By: Yolanda Evans

Let's face it - most of us did not get to be overweight enough for a band without really loving food.  For many this means a love of baking and cooking for friends.  Getting banded does not mean that amateur chefs have to give this up, but we do have to adjust our thinking.  Personally I don't go in for "low fat" substitutions.  A double chocolate chip cookie is not made with carob and reduced fat margarine.  It is made with chocolate and unsalted butter.  So with this in mind what is a banded foodie to do?  In my case I made a few simple rules for myself which mean that I can enjoy the occasional treat, entertain loved ones, and still lose and generally know my banded limits and avoid any catastrophes.  They are as follows:

    1.  Baking special treats like brownies, cookies and cakes is for specific special occasions.  It is not everyday food.  So a special occasion is not that Dirty Dancing is on the telly and it is your favourite film, but it might be that you are having a dinner party and want to serve a to "die for dessert", or that you have new neighbours moving in and you are welcoming them with your famous snickerdoodles.

    2.  Try to bake for situations that do not involve "keeping" the product.  So this might be taking dessert to a bbq or finding ways to share it.

    3.  Individual serves are a fantastic means of portion control.  Ten little cupcakes look adorable and if everyone eats theirs this eliminates leftovers.  Sometimes I serve desserts in tea cups for this reason.  Everybody loves the unique special gift feel too.

    4.  On this note, leftovers are trouble.  Many of us were raised with the idea that we should keep everything or eat everything because of starving children somewhere in the world.  But let's face it, you eating the leftovers will not ease world hunger.  So by all means try to offer any dessert leftovers as a parting gift but if you don't get any takers throw them straight in the bin and then throw something unpleasant on top. 

    5.  Do not keep tempting items like butter and cooking chocolate in the house.  Then they are not special occasion items, they are staples and staples are for everyday eating.  Keep on hand everyday cooking items like flour and sugar but buy the rest in as close to the correct needed quantity as possible on an as needed basis.  Sure it is a little more expensive than keeping it in bulk but then since you will not be eating it as a day to day food, this works itself out in the end.

    6.  When entertaining mix it up a little.  I usually start out with some kind of antipasto platter which, in addition to all of the delicious usual suspects, includes at least 1 healthy dip and something like olives, then I follow it up with a main that has plenty of vegetable or salad sides, and finally I go ahead and serve that guilty pleasure dessert.  This way I have plenty of options throughout the meal, my guests are not deprived and the damage done by the naughty food is somewhat mitigated. 

 
Yolanda Evans

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