Alright, guys. I’m probably stepping into controversial territory here, which is why I’m going to make a couple of disclaimers before I talk sweet potato toast.
1) This post is not directed at people with real health issues. If you have Celiac, Type II Diabetes, or another condition that is made manageable by avoiding gluten or too many refined carbs, I’m not criticizing you.
2) I’m not trying to discredit or stifle others’ creativity or the importance of eating healthfully. I’m amazed at how creative and talented food bloggers are—the things you come up with are mind-blowing—and I wholeheartedly realize that processed foods are a big reason why healthcare costs in this country are exorbitant.
So, with that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
Why I Haven’t Jumped on the Sweet Potato Toast Train
If you read a lot of food blogs, you’ve probably seen beautiful images of the latest food craze: sweet potato “toast.”
Y’all, I’m Southern. I love sweet potatoes as much as regular potatoes. They’re nutritional powerhouses, and I’ll eat them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will enjoy them roasted, mashed, in a smoothie, in a soup, and just about any other way.
I’m also a lover of bread.
I love bread so much that if I believed in past lives and reincarnation, then I am certain that I was a French baker before I was Catherine. Le pain, c’est la vie.
I hold no prejudices against bread—sourdough makes my heart sing, hearty whole grain could be a meal in itself, and a real crusty-yet-pillowy baguette is a little slice loaf of heaven.
To me, toast is warmed, crisped bread. Period.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but my concern isn’t just with sweet potato toast. It’s about any of the foods we place into the “restricted” or category by attempting to “healthify” them. When we replace x with y, I feel like we’re demonizing those delicious, indulgent foods instead of celebrating the variety we’re blessed with.
Why can’t we just enjoy the real thing in moderation?
Why must we substitute this and modify that and inadvertently create and perpetuate fear foods—even if that is not our intention?
The diet industry has already made us fear fat (which we ALL need to function properly), and it’s doing a good job at making us fear carbs, too.
Yes, we should mindful about the quality of the carbs (and fats, and proteins, you get the picture) we consume each day, but I feel like we reach a point where we take healthy too far.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy sweet potatoes cooked in this way (they actually sound pretty tasty and are so creative!), and I’d be foolish to say that I’ll never try it myself.
But seriously, can’t we just call a spade spud a spud?
[linking up for thinking out loud]
So tell me…
- Have you ever made sweet potato “toast?”
- What’s your favorite type of bread?
- Do you think having too many healthy swaps/substitutions takes the enjoyment out of treats or does it have a neutral effect on you?
I totally agree that demonizing one type of food does us no good. I tried making sweet potato toast and it just didn’t work out very well. I want to eat all the foods and not think too much about it. I’m not breaking up with bread anytime soon!
Yeah, I feel like my toaster would NOT handle sweet potato slices very well. I love how you mentioned not thinking too much about what you eat…because in the end, it’s just FOOD.
I understand where you’re coming from and agree with you. I know I love my bread too and am lucky to work at a bakery that makes their own bread. I do not have Celiacs nor any reason to avoid it so I don’t. When I am training, I eat less of it because it does cause my stomach to hurt sometimes which I don’t want when exercising. I also think the crappy stuff and fillers that are put in grocery store bread is really bad for your gut. That said, the bread from the bakery that I eat doesn’t have that, so I have no reason to avoid it.
I have made sweet potato toast before to try it and it’s pretty tasty and a nice way to change it up. I does not replace bread though. Never could 🙂
I definitely agree that some of the supermarket “bread” is pretty terrible for us. And changing things up is so welcomed!
Ah! This post just put into words exactly why I feel weird about the sweet potato toast thing too. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but it’s definitely because it feels like even plain old toast needs to be replaced. Call me crazy, but a slice of whole wheat or sprouted grain is probably somewhat healthy anyway!
Yeah, even though it’s so creative and a neat concept, I can’t help but feel weird about it.
I think sprouted grain bread is super healthy! I need to eat more of it instead of the stuff I normally buy.
Great post girl. I haven’t tried sweet potato toast yet- I just love my regular toast! I think having it is fine and trying new things is great; but when you’re eating sweet potato toast because you deem carbs and bread to be “bad,” that’s when things get messy. I love love love my bread and I always will!
Yes, yes, yes. Eat whatever YOU want, but don’t pit one food against the other. You’ll have to let me know if/when you do try sweet potato “toast.” 🙂
Preach. Why not make a sandwich of it and put allll that goodness on some toast? I agree with you–why do we need to keep on complicating things? Now, there are times when I want something different, and that is fine, if you are looking for a change of scenery. But if you are just not wanting to eat bread… why? It all depends on the intention.
Yes, intention is everything. And with as many toppings as I like to put on my sandwiches, I think sweet potato just wouldn’t hold up! But I definitely think it’s A-OK to be different once in a while (or often).
<3 That's all 😉
<3 Thanks Rebecca!
This is so funny – I have never heard of this! I am so with you though. Sometimes I’m super tired of hearing about this food “alternatives” as if they are somehow better. I get that if people need different food options because of an allergy or disease, these kinds of things are great. But for the majority of people, it’s just a hassle to make “bread” out of something like a sweet potato 😉
I have made cauliflower pizza crust before, and while it was interesting it was SO much work and of course isn’t actually anything like real pizza crust. I always prefer the real thing.
I made cauliflower pizza ONCE, too. It was good, but definitely a hassle and I missed the real dough…it’s the best part of pizza to me! I guess I just feel like my world is inundated with healthy swaps and avoiding carbs, and I’m like WHYYYY? (Unless you have legitimate reasons to avoid it.)
Okay this is so funny because I read this post while eating the sandwich I just made for my lunch. As I was eating it I was thinking how much I flipping love bread and how silly I was for restricting it from my diet so I could loose weight. So yup I’m with you on this.
I have yet to try sweet potato toast, but I doubt it can be as good as the real thing!
Haha, I’m glad you enjoyed your sandwich – it would have been awful if this was a post demonizing bread instead of praising it! 😉
Sometimes I end up “reprimanding” myself for eating too much bread, but really, I love it, so why freak out if I have a carb-heavy day once in a while? It all balances out.
Wait, this is an actual thing?! I must be living under a rock because I’ve never heard of sweet potato toast! I looooove bread, and I love sweet potatoes, but I definitely don’t need to mix the two, thankyouverymuch.
I often miss hearing about things too – not sure how I stumbled upon this one! Hooray for bread 😉
Usually I would totally agree with you because I’m not a fan of restricting unless it’s for medical (allergies) or ethical reasons. But I’m a huge fan of both regular toast made with bread and sweet potatoes. To me it’s just a new and interesting way to enjoy something I already love. Just like how I eat toasted rice cakes instead of regular toast on occasion because I also enjoy it. Or when I put my regular toast toppings on watermelon slices cuz I thought it would be fun to try. I honestly don’t think it’s meant to be about restricting, just experimenting. Or at least that’s what it looks like from my point of view.
Watermelon slices? Now that’s intriguing. I totally understand your perspective – that’s why I was careful to say I might one day try it myself! 🙂 I think most people view it how you do – and I get bored with the same old thing and need a little variety too. I think there are some people/views who take things to extremes, so I like to be that little voice that says “hmmm, am I doing this for the right reasons?”
Oh…and I had no idea you could toast rice cakes!
I have never even heard of Sweet potato toast before… but I guess it could be amazing? It’s quite interesting. lol
Definitely interesting – and even though I questioned it here, I’m not going to completely write it off! I’m just not sure my toaster could even handle it. 🙂
I loveeee sweet potatoes but I think you should enjoy ALL food in moderation!
I haven’t jumped aboard the sweet potato toast train because I feel like I’d ruin my toaster. Have you ever baked sweet potatoes wrapped in foil in the oven and had the juices come out? It leaves a DISGUSTING black burnt mess – I don’t want that inside my toaster!
Yes! That’s one reason I’m like “huh? sweet potato TOAST?” My toaster recently started smoking (it’s fine now) after *something* sticky dried in there, so I’d probably have to try a toaster oven (or regular oven?) if I give it a go. But yes, ALL foods in moderation (unless, you know, you’re allergic or intolerant!).
OH wow, I was just thinking about this fact tonight too. Why am I scared of having ice cream twice in a day? Cause it’s going to destroy my body? When I think about it logically, I realize that that thinking is kind of ridiculous, but I realize just how the battle for the mind in today’s food industry, health industry, and ____ (fill in the blank) is real.
Of course, I think the idea of sweet potato toast is really intriguing, but I think I would still have both regular toast and maybe try sweet potato toast. As someone who struggled with various foods being ‘off limits’ for so long, I don’t really want to cut a certain food group because it is somehow ‘unhealthy’ in the eyes of the popular media. Thankfully, I really appreciate the blogging community, because there is a lot of encouragement and not judgment about the food eaten. That’s what keeps me coming back to their blogs day after day!
Yes, I agree there is a lot of support and lack of judgment in the blogging community – at least among the blogs I continue reading. I think the judgment is from the more mainstream media and it’s just exhausting.
Sweet potato toast IS intriguing – and I’m not entirely writing off the idea. I just may not actually call it toast 😉
I have actually been looking forward to trying sweet potato toast as a new taste thing. I agree that the “real” thing is so much better than the alternative and to me, there will always be bread and real toast. But I think it’s fun to switch it up also, as variety is what our bodies thrive on. PS – love your new website!!
Thanks, Sarah! I’m enjoying the new site. 🙂
I agree that our bodies thrive on variety – and there’s nothing wrong with trying something new just because.
Bread does tend to make my stomach feel wonky. That said, I’ve definitely indulged in some this week because cravings. That’s pretty much my only hard-and-fast diet rule: if I’m really craving something, I’m going to eat it. I know I feel best when I eat mostly paleo, but sometimes you just want cheese/ice cream/bread/pizza/all the things. Totally okay 🙂
And I actually just wrote about my sweet potato toast attempt on Thursday. I wanted something to soak up my egg yolk and I LOVE sweet potatoes… but it was kind of a fail and resulted in my dad and I shaking the toaster upside down trying to get fallen sweet potatoes out. Not worth it.
Oh no! That stinks about your toaster – hopefully y’all got it all out.
I think that’s my only “rule” as well – honor my cravings! And I totally support eating what makes YOU feel best.
I cannot eat gluten and wheat and grains in general so I am so on the sweet potato “toast” bandwagon except… I do not have a toaster – LOL! I have been obsessed with roasting sweet potato in the oven though – YUM!!!