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You are here: Home / Nutrition Advice + Ideas / The Trap of Clean Eating Treats

The Trap of Clean Eating Treats

by Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RDN
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The Trap of "Clean-Eating" Treats by Real Mom Nutrition

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.

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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Category: Nutrition Advice + IdeasTag: cookies, dessert, weight loss

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Hi! I’m Sally.

I’m a registered dietitian and mom of two, and I believe that every mom can feel successful and confident about feeding her kids, let go of the stress, and enjoy mealtime again. What you'll find on this site...

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