Are desserts really necessary?

One of the great pleasures of a good main meal is dessert. Children love them and older people feel like they finish the meal. The problem is that they are usually full of calories and contribute to obesity and even diabetes in all ages. There are some great alternatives like a piece of fruit or a smoothie. In my youth we were also encouraged to eat jam on bread as a good filling if we were still hungry. The fresh bread and spreads are delicious.

My children always got dessert because that’s how it was in my family. But now it’s almost unheard of and we’re all better for it.

Some desserts are worse than others because they contain cream or are filled with ice cream or custard. Those that encourage these toppings are usually cakes or cooked fruits, such as apples. Who doesn’t love a pavlova or chocolate eclairs, and the calorie count in them has to be high due to the sugar and cream?

So what is it about our palate that allows us to eat those foods in the first place? Until the 15th to 16th centuries, sugar was practically unknown because it came from the New World with explorers like Christopher Columbus. So it was such a luxury that only the very rich could afford it. Kings, like Henry VIII, were extremely fattening and loved their indulgence so much that he had leg ulcers, shocking teeth, and was probably a diabetic.

Chocolate making took off in the 17th to 18th centuries when chefs added sugar to the raw material and turned it into beverages and later commercial products. It is now part of their daily diet for many. Children are given chocolate candy since they are babies and become addicted to it. The adults are also so addicted that they feast, like I used to do.

When my blood sugar levels spiked and I was prediabetic, the doctor recommended that I stop eating sweets. When asked how to overcome the craving, his advice was that once you stop eating sugar, the craving stops. It is perfectly true. Now I have very little sugar or salt in my diet and I know that the craving has completely disappeared.

None of my children are addicted to it either because they saw the light. With a good healthy diet it is not necessary to spoil it with substances that are not healthy and cause other problems, such as obesity, diabetes and tooth loss. Desserts should be the first thing to eliminate from a meal, as they are unnecessary.