One of the great joys after a good main meal is dessert. Children love them and old people feel that they finish the food. The problem is that they are usually full of calories and contribute to obesity and even diabetes at all ages. There are some great alternatives, like a piece of fruit or a smoothie. In my younger days we were also encouraged to eat jam on bread as a good topping if we were still hungry. The fresh bread and pasta are delicious.
My kids always got dessert because that’s how it was in my family. But now it’s almost unheard of and we’re all the better for it.
Some desserts are worse than others because they contain cream or are loaded with ice cream or custard. Those that animate these toppings are usually cakes or fruit compotes, such as apples. Who doesn’t like pavlova or chocolate eclairs, and the number of calories in them has to be high because of the sugar and cream?
So what is it about our palates that allows us to take in such foods in the first place? Until the fifteenth and sixteenth 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 such as Henry VIII grew very fat on him and he loved the indulgence of him so much that he had leg ulcers, shocking teeth and was probably diabetic.
Chocolate making took off in the 17th and 18th centuries as chefs added sugar to the raw material and turned it into beverages and then commercial products. It is now part of their daily diet for many. Children are given chocolate candies since they are babies and they become addicted. Adults are also so addicted that they feast on it, just like I used to.
When my sugar levels spiked and I was prediabetic, the doctor advised me to 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. I now have very little sugar or salt in my diet and I know the craving is completely gone.
None of my children are addicted either because it saw the light. With a good healthy diet there is no need to spoil it with substances that are unhealthy and cause other problems such as obesity, diabetes and tooth loss. Desserts should be the first thing removed from a meal, as they are unnecessary.