Happy Sunday! I hope you all have had a relaxing day or at least take one day out of your week to relax. I always have best-laid plans on Sundays and then find myself lounging on the couch, catching up on the news, enjoying my coffee and doing anything but work. And then the car dies, so ya know, you win some, you lose some.
That being said, I do need to keep up on my 100 Day challenge, so I saw it was National Dessert Day and figured I’d pop in to address it. There is literally a national day for anything these days so I could get carried away with them all but I’ll try my best to filter the ones I feel most passionate about. And yes, you heard it, I feel passionate about dessert.
Salty or Sweet?
The kicker? I’m not all that into dessert. Now, that’s not to say I don’t LIKE dessert, it’s just to say if I’m going to have a treat, it’s most likely going to be something salty. I can down a basket of tortilla chips in a matter of minutes. A piece of cake?! I could take or leave it, to be honest. We all have our weaknesses, some salty, some sweet, some a little of each, some depends on the day.
Dessert is one of those things that we LOVE to eat, look at pictures of, talk about, etc. but when a dietitian brings it up, we clam up. GUYS! I don’t care that you eat dessert, frankly, I encourage it. No, not daily, not for every meal but have your cake and enjoy it! And don’t hide it.
Here’s the thing we put so many negative connotations on dessert that I think it makes us want it more. We may hide it or we may pretend we don’t want it. The thing is, we all want a treat here and there, and as long as it’s not hurting you or harming your health, it’s okay once in a while. It’s when we let it sabotage us or make us feel bad is when it’s a problem.
Guilty Pleasure?
That being said, let me ask you this. What comes to mind when I say dessert? What about chocolate cake? What about chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream?! Is it guilt? Disgust? Wishing you didn’t want it?
OR
Is it joy? Happiness? Celebration? Deliciousness?! Make you want some now?
If it’s the latter, you’re in a good spot with your relationship with food. No food should send you on a guilt trip. If it’s the former, it means we need to start recognizing that food is not to blame, the way we choose to eat it and react to it are. We get to decide how food makes us feel and there is something to be said for “soul food” and for “comfort food.”
As long as the food isn’t doing harm to you internally (or heck, externally), it can fit into a real food lifestyle. Maybe we need to improve the recipe OR maybe we need to have it once in a blue moon, enjoy it, and move on. You are more than your food choices, end of story.
National Dessert Day 2018
So, while there is a time and place for dessert (note: it’s not every day), if you are going to eat dessert, make sure you really enjoy it. Don’t sit there and have guilt surrounding it, after all, stress is NOT helpful as it comes to health and your goals. (and yes, I’m aware desserts spelled backwards is stressed and vice versa.)
So, to celebrate National Dessert Day, I’m going to give you my ideas of some desserts we can incorporate more regularly. (see below)
But first, here are a few desserts I’m looking forward to trying out soon that are meant to be enjoyed once in a while:
- PaleOMG’s Cheesecake Brownies
- Half Baked Harvest’s Creamy Mocha Custard
- Lively Table’s Lavendar Lemon Bars
- The Real Food RD’s Pumpkin Pie Truffles
#SassyApproved Dessert Ideas
Now that you know some more decadent desserts I’m looking forward to, here are a few dessert options I’m loving lately that aren’t total sugar bombs. These treats are real food based and don’t throw everything good I did for the day out the window:
- Rice Cake + Peanut Butter + Cacao Nibs
- Cottage cheese + Blueberries + Honey
- Homemade Applesauce + Peanut Butter
- Trader Joe’s Bamba
- Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Popcorn with Butter & Garlic Salt
You can have your cake (or dessert) and enjoy it too, just stop putting so much negative connotation on it, and see it for what it is, food. At the end of the day, you get to decide if it’s adding or subtracting from your health and your health goals. Choose food that makes you feel good inside and out and doesn’t give you guilt or regrets.
What is your favorite dessert?! Share below and enjoy!
xoxo,
Sassy
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