Love ’em? Hate ’em? Couldn’t eat paleo without them? Think they’re everything that’s wrong with modern day trendy restrictive eating plans? While looking through my recipes in an attempt to dream some magic up for this coming week, I noticed something: I have maybe one, tops 2 recipes that could qualify as “treats” by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. Nothing involves chocolate (those cupcakes are not mine, nor are they at all likely paleo.) The truth is that since eating paleo, my consumption of actual sweet food resembling dessert that isn’t fruit has gone way, way down. Like it’s really almost nonexistant. So I did some deep, deep thinking on the topic of treats, specifically “paleo treats.”
What Paleo DOESN’T Mean to Me
Paleo does not mean “diet” to me. It does not mean deprivation, punishment, or no-sugar-4-life. Since I don’t see it as a diet, I don’t “crave” the “bad stuff” and look for ways to recreate desserts with “compliant” ingredients all the time. And in the same spirit it also does not mean I avoid sugar if it’s what I really want. I just don’t want sugar much when I’m filling up on great food and lots of fat and protein. I don’t get into any technical definition and say I can’t have something just because it doesn’t jive with my or anyone else’s vision of “paleo.” After all, I’m living in real-time suburbia, not paleolithic times. I’m a blogger, not a cavegirl. I would be full of BS if I said I would never eat a brownie again because cave-people didn’t eat brownies. Cave-people also didn’t order grassfed meat on the internet, or shop at Whole Foods, or link to affiliate “paleo products” in their WIAW blog posts. If I’ve learned this correctly, cave-people didn’t even have blogs, social media or the internet at all. Unreal.
Some things that Paleo DOES Mean to Me
Paleo means I don’t have to worry about getting sick randomly and unpredictably. It means I feel full and satisfied after my meals and don’t need to snack nearly as much as I used to. It means I don’t consume processed sweets or addictive artificial sweeteners that leave me desperately craving my next sweet fix. It means I spend more time, effort, and often money choosing humanely raised meat, pastured eggs, fresh veggies and fruits, and creating meals made with whole, fresh ingredients that rarely come in a box. It means I ALWAYS look at ingredients before buying anything from a package, and reject anything that contains grains, soy, dairy and unnatural sweeteners. It means that I actively seek out products that are as close to their original form as possible. It means that most of the time, my diet consists of lots of veggies, meat, fats, and some fruit.
Where Do Treats Fit In?
For the first 6 months or so that I ate paleo, treats didn’t fit into my diet at all. I didn’t see the point for them since I didn’t crave any sweets but fresh fruit with coconut butter (is that a “treat?” maybe somewhere in the middle?) and with marathon training I was choosing to fill up on more natural carbs and just didn’t have much room in my day for treats, nutrition wise and the desire wasn’t there.
The first time I ever had a paleo treat, I made Paleomg’s Magic Brownie bars and my kids were absolutely thrilled. They definitely gave us the feeling of the fun weekend baking projects we did pre-paleo. BUT I didn’t personally feel the pull the make anything like that again anytime soon. Maybe if someone were doing the work for me it would have been different! But let’s face it, paleo treats can be sort of challenging and expensive to make, and really just don’t seem worth the effort most of the time. MOST of the time is key here. With a bunch of holidays coming up I also know that I’ll be faced with what to do about dessert. I mean making dessert for my family and guests. What approach do I plan to take?
This is where I think the idea of paleo treats can be pretty incredible, and I have to tip my hat and give the utmost respect to all the paleo and vegan food bloggers taking the extra time to develop “treat” recipes that help people stick to eating guidelines that help them FEEL GOOD. Because of paleo treat recipes that are genuinely and actually as good as old standards, but with far fewer and whole ingredients, I can choose to serve my family desserts that taste great, resemble old favorites BUT that don’t leave any of us sick, tired, and perhaps shopping for new pants the next day (I’m thinking day after thanksgiving kind of thing.) If you approach paleo treats as a once-in-a-while or a special-occasion occurrence, they serve the purpose I believe they’re supposed to – a way to enjoy a delicious dessert without needing to worry about making yourself sick.
Some People Really Can’t Eat Regular Treats
I’ve heard/read critics say over and over “Why not just eat a regular treat once in a while? Why does it have to be paleo?” This mentality just shows that a lot of people don’t understand the impact food can have on how someone feels. Chances are that person wouldn’t tell someone with an allergy to just eat the food they’re allergic to once in a while. Depending on how severely you react to a particular ingredient, like wheat flour, a piece of cake might make you sick for a few days, or even a week or more, before you feel back to normal. Definitely doesn’t seem worth it to me. Then again, there are some foods that you don’t react as strongly to that ARE worth it. For me, I can have a little bit of ice cream and be okay, but a piece of cake, or even flour in a sauce by accident, can make me feel bad for about 3 days. So, you can bet that on Thanksgiving we’ll be having some paleo desserts, or at least some pie with a gluten free crust! For special occasions where you have emotional connections and/or family traditions with food, learning how to recreate some of them so you can feel good after eating them helps everyone enjoy the experience more. And it’s always fun to have people try treats with new ingredients that they wind up loving!
So, you definitely won’t be seeing tons of treats showing up in my recipe posts, but as the holidays approach, a few more here and there will probably trickle in (if I can get it together and brainstorm up some good ones.) This is where having kids can be helpful because they can dream up ideas for treats like no one’s business. Especially the middle one. Paleo, not paleo, it doesn’t matter as long as you call it dessert.
Okay seriously, it’s Sunday morning and I’ll have to excuse myself now to go make my family some paleo pancakes 🙂
What are your views on paleo treats?
Really smart and honest. I dislike diet judgment in general, so I see no problem with having or not having treats–it is your body, you (ostensibly) know what is best for it, what it can/cannot handle. I don’t do well with heavy amounts of fats–thus Paleo isn’t a feasible option for me. You would be horribly uncomfortable on my diet, treats or not, so you probably shouldn’t try it. As long as it isn’t bad for you (like too much alcohol, etc), no one has any place to tell you otherwise!
Wise comment as usual, and so very true!
Thanks for such a great post! From what I’ve noticed personally, the more clean eating and whole foods I consume, the less my body craves treats. I eat clean because I believe our bodies are not meant to digest all these processed and artificial foods. BUT, I also think “to each their own” and have 0 judgement against those who do not eat clean. It’s a personal preference =).
I completely agree that it’s impossible to judge someone else’s circumstances, and everyone comes to makes their decisions based on their own experiences. I definitely share the experience of finding that my cravings have nearly disappeared, and I always prefer real food over junk now 🙂
I love how you pointed out that you aren’t craving treats so you don’t feel the need to include them. I feel like my “cravings” for treats have gone down ALOT but I still like something after dinner. We sometimes do fruit (I really need to try coconut butter!) and its not even that we are looking for something sweet. The paleo cookies I have been making seem to be the perfect balance, because they are light and not very sweet but make us feel like we are eating dessert. Some nights I am completely satisfied after dinner and don’t want anything else, but its nice to have something as an option just in case:)
I feel the same with the after dinner fruit – I like it before bed with coconut or almond or cashew butter and that is all I crave. I think as long as people are honest and not fooling themselves that paleo brownies are “healthy” and eating them all the time than it’s a good thing.
I love this post and that you said Paleo is not a diet because you’re right. I’ve been learning more and more about Paleo and I see it as a framework for how I make most of my food choices rather than something I have to adhere to strictly. I also think it encourages you to understand your body better and to learn how certain foods affect you.
Totally agree. It definitely helps you get in touch with hunger and reactions to different foods when you eliminate the processed stuff. It’s a lifestyle and an approach to food rather than a diet, for sure. In fact I think it helps you really pull away from all of the diet mentality!
Great post as always. As you saw on Instagram, I had a very non-paleo treat this weekend that made me feel like absolute crap: headache, horrible stomach, acne. I wanted to partake in the social-ness of the treat but obviously paid for it. So in this regard, I am a proponent of paleo treats that make you feel good (as you said). But like regular treats, they are still treats so everyone needs to figure out their moderation.
100 % agree with what you’re saying. Sorry you felt so sick after your saturday 🙁 I guess when it happens though it’s a reminder of why we choose the lifestyle we do. And for that I’m definitely grateful for paleo treats for that once in a while or special occasion when it just feels right to have something chocolate or cakey!
That is the thing, as noted also in the comments – what is it WORTH to you to have that treat? Lisa can have a small occasional ice cream without any real adverse effects. But similar to anything else, too much of a good thing is NEVER a good thing for her!
And it is TOTAL ignorance that some people show regarding how foods impact your body … because I am thin I *constantly* get the ‘oh you can eat that because of how much you run’ or something like that. And I don’t have any tolerance or allergy issues, but am VERY aware of everything that goes into my mouth for different reasons. I don’t WANT that donut, those cookies, that fried food, that processed stuff, those chips and so on. I am aware of how my body feels best and I live my life to feel as good as possible.
And I really applaud the distinction you make (again) between ‘being Paleo’ and ‘doing what is best for YOU’. I know some people get into ‘diet cult’ mode, which I think is a bit silly, but that is their choice … but when you have seen such results, WHY would you want to do something different?
Oh, and just a note … with all of the updates (mostly ads) it is becoming increasingly difficult to view & especially to comment from the iPad (or my Galaxy Note phone) … not sure if you have seen or heard anything about this?
On the issue of people judging what others should or shouldn’t eat, it still boggles my mind that people feel so strongly about the issue! It definitely speaks to our own hot-button issues with food when we jump on someone else for what they do or don’t eat. And very true to just do what makes sense for you, as always.
I have noticed the page taking longer to load on my phone with the recent ads, but not sure how to fix that.
This was a really interesting post to read! I’ve been looking into paleo and was pretty concerned because there was little mention of desserts and let’s just say that dessert is really important to me! This helped clear that all up 🙂
Happy to help clarify things. In the paleo world this is definitely a topic of debate, some people feel that “treats” defeat the whole point and no one can call themselves paleo if they are eating a lot of them! On the other hand there are people that rely heavily on paleo treats and may be missing a big part of paleo – which is eating real, unprocessed food. Like anything, it’s such an individual thing and requires being honest with oneself and considering priorities.
i love this post and could go on about it for days! i don’t like Paleo treats because to me, quite simply, a real treat is just fruit, nuts, coconut butter and well what more do you need? Paleo treats trigger me in ways that are not cool with me so i just prefer real food. fresh, ripe fruit tastes so crazy luxurious that i can’t imagine dollying it up. honestly i rather just eat regular food and then every blue moon, like holidays, have whatever treats. no alterations just normal, and move on. i don’t want to spend my time making treats, but my bf loves a good paleo bar, so i will make them and freeze them for him.
i don’t want to fool myself with treats, i feel so much better without them now!
A lot of people feel that way I know, that treats of any kind are triggering for emotional stuff with food. I totally get that, and yet I think it’s great to be able to enjoy a treat once in a while without worrying about the physical effects. Fruit and coconut butter feels like as much of a treat as I need most of the time.
Great post! I think about this too and I think people really do not understand that Paleo and wanted to eat healthy, whole foods is the goal here. Treats should be part of the big picture of course, but in moderation.
Yes, completely agree. While I won’t judge anyone because everyone comes to their decisions based on individual experiences, but this is what I’ve found rings true for me.
Whhaaattt, cave people didn’t have blogs???? Noooo… Haha, you definitely had me laughing there!
I really love your approach to food and paleo 🙂 I see paleo as a lifestyle and not a diet. My in laws call it a diet. I cringe. It’s just the way we live.
That being said, I do like to indulge in (non-paleo) treats on occasion. I feel fine about it as long as keep it very minimal (physically and just because they are unhealthy). I also eat cheese every now and again (my uncle in law has a farm and we get it from him – super fresh, local, and we know the cows are treated well.) Interestingly, when I lived in the US, I couldn’t drink milk or eat cheese – I’d be horribly sick from it, but here in the Netherlands, I don’t have that problem at all.
I suppose what I try to do is eat paleo pretty much all the time, but when I do have something non-paleo, I still try to make it myself, know where the ingredients are coming from, etc. Luckily, we don’t per se have a strong reaction to dairy/wheat/grains. I actually learned recently that our friends have a wheat intolerance and their son gets horribly sick from it so I can definitely see where you say that non-paleo treats are not a good option!
Oh and fruit definitely counts as a paleo treat in my book. To be honest, I see apples as dessert now. With a little bit of nut butter = best ever.
Some people will always call paleo, or any way of eating that isn’t theirs, a diet! But not my problem and not yours 🙂 I agree that apples and nut butter are definitely dessert!
i make paleo treats and vegan treats, but to honest, i don’t have a sweet tooth. but i love it because it’s my passion to fuel others, ya know?
Totally get it! And you’re good at what you do 🙂
Wow this is such an interesting read! I’m currently having issues where I’m craving treats so I’ve gone from having once a month paleo treats to weekly, to every few days the last three weeks. I have insulin resistance and IBS and noticed the cravings are particularly severe from 10 days before my period and continues during the period week. Help! What can I do to get back to how I was eating?
I want to first say that I LOVE your blog! It has made my paleo journey so much easier! The food is delicious, easy, and husband approved! Kuddos! Second, I want to say something about paleo treats that many may not realize. They are more diabetic friendly! Some may judge me right away for having treats at all with diabetes but phooey! I’m human! Fruit doesn’t cut it! Especially at holidays/birthdays when everyone else is cramming them down in front of you. It makes you want to eat them more. Paleo makes me crave them less on a regular basis which is great and lets me have a little on special occasions which is “icing on the cake”. Ha ha. They have a lower impact on my blood sugar (about like most fruits). And I can have chocolate! My numbers are normal for the first time in years thanks to paleo and I am enjoying every minute thanks to your recipes!
Thanks for sharing information.
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