eating when I’m not hungry. I was going to blame my social engagements but I know it’s all me.
I drink wine. I eat. Especially chocolate.
Step number two is learning even more about my body and what it is trying to tell me. In order to do this I need to eliminate common allergens such as dairy and wheat and then after the detox as I slowly add them back I will know what the effects of each type of food are on my body.”
Ultimately, though, I think even this second step was driven by the intention of losing weight. This would be the WRONG reason to do a detox because if portion size and emotional eating issues are there before the detox, they will still be there during. And I would be proof.
I thought, for sure, this would be “it” when it came to losing the last 5 or 10 pounds. It had to be the magic bullet. I do realize I don’t have 50 pounds to lose; however, over the years there has been a slow 1 to 2 pound weight gain and I am working very hard to stop the progression before it gets out of hand. As it is I work out diligently, striving to burn between 400 to 1000 calories per day; I do cardio, weights and power yoga. I stay away from eat fast food (with the exception of the occasional Chipotle Grill), eat my whole grains, TONS of veggies, lean organic protein and low fat dairy. I have tried weight watchers, low carb, low cal and intuitive eating. I have read self help books and diet books. In the end I still have my issues with listening to my body and actually gained weight. About three pounds on my 5’3 frame.
Thinking back I am trying to remember the point I lost the ability to eat intuitively and can’t pinpoint the time. Subconsciously I think I knew I would gain because I love so many of the foods on the detox and I know my portion size issues. Aside from fresh fruits and veggies I could have nut butters, whole grains, dried fruits, maple syrup, agave. Some of these things are really caloric and, when I brought up the bit of weight gain the first week, I was advised to listen to my body which is great advice for most people who are doing the detox for the right reasons and don’t have eating issues.
I realize I have self image issues to work on. I know I eat when stressed, bored or anxious. I have the hideously horrible issue of comparing myself to others.
At this point I’m trying to tackle all this by keeping my focus on the positive things in my life. My hubby, daughter, family and friends are amazing. I consciously choose each morning to not judge others and work towards not judging myself. And I stay busy with my loves of blogging, writing and volunteering with the farm. I will continue to do my daily workouts and add lots of cardio (that also provide stress relief from work) and have started eating pre-packaged non-GMO Amy’s meals for lunch (they have a new Light and Lean line under 300 cals) as portion control. Additionally I’m snacking on fresh veggies only between meals and staying away from even healthy desserts at night such as a whipped frozen banana. Lastly, I visited my doctor to have all my levels checked and discuss any options.
Moroccan Sweet Potato and Eggplant with Dates
1 rounded 1-cup Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 101.7
Total Fat 0.4 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 583.3 mg
Potassium 341.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24.5 g
Dietary Fiber 3.8 g
Sugars 9.2 g
Protein 2.0 g
Vitamin A 137.8 %
Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 11.9 %
Vitamin C 37.5 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 3.0 %
Calcium 2.4 %
Copper 8.0 %
Folate 5.4 %
Iron 5.2 %
Magnesium 5.1 %
Manganese 14.5 %
Niacin 5.1 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.2 %
Phosphorus 4.0 %
Riboflavin 5.5 %
Selenium 1.4 %
Thiamin 6.1 %
Zinc 2.0 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Thank you so much for this honest recap. I think we all suffer from issues, some more so than others of course. I think it's important to do what you said…tackle by keeping focus on positive things.
It sounds like you learned a lot through the detox. And love white eggplant!
Heather….thanks so much for the support. It is so hard to put an honest post out there and not worry about being judged!
(I love it too. Ok so I love all eggplant. I won't discriminate.)
Your recipe looks great! I've only tried a few Turkish/Middle Eastern/Moroccan style dishes before but I've liked what I've tasted so far.
I'm also back on the healthy eating wagon again after a couple week junk binge. It's amazing how poor eating results in lethargy, apathy, irritability and even depression. Sounds like you're doing great though.
I am so glad you went ahead with sharing your experience. I think instead of being judged as you feared, this honest post will gain you appreciation. I think this is very helpful for anyone considering doing the detox, to decide if it is right for them.
As for the recipe- love, love, love. I adore Moroccan-inspired dishes and this one looks amazing. Oh by the way, I am totally slacking on posting on my blog, but as soon as I get to it, my next recipe is adapted from one of yours
I really enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing it Dawn!!
This recipe looks aahhhmazing…I have to find some white eggplant
I love your honesty. It's so refreshing in a blogworld filled with endless optimism.
& I know all about being 5'3. Every.single.frickin.pound.shows. It sucks.
That is the truth!
This is such a great post Dawn and reminds me SO MUCH of how I feel about myself and my eating habits. My worst binges and overeating episodes are with healthy foods. Dried fruit, nut butters. And they happen when I'm stressed or ate dessert and feel guilty or when I'm in a bad mood. I'm working on it too and I fear that I'll never really be good at intuitive eating. But I know we can fight these inclinations!
I am absolutely in LOVE with this dish. It has everything I love! And maybe will help me get rid of some of these dates that tempt me every time I walk by them.
wow, thank you for sharing your thoughts on your detox! yes, portion control is a huge thing for me too. sigh. what i love about the detox is that it helps clean out your system, so that your digestion is better, which will help you lose those last 5-10 lbs, since good metabolism is essential for health and even weight loss.
and i love this recipe! looks like my kind of food. i've never seen white eggplant in the groceries yet!
this recipe sounds so yummy! i husband would love this. thank you for sharing this.
Kudos for having the guts to post this, Dawn! Everyone loves to talk about the positives, but the journey is definitely more important. Eating is so complex. Sometimes it can be as simple as only eating when you're hungry, but other times it isn't.. especially when tired, stressed, anxious, or even happy! At least you are feasting on wholesome foods.
Dawn, I love that you are so open and honest! When you are the type of person that loves food, it doesn't matter if its healthy or not … anything in excess equals weight gain. And, most of us have lost the ability to truly listen to our bodies. I know that because I struggle with it too!! Kudos to you!! Great post!
Exactly! I'd been eating too much of a good thing and it had caught up to me.
Dawn, I really enjoyed your post, thank you for sharing your experience about the detox and your thoughts. I struggle with the same thing too, it might look like I am eating a very healthy snack (read nuts, I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to nuts) but I am not eating a snack serving size, instead more like a super sized handful of nuts.
Your post is inspiring, especially the part about focusing on the positive things in life.
Thank you for sharing and the sweet potato dish looks yummy!
Dawn, I love so many things about this post.
I love that you are so open and honest and able to express your true meaning.
I love that I can find so many pieces of myself here, and even though they are not the bits that either of us love the most about ourselves, I'm glad we share them.
I can't wait to meet you someday. I know we will judge each other, but only for being the fabulous, beautiful women we are!
And lastly, I love eggplant, and dates, and sweet potatoes. But you knew that
Megi and Cara thanks so much for your beautiful comments. It is so reassuring to have support and hear that others sometimes feel the same thing. Somehow it just makes it easier. Cara, I know we will meet someday. Hopefully sooner than later!
I MIGHT have an idea (or 2) why you gained on the detox. Your detox inspired me to do something too. I made a 30 day commitment. I exercised a specific way (a specific kind of body sculpting and cardio). I didn't change the way I ate. My friend and her sister joined me on my quest to hopefully lose a little weight. We all gained 2 pounds! What? At first I thought the exercise was too much (sometimes the workout was 2 hours long) therefore raising our cortisol levels (stress hormone). I eased up on the workouts and I have now lost the 2. But ALSO I noticed I had not been drinking alcohol when I started the commitment, then I started back up again recently and lost the weight I had gained. I have heard many times that women who are moderate drinkers have less fat that those who abstain. Something about “metabolizing alcohol”.
Dover I like your theory. I actually think you are on to something in regards to the cortisol. I have been so stressed at work that I believe that has a lot to do with the weight retention. As for the moderate drinking? I LIKE IT! I say let's all try that. Cheers!
What a wonderful recap. Your honesty makes me want to share this with friends and family…we all need to have moments when we step back and examine our lives. And then of course, the eggplant looks amazing. I love the stuff! Thank you for sharing with me tonight. Many blessings as the weekend unfolds.
This looks so good that I am going to fix it this weekend!! I love eggplant!
I have never seen white eggplants before. But I guess I could just use normal ones
I love sweet potatoes so this sounds great!