Is a desert a desert a desert

[livenraw]

when it comes to raw foods? DH and I both gave up sugar goodies awhile back, so I still sometimes look for something to substitute for it, but the other day, I told him about this cool recipe I found for raw birthday cake. And this was our conversation:

I found this awesome recipe for raw birthday cake.

Honey, thta's still a desert and we don't do those anymore.

But it's raw.

But it's a desert.

But it's raw and made with a ton of fruit.

It's still a desert.

But it's raw.

But it's still a desert. Raw or not, it's still a desert. It's still the same thing.

So is a desert a desert a desert when it comes to raw? (might not be wise for me to try to make something like that cake though since sugar cravings still are a problem sometimes when it comes to eating fruit)

[sport]

That is an easy one. It is only a desert if it is eaten after you have had your meal but it is not a desert if it is eaten instead of your meal.

[twinee1]

IMO....a sweet is a sweet, a sugar calorie from dates, figs is a sugar calorie..and a desert is a desert...is a treat..even if it IS RAW. I believe this because I am a reactive hypoglycemic ...and I get THE SAME "Sugar High/Buzz" from processed sugar, or raw sugars like honey, or sweet dried fruit, or grain cereals..processed with white sugar or processed with a "natural" sugar. To my body it is all the same.

[Ariannah]

I feel completely different (in a good way) when I eat a dessert which has been made with dates and banana as the "sugar" than I did (in a bad way) with a traditional sugar dessert.

To me, it's different. Dates and figs are healthy food, as they are a true food intended for human consumption (refined sugar is not) - but it's possible to overdo it with anything, sweet or not.

[prettyeyes38]

I guess my question would be: what is it that you gave up? Did you give up anything with a sweet taste? Or, did you give up eating something sweet after dinner? I don't know that a desert is always a desert...I have raw friends who eat raw ice cream for breakfast but consider it breakfast.

[squidly]

I think it is what you chose it to be. I have a BIG sweet tooth and without raw desserts I fall off the wagon. Some days I may eat way too much of them but that is better than way too much refined sugar. I also find that I eat less of the raw treats then I do when I eat chocolate or the like. I also feel much worse with refined sugar, get headaches, irritable and a compromised immunue system - none of which I get from raw 'desserts'

What is a dessert anyway? Does that not mean food that comes after the main meal that is sweet? What if it is the main meal - then it is breakfast / lunch / dinner. I gladly have sweet crepes for dinner and that is what they are - dinner. Dessert is just the name you put to it. You have created a definition for dessert that means 'sugar = bad for you" but what if it is raw dessert defined as "sweet, tasty and good for me. Something I can eat at any time of the day".

I think raw desserts are fine and some are less sugary than others. Will you fall off the wagon looking for something sweet - if yes then go the raw dessert and call it what you want.

Think less and enjoy more I reckon. Your body will tell you how to keep balance between the sweets and greens etc. If YOU find they sweet ffods are not right for you for whatever reason then YOU can decide to not have them.

Good luck and ENJOY the journey

[twinyoga]

Sometimes dates are a whole meal for me! They are sweet and they are healthy. I just make sure I brush my teeth afterwards. I just had 10 dates for dinner (and a banana and some sesame crackers)...yum.

Raw desserts can be very nutritious. Enjoy.

[truthseeker]

I consider whole, raw, natural, organic foods to be excellent for a living body...

If a body has some healing to do because of past desecration, then ya, I would say wean that body back to health and maybe SLOWLY reintroduce those foods that the body was having issues with.

But it probably was not whole, raw, natural, organic foods that were harming the body which brought it to dis - ease. There is all the difference in the world between refined, processed, altered from it's naural state of life food...and whole, raw, natural, organic foods.

Here take a peak at this:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/glyconutrients.htm

http://www.4glyconutrients.com/

http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Nutrition/smith73_p.htm


BTW....I am not suggesting supplements, just suggesting some enlightening reading ;)


You could google ALL DAY and still never read all that these sugars can do for health.


The bags that are labled "sugar" which sit on the shelf at the conventional market / little general store is no longer the "sugar" which nature gave us for health. Those my friend are bags of desecration and disservice. It is unrecognized by any living body. They are bags of death.

[rawpriestess]

Eat desert first, as life is short.

Well, if you laid out some carrots, and soaked nuts, and dates, and raspberries, and lemon, and ate it it would be a wonderful aray of foods, but if you blend them all together, with the carrots and nuts and dates as a cake, and use the raspberries, and lemon to make a frosting is it then desert?

It is the same thing, only YOUR Body can tell you what to eat, and when.

I eat anything at anytime, and I used to eat alot of dehydrated foods, then I went almost completely fruits, melons were all I ate all day long for about a month, now I'm eating more nuts and squash as it is getting cooler in my area.

I say, eat what your body tells you.

Now, in the beginning of raw, you may have some cravings, so your body isn't telling you to eat, your ego is, and sometimes it's hard to know the difference.

But once, you've been raw a few weeks, I think you can start listening to your body pretty well.

So, I say, eat what you want, when you want, and if you want a bunch of stuff smooshed all up together that looks like a raw cake and tastes sweet, then go for it, and if you want the same stuff, all seperate then that's fine too.

Just my opinion, based on the information in Alissa's book, where she says, "Just eat raw."

[Ariannah]

The key thing is the source.

Technically, dates, bananas, etc are "full of sugar". There is a vast difference (for me) between a traditional carrot cake, and say, me smushing up some dates and nuts with carrots. The former is highly refined and no longer recognizable as food, whereas the latter has 3 highly nutritious whole foods in it, not heated to acrylamide-forming temperatures (or heated at all), and is easily digestible.

I refuse to get into "diet mentality" with regards to raw food. This way of life has been the jail break from that imprisonment! Once one has been raw for a sustained period of time, their bodies let them know when they've had enough or too much of a certain thing. I've only been raw for around 4 months and I don't eat the "full of sugar" stuff on a daily basis. But when I want it, I eat it. AND when my body has had enough of a certain food be it dates, avocadoes, or turnips, I literally won't want them.

I've lost over 40 pounds on this "unhealthy dessert filled" diet, as well as no more heartburn, no more fatigue, no more pseudoseizures, no more depression, better sleep patterns, no joint pain, healthier skin, hair, and nails, clearer thinking, less irritability, no more cravings or food addiction type behaviours or thoughts...

The above having been said, my own personal repertoire varies greatly. I tend to stick to simple (fruit and greens, occasionally nuts), but will occasionally try a "recipe", mostly for the benefit of my children, whom I'd rather have eating some of those desserts than a trans-fat laden traditional carrot cake. I've watched Alissa's video and have seen some of the incredibly rich things she demonstrates. But anyone who has watched the video closely will see that even Alissa says that these kind of foods are not for "all the time", as they are mostly transitional foods to put a little variety into the way of life... Not to mention I couldn't afford all the macadamia nuts for the crepes (for example) at $22.00 canadian per pound!

However, say what you will about natural untainted foods, but I'm sticking to it without apology ;)

[Raw Sweetie]

You've brought up such a good question. I think this gets into your perception and emotions rather than "should I eat a banana and dates or not?" I agree with everyone that whole raw food dessert is so much better and life-giving than a SAD dessert--no argument there :) And many people can enjoy it without issue. However, it seems your question has more to do with an addiction to the sweet taste of things and what that does to you emotionally. If a raw dessert causes you to have sugar cravings and maybe feeds an addiction to sweets, I would say "Please do not go there right now". I went through that with avocados--if I had them in the house, I would eat them all!! I had to stop eating them completely for a period of time (or buy 1 that I would eat at a set time so as to not overindulge) until I could be around them and not "need a fix". I've also had that experience with nuts. And the addiction can be broken. But if you start to emotionally "need" a certain thing (again, not because it's such a healthy thing that your body really wants it but because it's a pleasure thing that your mind wants) I would stay away from it until you can consume it responsibly and without the emotional "pull". It's a fine line between enjoyment and addiction sometimes, but I think you will be able to indentify it since you're already so sensitive to be asking the question. These are my observations of myself on my raw journey...I hope I'm not coming off as condemning because I so do not mean to express that in any way. RAW is LIFE whether you eat raw dessert or not, right? Much love!! ;)

[Sharon in Colorado]

It is hard to determine. I guess if you called it a fruit dish with an almond/date curst it wouldn't be considered 'dessert'.

However I've overdone a carob treat I've made because it was so good and 'dessert' like. It had almond butter, tahini, carob, and honey and was rolled in black sesame seeds and coconut. That I wouldn't have eaten by itself (the ingredients separately I mean) and had me succumb to it very much in an addiction-like fashion.

[Ariannah]

I completely agree that if one believes that the taste of dates or a banana or other very sweet fruit will trigger an addiction to sweets, then by all means, lay off it until you feel fairly certain that it's a safe bet. It's important to stay healthy psychologically as well as physically, so do what feels right for you.

I used to be convinced that I was addicted to the taste of sweet, regardless of the source. I seriously did. I read all the literature and completely identified with it, even went on a low-carb diet for a while (gulp - ate meat - ugh), with high greens and a bit of protein - thinking that even the taste of a banana would send me off....

But I can't explain... my addiction to sweet seems to have completely gone with raw. (disclaimer - I don't eat honey). I can eat pineapples, dates, bananas - all real foods, and stop when satisfied, not wanting to binge on the entire thing like I used to with refined sweets. The toxin of refined sugar is now long-gone from my body, and my body is now no longer confused. The reason these foods used to send me off into bingeville, I now believe, was because there was still refined sugar in my body.

When I first went on raw I freaked over being able to "eat all the fruit I want", because I thought I'd be buying truckloads just to satisfy myself. But I found that it takes less than I thought to truly satisfy me.

Again, I am speaking for myself here. This is my experience, and one can only try the same to discover if, they'll have the same or not. Much like with cooked, there is no such thing as "one size fits all" when it comes to the details of what one is to eat or not eat.

[rawpriestess]

I agree with Rawandnatural,

I have lost 40+ pounds eating all of this unhealthy foods, dropped my blood preasure way down, to normal, from massively "I should be in the hospital" high, and I can climb stairs, walk long distances etc. couldn't before raw.

So, no one can change my mind, about eating raw.

I also see a major difference in how I eat sweets compared to eating refined sugars. If I had a cake in my house, it would call to me until it was gone, it would usually go the same day I cooked it.

Now, with raw cakes or cookies or pies, like with my fudge balls, I still have a baggie in the freezer, and I eat maybe one or two when I feel like it, but they don't call to me. I've had them in there several weeks now, and I haven't eaten them, but when I want one, I will eat it with no guilt.

All, I know is what is currently working for me, this may not work for anyone else.

[Rawtwists]

Since eating raw, I no longer have sugar cravings. I just listen to MY body and gives it what it wants (that is raw). I crave different things on different days but I have mainly been craving sweet and non-sweet fruits and greens. Before raw, I would crave sugar and chocolate. If I got one taste of refined sugar in my food, I would be craving (and eating) sugar all day.

As Raw and Natural stated -- there is no such thing as "one size fits all". I'm discovering what works and what does not work for ME. I also like the idea that if I want to, I can have a "dessert" any time of the day now. So as to the OP, find out what works for you and then adjust accordingly.

[Ariannah]

I also see a major difference in how I eat sweets compared to eating refined sugars. If I had a cake in my house, it would call to me until it was gone, it would usually go the same day I cooked it. RP this just happened with me today - the difference, I mean. I made a date-nut torte today, because I am expecting company this evening and want something yummy to serve them.

now If I were to be making the flour/butter/eggs type of cake, I would have had to make two of them, because for SURE, even the thought of company coming over would not have swayed me from going back for more and more pieces until it is gone.

With the date-nut torte, however, I took aside a tiny "cookie sized" circle for myself as I was making the big plate of torte, and spread some of the date frosting on it. And even though I shared that little piece with my two youngest daughters (who loved it) seriously that was enough! I felt satisfied to have had a small sample of something so decadent and rich, and I feel very content to wait until it's time for me to serve it to everyone if I want some tonight. Not to mention it really held off my appetite. Never in my LIFE has a dessert done that to me.

[ReneeSC]

***I refuse to get into "diet mentality" with regards to raw food. This way of life has been the jail break from that imprisonment! ***

:o

Play it again, Sam! Amen to that. Diets - I've had enough of 'em. I've had a problem with food since I was a small child. I'm not morbidly obese ( a term I still dislike ), and I never have been, though I've been overweight about 3x's, while also swinging back to very thin in the middle. I'm tired of the pendulum effect.

If I want it, I eat it. If it doesn't agree with me for whatever reason, I don't eat it anymore. That being said, I am in the refinement stage now that a bunch of "monkey braining" has been curtailed.

Rev says we have "monkey brains". ( LOL, I know what she means.. ).. They "chatter away" telling us to eat all sorts of weird things ( or could that be monkey retracing? I dunno ) - or tell us to overeat on raw ( which IS possible, but can be overcome ), or tell us we HAVE to have something ( when we really don't ).

It's a row to hoe for those who are working through ingrained messes. But, trying to refine too early _could_ cause a bigger mess if that person isn't being monitored or helped through. I'd rather do it in stages, where I can finally feel in more control.

[Revvell]

For breakfast I have blended fresh-squeezed oj, strawberries, and 'nanas. Is this smoothie dessert? ... or is it breakfast?

I also may have some nuts and figs blended with some fruit on top. Is this breakfast? Or is it dessert? If I put the nuts/fig concoction into a pie plate and call it a raw pie ~ does that make it dessert? Can I still have it for breakfast? ... or does it "have" to come after an entreee? How about if I eat it INSTEAD of the entree and CALL it an entree?

Sheesh folk! How can this possibly make a difference? Eat the food! Play with the food! Enjoy the food!

Ummm, btw ~ what's that awesome b-day cake recipe? Can I use it as a personal wedding cake or does it have to be for birthdays only? :p

R.

[Shivananda]

If there is no water in sight, and you see nothing but sand dunes, it's a desert.

If it is sweet tasting, and something you eat after the main meal, it's a dessert.


See the difference now?

:D

[sport]

If there is no water in sight, and you see nothing but sand dunes, it's a desert.

If it is sweet tasting, and something you eat after the main meal, it's a dessert.


See the difference now?

:D
OK you.
It's pistols at dawn. That is how I always treat people that critisise my spelling.
I know that my spelling is realy bad and I got a huge slagging at work one day when I put a sign on a unit saying "do not moove this machine". They were going around mooing all day.
I will be watching for the first sign of imperfection from you and when I find it you are in so much trouble.

[Sharon in Colorado]

OK you.
It's pistols at dawn. That is how I always treat people that critisise my spelling.
I know that my spelling is realy bad and I got a huge slagging at work one day when I put a sign on a unit saying "do not moove this machine". They were going around mooing all day.
I will be watching for the first sign of imperfection from you and when I find it you are in so much trouble.

Sport ROFL. Just when I thought I've had my fill here, now I have to keep hanging around for the show down, watching and waiting!

Look out Shiv, Sport means business.

Where's the raw popcorn when you need it?

[livenraw]

This is my version (and I LOVE it!! I gave in, tried it and fell in love with it) My dh - who doesn't like almonds - ate 1/2 of this when I made it.

16 oz raw almonds
16 oz dates, pitted and soaked
Big bunches of bananas (around 12-14 probably)
bundt cake pan

(this recipe calls for figs also but I never use figs)

In a food processor, using the S blade, pulse chop the almonds and put in a bowl. Then process the dates and put in a separate bowl. Then process the bananas and put in a separate bowl. Then start layering the bundt cake in this order:

almonds
bananas
almonds
dates
almonds
bananas
almonds
dates

Make sure you end the top with either bananas or dates (I always mix bananas and dates together at the end and put on the top - reminds me of pecan pie for some reason)

Then put the cake in the freezer and let it sit until firm (probably about 4 hours or you can let it sit overnight - but it's sooo good, I've never let it sit overnight) After it gets firm, take it out and put it upside down on a plate. And it will slide out when it's ready or you can put the bottom of the cake pan in warm water so it will slide out.

Still working on perfecting the whip cream for the top but haven't been able to perfect that yet.

Hope ya make it and enjoy it!