A Cup of Catherine

I Ate My Words (Atop Some Sweet Potato Toast)

by

This may come as a shock to those who know me well, but I am a person who functions in extremes.

I’m either extremely on or extremely off.

(Hence why control of my anxiety is a constant struggle.)

Anyway, because I tend to function in extremes, I also tend to see certain trends, ideas, or lifestyle choices as either bad or good. Wrong or right. Toxic or healthy.

But that’s just silly!

In fact, I am eating my words after breakfasting on two slightly under-done (and, thus, crunchy—whoops!) slices of sweet potato toast covered in peanut butter, cinnamon, sliced bananas, and sliced strawberries. (You can read my original critique of “sweet potato toast” here.)

And I’m living to tell you about it.

sweet potato toast 1

Sweet Potato Toast: It’s Just Food

Thanks to the creativity of Kelsey from the food blog, Little Bits Of, sweet potato toast has swept the nation Instagram. In fact, she dubbed last week “Sweet Potato Toast Week.”

If you’re Celiac or following a paleo diet, sweet potato toast is a neat gluten-free way to enjoy a semblance of toast.

Does it taste just like crusty, tangy sourdough or hearty, nutty, multi-grain toast? Of course not. It tastes like a slice of sweet potato. But sweet potatoes are delicious and filling and full of vitamins and nutrients. And they’re so versatile when it comes to toppings.

After trying my first batch of sweet potato toast, I realized, first of all, that I should have done it in my oven, because my toaster just didn’t have the power to fully cook my sweet potato slices (thank goodness my stomach is tough).

But I also realized that by eating sweet potato toast, I’m not turning into some diet-obsessed, anti-gluten, simple carbohydrate-loathing monster. I’m just changing up my breakfast. Combatting “breakfast boredom,” if you will.

Are there some people who take the healthy carbohydrate “movement” a little too far? Absolutely.

But is the existence of “sweet potato toast” the cause or the perpetrator of extreme diets, disordered eating habits, and under-feeding? Of course not.

sweet potato toast 2

Just because I’m a lover of balance and moderation and eating the damn carbs because I feel like it, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a more nutritious option now and again.

I mean, isn’t spending all my energy on “balance” and “eating ALL the foods” just as unhealthily obsessive as spending that energy on calorie counting, consuming “diet foods,” and managing macros?

My point: live in the margins and in the grey and let others do the same. Eat the bread. Eat the sweet potato. Just eat it without thinking too deeply about it or judging others who may choose differently.

And take a picture of it (because you never know when it may start trending on Instagram). 😉

Thoughts on eating words and eating #sweetpotatotoast Share on X

[linking up with Amanda for thinking out loud]

So tell me…

  • Have you tried sweet potato toast?
  • Do you think you spend too much time thinking about your food choices?
  • What is the craziest food trend you’ve heard of or followed?

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    Comments

    2. I still haven’t tried this combo yet but I think I would love it. I think I’d be terrible at cutting the potato in to slices though! I definitely used to spend too much time on food choices. Now I feel I am more balanced with enjoying things and not freaking out over XYZ.

      • Yeah, I struggled with the slicing – definitely need a sharp knife & a steady hand!
        Glad to hear you’re enjoying more balance too!

    3. My friends think I’m crazy for liking sweet potatoes and nut butter. But it is seriously one of my favorite things ever! I will have to give this a try!

    4. Having read your original post on this topic, I’m still not shocked ;). Sometimes curiosity gets the best of us, we try something we gave a side eye earlier and actually end up enjoying it – fine by me. As long as – and you explicitly stated this – your reasons aren’t food fears and it simply adds variety to your diet: go you!
      Craziest food trend right now that I can say with 100 % certainty I won’t ever try [vegetarian so no doubt here]: collagen. Some people add it to just about everything and I highly doubt its effectiveness. Placebo effect maybe …

      • I still have mixed feelings about collagen. I doubt I’ll try it, though, and I have ZERO desire to mix it into my coffee like I’ve seen others do. To each their own, right?

    5. Hugs to you for the anxiety issues, you know I am right there with you. I understand how you feel with the eating your words–I am not big on diet foods, but you know what? right now I am enjoying Halo top and rice cakes. Not as a substitution for bread or ice cream, but as their own thing.
      xoxo

      • I actually love rice cakes, too – they’ve been my go-to breakfast (with gobs of PB and sliced banana) for the last few weeks. I think I like the crunch! 🙂