Are Raw Desserts Healthy for You?

When it comes to desserts, just because a person slaps on the words raw, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, or (amazingly) all of the above, it doesn’t necessarily make it a FREE-FOR-ALL food. Naturally, these taglines come with powerful effects if we add desserts into our life, but we must do so in moderation. First and foremost we need to learn how to pay attention to our bodies (not just our taste buds) and feed them accordingly.

The Gateway

Raw desserts are a gateway to a healthier eating lifestyle. They get us away from eating foods that are highly processed, filled with chemicals, loaded in refined sugar, and lack nutrients. The only real benefit of standard desserts is their taste; not much goodness lurks within them. When people are geared up to eat healthier, they typically use desserts as one of the main stepping stones. They seem to cushion the path, making it a bit more comfortable as they weave their way into transitioning their diet.

This method isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. By doing so, we learn how to bring back the art of “cooking from scratch.” The ripple effect is that we start to read labels and become aware of all the crap (excuse my language, just calling it what it is) that they sneak into our foods. Nobody likes to be made a fool (right?), yet the food industry does it to us daily by what it allows food manufacturers to slip into our foods. Sorry, I got a tad off track there. Let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Learning how to reduce our sugar intake should be our ultimate goal. No matter what we call it or where it comes from, whether it is unrefined, all-natural, or even organic from a farmer’s markets, sugar is sugar. Just because it is “natural” and comes with taglines promoting health benefits, learning how to reduce sugar and in time even learning how to omit it will make a positive impact on your health. Don’t believe me? Try it.

The Raw Truth of it all…

Raw vegan desserts tend to rely on whole food ingredients that are much more nutritious than those found in standard desserts. Fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut, and maple syrup are just some of the common ingredients used in raw vegan desserts. They provide more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients than what you’d find in common baked goods. So unlike regular desserts, they won’t be full of empty calories. BUT dessert is dessert, and a person should enjoy them occasionally and in small amounts.

Raw desserts are more nutrient, calorie, and fat dense than commercially made ones. As a result, they tend to be very rich in taste, and we don’t need to eat as much to satisfy the cravings within us. So remember…