I’m a little bit worried about the words “healthy” and “clean”. Because I’m seeing them everywhere on social media in relation to dessert: There are recipes for Healthy Peppermint Patties. Clean Cookie Dough Blizzards. Healthy Clean-Eating Double-Chocolate Brownies with Marshmallow and Bacon Hot Fudge Sauce. Okay, I made up that last one. You get the idea.
Don’t get me wrong: I love seeing so many recipes with non- or minimally-processed ingredients. I use things like whole wheat flour and flaxseed in my own recipes too. And I enjoy experimenting with recipes that use, say, dates instead of sugar like the cookies above (read: “Simple No Bake Cookie Balls“).
But I worry because recipes using so-called “clean” ingredients seem to be getting a free pass lately as healthy and nourishing no matter what they actually are. A peanut butter cup made with coconut oil is still a peanut butter cup. When you’re eating raw vegan cookie dough bites, you’re still eating, well, balls of cookie dough.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with dessert in my book–even every day. I love dessert. But clean eating treats like these can easily become a problem if we’re eating or serving them more frequently (or in larger portions) because we perceive them as particularly wholesome. I’ll admit I’m guilty of doing that (read: “Too Much of a Good Thing: Why Calories Still Count.”).
Bottom line: We can serve our family “clean” snickerdoodle cream pie, but even if it’s made with agave and raw cashews, kids still need to understand that pie is a sweet treat. And so do we.
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Emily N. says
I love your down-to-earth advice and perspective. You are so right about the clean-eating trap. It’s so easy to fall into, even when you are fairly knowledgeable about nutrition. Your post yesterday on why calories still count is also so important to remember. I love your blog!
Sally says
Thanks so much Emily!
Tina Muir says
I agree with you on this, it is something I had also noticed, but wasnt sure what could be done about it. It is difficult to get the point across that this is homemade and fresh, but without using those words. I love simple like you said, but not sure a lot of people would know what that means. It is difficult to trust the word healthy now with all the ways it is used.
Amy says
Exactly! I am super happy that people are making the effort to lighten up recipes and/or use healthier alternatives. But I hate the associated health halo with “white sugar free” and “coconut (or other) oil”. I’ve seen recipes for healthy no-bake cookies that use honey and coconut oil- nutrition stats are almost the same as the alternative. And of course bloggers tend to also imply that you can eat as many as you want, guilt free. I’m all about guilt-free, but definitely still need to use moderation.
Sally says
Thanks Amy. Glad you liked it. Agree about honey–it’s still added sweetener!
Hanna says
I mentioned this to you on twitter, but I so can relate to this post! Living in a vegan community cooperative house, I ironically ended up less healthy than I’ve ever been…. the vegan, organic, and most importantly, delicious cookies were too hard to resist. And in a house full of bakers where there are about 5 different desserts every day fresh out of the oven…it added up fast! I did learn some great recipes, and also the lesson to save them for treats 🙂
Sally says
Thanks Hanna–and great example of this! We have a vegan bakery in our neighborhood and I’m convinced people think their decadent cakes and gooey cinnamon rolls are somehow “healthy”….
Stacy @School-Bites.com says
You’re soooo right! Even clean treats can pack on the pounds if you aren’t careful. (Tho i do find them more naturally filling and thus easier to stop before overdoing it). It always bothers me when I see clean treats referred to as “no added sugar” when thy contain honey or maple syrup. Uh, that is added sugar! And it can add up!
Kaylin @ Enticing Healthy Eating says
I would love to win this book for my mom! I think she’d enjoy reading it and definitely would be interested in the recipes as well. I could borrow it from her for recipe inspiration too. A mother’s day gift, perhaps?
Megan (The Lyons' Share) says
I love this post! One of my biggest grievances is when people are led to believe that something is healthy just because contains one healthy ingredient or doesn’t contain one other healthy ingredient. Some of this is on the part of food marketers, but we as bloggers and consumers have responsibility, too!
Kimi says
Thank you for this article. I absolutely agree with you! I’m a dietitian too and I cringe as my conversations, with those who I classify as, “extreme eaters,” start to go in a certain direction. It’s almost impossible to break their belief in “clean eating habits” because of their vast knowledge and expertise they read about on the Internet (or worst Dr. Oz). Any tips on how you approach those conversations and feel like you shared good information, like in this article, and possibly persuaded them to think differently about a food ideal that is faulty. Mostly with food intolerances and cutting out specific foods, that probably aren’t necessary but trendy.