Whenever I think of warm chocolate mousse, freshly baked apple crisp and pumpkin bread, I’m immediately reminded of my childhood in CT. My mother was a baker, and while she’s no longer here to share her incredible desserts, her memory lives on in my kitchen.
The truth is (and you may be surprised to hear me say this), we eat sweets. In fact, I recommend that you eat sweets. Human beings have a natural sweet tooth so avoiding desserts is only going to cause you to crave them badly, and then “behave badly”.
Maybe you’re sneaking treats when no one’s looking or maybe you drive to the nearest 7-Eleven for a candy feast. Maybe it’s not you but your kids who are climbing the counter and diving into the cookie jar when no one’s looking. Sweets have become the forbidden fruit.
In my experience, when anything in life is forbidden we naturally want more of it. So from now on if you want a dessert, eat it!
And, let’s talk about what you can do to develop a healthy relationship with sweets so that eating one Halloween candy doesn’t turn into the entire bowl.
The key thing to remember is that all sweets aren’t created equal. Traditional store-bought candy contains excessive sugar, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial ingredients and toxic chemicals. While the girls eat dessert they don’t eat this artificial junk (except at the occasional birthday party or while traveling somewhere with limited food resources).
These ingredients cause mood swings, energy swings and cravings. They block the absorption of essential nutrients and minerals which suppress your immune system causing you to get sick more often. But what’s even worse is that artificial colors, sugars and toxic chemicals cause inflammation. And inflammation is the root cause of all disease and excess weight.
How you choose to upgrade your sweets will depend on your unique situation. You can…
- Choose organic cookies and candies. Organic snacks are free of GMOs and other harmful chemicals.
- Read labels to make sure the ingredient list on packaged treats doesn’t include refined sugar (most of them do).
- Try a high quality chocolate bar (70% cacao or higher).
- Switch from store-bought to homemade treats.
- Upgrade your homemade treats with protein-rich flours and natural sweeteners.
The higher quality the sweet, the more satisfied you’re going to feel. The more satisfied you feel, the less likely you are to eat an entire box of cookies.
For me, crazy as it may sound, one delicious piece of dark chocolate is incredibly gratifying.
Your Simple Action Plan:
Upgrade your cookie jar with higher quality sweet treats. And, no matter what sweet you choose, remember to enjoy it guilt-free.
Here are a couple of my favorite recipes to get you started:
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Vanilla Milkshake
