I don’t buy into the whole idea of “guilt-free” foods because dessert or not, I don’t think food should come with emotional strings attached. Even if we splurge, I think it’s important not to beat ourselves up over it; not only is tomorrow a new day, but the next second can also be a new beginning and a new opportunity to make a healthier choice. So free yourself from the guilt game, and instead start making desserts that not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but also nourish your body the way you deserve to be nourished. (And bonus, when cake can legitimately pass for breakfast it’s a total win-win, right?)
Most of us probably share the same general idea of what healthy means (e.g. exercise, eating your veggies, drinking enough water, etc.), but as far as the nitty-gritty details go, the idea of “healthy” can be quite subjective.
On this site I try to avoid most over-processed foods (like all-purpose flour and white sugar) and instead use whole, unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods whenever possible. Of course this takes a little bit of understanding because although ingredients such as hazelnut meal, coconut sugar, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, etc. are considered “healthy” by most (or at least healthier alternatives), they are technically still processed. Anything that has been altered from the state in which it occurs in nature – such as taking fresh grapes and dehydrating them into raisins, or grinding almonds into flour – has in fact been processed. I don’t think it has to be complicated though; that’s where a little leeway and understanding comes in.
So when I say healthy, I mean my recipes on Healthy Sweet Eats are:
- Real food-based, meaning a decent source of healthy fat, protein, fiber, and/or vitamins instead of being empty calories or “junk” food
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Naturally-sweetened
- Non-GMO
- Artificial dye-free
- Vegetarian and/or vegan
- Mostly paleo and/or primal-friendly
- And of course I encourage you to use organic ingredients whenever possible!
I don’t consider these desserts “diet” food. On the contrary, you’ll notice that most are not low-fat or low-calorie, but are a good source of healthy fat (from sources like coconut, nuts, seeds, etc.) Instead of viewing these as diet-friendly recipes (which they may or may not be, depending what diet you follow), I prefer to think of them as healthy lifestyle recipes. You can always check out the nutrition label for each recipe to see if it fits into your eating plan.
That’s what I’ll be dishing up! Let’s dig in.
Please note that I am not a nutritionist, dietician, or health-care professional of any kind, and nothing on this website should be construed as nutritional, health-care, or medical advice. Be sure to check with your health care provider before making any changes to your diet. As I am not a nutritionist, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of nutritional information given for the recipes on this site; I recommend using this information as a guide. I calculated the nutrition information using the values on the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and when an ingredient wasn’t on the USDA website, I calculated the nutrition information using the item’s label.