One of my gal pals recently asked for some suggestions on healthy sweets to satiate cravings without feeling too guilty. After writing what felt like a tome – I decided to construct a pithier form for you all 😉
The notion of a healthy treat may be somewhat controversial, but I absolutely believe healthy treats exist – it’s all relative after all.
If, for example, your normal treat is a box of double stuffed Oreos then homemade chocolate chip cookies are a better bet since you’ll skip all of the preservatives and added sugars that can cause an addictive response (ex. high fructose corn syrup). If homemade chocolate chips are your go-to, then making the same version, only gluten-free, would be a healthier option because you won’t be ingesting the inflammatory proteins from the gluten (amylase-trypsin inhibitors, also known as ATIs). And if gluten-free chocolate chips can be found in your kitchen regularly then perhaps you want a paleo cookie to skip grains all together (not only avoiding the ATIs in gluten but also phytates and lectins known to prevent the absorption of the nutrients, damage the gut lining, and negatively impact hunger and satiety signals).
Remember: opting for the healthier-er of two treats is progress, and I’m a firm believer in striving for progress, not perfection.
So, how do you choose? Begin by recognizing that eating habits require some flexibility on your part. Most of us do not consume the exact appropriate food needed to keep our bodies running at all times. Eating is emotional, social, and celebratory. You need to define what’s right for YOU. (Note: avoid measuring your progress according to someone else’s ruler.) Ask yourself, what will satisfy you so that you aren’t continually thinking about another treat? Moreover, what fits into your lifestyle (you don’t want to go paleo cold turkey if your partner and 3 children are going to revolt or require separate meal preparation). Additionally, consider foods effects on you from inside and outside; do certain foods upset your stomach or cause you to have acne?
In order to avoid the rabbit hole, we’ll be focusing our conversation on the two most popular items we tend to crave, carbohydrates and chocolate. Chocolate is an especially ominous frenemy of women since it contains a mineral many of us are deficient in, magnesium. Chocolate is also known to help produce serotonin & dopamine, both of which support sleep and our overall mood (cue the gospel choir!). Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine can dip during times of hormonal imbalance such as premenstrual, pregnancy and postpartum…thus the cravings. Carbs, too, are cyclical in nature. It’s proven that the female body is better at using carbs for fuel during the first half of our cycle (follicular phase) than during the second half when fat dominates the luteal phase. That, combined with the rapid drop in both estrogen and progesterone at the end of our cycle can lead to some serious cravings for those sought after starchy carbohydrates!
Now that you know why you may be craving those sugary, fatty, magnesium rich treats, let’s find a way to make them a bit healthier. Below is a list of four main categories (sugar, flour, fat and extras) to help you navigate food labels for a pre-made grab n’go option or adjust some of your favorite recipes.
Sugar: opt for naturally occurring sugars while avoid processed sugar
- Honey, 100% Maple Syrup, Molasses, Date Syrup
Flour: opt for gluten free or grain free flours all of which will be less inflammatory than gluten containing flours
- Gluten Free: Rice, Oat (ensure certified gluten free to avoid contamination), Coconut, Almond, Garbanzo, Tapioca, Cassava
- Grain Free: Coconut, Almond, Garbanzo, Tapioca, Cassava
- PRO TIP: Banana, Pumpkin, and Sweet Potato all add great flavor while also adding some thickness to a grain free cookie, cake, muffin, etc.
Fat: opt for healthy fats stable at high baking temperatures while avoiding trans fats and seed oils such corn, cottonseed, palm/kernel and peanut.
- Butter, Ghee, Coconut Oil, Tallow, Lard, Duck Fat
- *Trans Fat Loophole – the FDA currently allows up to 0.5 grams of fat PER SERVING without specifically being labeled. What does that mean? It means companies will adjust their ‘serving size’ to meet these requirements and still fool us as shoppers into thinking their products are free of trans fats! Damn them!!! It’s ok – I got you 😉 If you see any of the following words on your ingredient list PUT IT BACK!!!
- Hydrogenated, Partially Hydrogenated
Extras: the extras is where a lot of excess sugar and gut irritants can pop into a treat via chocolate and/or dried fruit. Doing your diligence to keep this to a minimum with quality sourcing can do wonders for you treat.
- Dark Chocolate (vs. milk or semi-sweet)
- Cacao (powder / nibs)
- Dried Fruit (unsulfured, unsweetened)
Now if you’re not into the cookie, cake, muffin thing and you’re the type of person that’s grabbing for the candy dish or whatever is available in the office kitchen keep use the following parameters;
- Dark chocolate – Easy to have around and still less added sugar (usually) than its ‘milky’ counterpart
- Dried fruit – Just fruit, ensure it’s unsulfured and unsweetened. Watch out on quantity. Fruit shrivels when it’s dried so make sure you don’t eat the equivalent of whole mango at a time – or you might have a tummy ache!
- Trail Mixes – Usually contain the two previously mentioned offenders. Opt to make your own from bulk bins for a custom order of chocolate, fruit and your favorite nuts and seeds.
Trusted Brands & Products:
- Madhava Pure & Raw Honey
- Coombs Maple Syrup
- Wholesome Molasses
- Date Lady Date Syrup
- Bobs Red Mills Gluten Free Flours
- Bobs Red Mills Paleo Flour
- Bobs Red Mills Baking Mixes
- Simple Mills Baking Mixes
- Kerrygold Butter
- Dr Bronner’s Coconut Oil
- Fatworks Tallow, Lard, and Duck Fat
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
- Navitas Cacao Powder & Nibs
- Trader Joe’s Dried Fruit
- Sejoyia Coco Roons
- Muffin Revolution Muffins
- Eating Evolved Coconut Cups
Obviously, no one should be living off of treats. A treat, by definition, should be “an item out of the ordinary that gives you pleasure.” If you can indulge in a treat that skews toward the healthier side and reduces your guilt, all the better!
