 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Writer Ernestine Ulmer is popularly attributed to the phrase: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." We're no Family Radio, but we'll agree with the first part - especially after recent injuries sustained by one of our own. The second part, however, we've got our qualms with. We love banana cream pie as much as the next person, but there's also something a little bit unsettling about the notion of an éclair before the escargot. We're more in the same camp of thought as Sally Camacho, the pastry chef at WP24 in Los Angeles, California. She's certainly not advocating eating your sweets first - but she's certainly not advocating skipping them either. Five Reasons to Eat Dessert Every Day: Sally Camacho 2. It's the most legal form of a "happy ending" 3. Do it for the pastry chefs! 4. Don't upset Mother Nature 5. Spoil yourself How often do you eat dessert? Let us know in the comments. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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Yes there should realize the opportunity to RSS commentary, quite simply, CMS is another on the blog.
I probably only eat dessert once-twice a week.
Great ideas and excuses, but I'm generally full from the oversized meals the most restaurants serve...that and the fact a number of restaurants have limited to no dessert menu.
majority of people dont order desert because the meal you buy at a resturant is already too expencive. plus, the deserts are expensive too. most people stil have something sweet, but its usually like that mint in the bowl as u walk out or something in the car or home. if eating out was more affordable in general i think more people would order some desert.
I agree with eating desserts after a meal. It is very satisfying and completes the meal, to make you feel like you definitely had enough to eat. I bake a cake, cookies or have ice cream for dessert with certain meals. It just depends on my mood, because growing up my grandfather would cook dinner and bake a delicious peach cobbler for us. It's seems sinful to indulge in desserts like that, lol. They sure are worth the taste!
I absolutely love dessert ... I just don't eat it every day. I think moderation is key. I think that I enjoy it more when it's a once a week treat.
Reason #27 not to eat a dessert everyday (besides the fact that America has a growing obesity problem) – all the added sugar in our food already.
I don't like sweets but I can easily understand why everyone else does. Dessert power and save an hors d'oeuvre for me.
Shuta YO Face Faggot!
Who needs dessert when the main course is apple pie and donuts?
I actually think a very SMALL portioned dessert should be served as a FIRST course in restuarants. Might actually help curb some of the overeating of the main courses plus might even make the entire experience more enjoyable. It also might help curb the feeling of "missing out" and overindulgence in sweets later. I also agree there should be healthy options. A simple baked apple with natural ingredients would surely suffice.
Opinions are like *$$holes, everybody has one!!! This is not a "news" article but the opinion of one person. Lighten up people & have a dessert!!!
I couldn't agree with you more, snooks.
Sally, i like the way you think!!!
Staceyann Dolenti
I grew up not eating dessert at home because my mom is VERY health conscious. It didn't stop her from getting a stress related illness, soo LOL I do eat dessert occasionally, but I really don't like HEAVY desserts. I also agree that in some restaurants I'm too full after dinner. Nevertheless, my favorites are warm pie/icecream or fruit.
Well I won't be taking this advice. I never eat dessert...because I don't like sweets.
Bah humbug.
Sugar is poison... period
Poison? But it tastes sooooo good!
Yeah, eat desert everyday, and continue to grow fatter America. Take a look at the rising statistics of obesity. Teach this to our children and look what we'll be raising in the near future. Moderation is one thing. Continued indulgence makes for a lazy society.
I always make a point of eating dessert after lunch and dinner, even if it's something like a piece of fresh fruit or plain yogurt with a little fruit, sugar, or honey mixed in. It puts a wonderful end to the meal. I am also a bit of a foody and love eating good food and multiple course meals. As with so many other things, small portions, balanced diets, and activity are key. But in my humble opinion, dessert is a necessary part of my life and I would not have it any other way :)
1) Untrue, snotty fine dining chef? Comes down to personal taste.
2) Legal? I don't compare dessert to cocaine. It's not the happiest legal ending either, sex after dinner is a happy ending.
3) Pastry chef is a stupid job. Only chef in the kitchen not contributing to people's health.
4) I question the science of this statement. Sugar makes 1 hungrier because our ancestors NEEDED food high in calories and sweet things usually have the most. Personally I find eating enough is the trick.
5) Lots of fat people spoil themselves. I'd rather a good old pizza than some rich, chocolaty garbage I can't name let alone pronounce made by some failure who couldn't become a REAL chef. hehehe
Sally Camacho, you have to understand, most people can't think for themselves and you have probably just made at least 17 morbidly obese people justify eating dessert in front of their kids. Hang you dessert fork in shame.
Wow...Bitter and angry much?
Who damaged you?
Right on target!
I eat dessert every day, either ice cream or some kind of cake/cookie, and always get dessert at a restaurant! When I was in college I was a super health nut and did not allow myself to eat anything that was even slightly unhealthy to the point that I was under weight. On the rare occasion that I did allow myself to have something sweet I would over indulge. Now (8 years later) I basically eat whatever I want, and never find myself craving anything. I am such a happier person because all the foods I once forbid myself are now available, and I learned I can eat them and be even healthier then I was in college, and not be starving all the time. I am now 5'4" and weigh 115 pounds...I keep track of my weight and if I see it ticking up I may not eat that extra cookie in the evening. My advice is do not deprive yourself, enjoy your desserts! :)
Regardless if an entree is large or small, if I want dessert (which is about 50% of the time), I'll get dessert. I usually take half of my meal home anyway because in most cases, the entress are too big. But what I usually do is split the dessert with someone.
Here is a proof on why you do not need dessert: Jack Lalanne.
Desserts – sugary things – are not healthy, make you tired, make you weak and, unless you have the genes or whatever, fat. Simple as that.
While we are talking dessert. I have a simple question. Can you gain in weight more than you eat(in weight). I say NO because the law of physics says "matter cannot be created nor distroyed". This is true althogh people do not believe me even if they cannot dispute this fact. If that tasty treat weighs 10grms that is all you can gain although it is somewhat less in reality. Comments???
But you have too eat more to get some real nutrients.
I love dessert and often eat dessert FIRST when I go out to eat. In fact, I will eat dessert first, then have a entree, and then order another dessert. I then going walking with my significant other and I run regularly on my treadmill. Regular exercise is a small price to pay for the unmitigated joy of having dessert first – then third!
About the only time I'll eat dessert is just before I push mow my lot or spend the afternoon doing laps in the pool. After 40 if you stuff your face with sweets on a regular basis and you don't exercise, you're pushing you're luck. One fine day you'll go see doc because you feel like cr@p and you're thirsty as a fish, and he's gonna tell you that you've got to take pills and prick you're fingers in the morning for the rest of your life, if you don't, good luck when they cut off your feet or you go blind.
I eat dessert almost every day! If I can't purchase it readily as I live in the Caribbean, I make it! When I go to a restaurant, I review the dessert menu before choosing my appetizer and main course! It brings a smile to my face & I swing my legs in delight (like a child), although am grown! Luv, luv my sweet stuff!
I just track down some chocolate chip cookies from a co-worker. Cheer!
I just wish the desserts were smaller. Desserts today seem almost as big as the meal.
hahahaha. I eat dessert, you're underweight, I'm a healthy weight, I'll live longer than you.
You need help.
i ABSOLUTELY LOVEEEE RED VELVET CAKE!!
I eat dessert after all my meals, nothing huge but just a little bite of something sweet!
Dessert should be an occasional treat at most, not an everyday occasion. No wonder there's an obesity problem in this country.
oooooooohhhh...dessert!
Mommy, make it go away! Maybe Mrs. Obama can appoint a Czar to stamp out all desserts!
Carmacho shouldgo tojail or something for promoting dessert!
Oh, can the government save me from this horror?
I can feel my panties twisting up as I write this!
The two are not correlated.
So you think bad eating has nothing to do with obesity? Sorry-didn't realize you were a mental defective!
I agree with Mari - why do you need to rationalize eating dessert? Rather than say why or why not to eat dessert however everything in moderation? Yes sugar can be bad if you eat too much of it. Anything in excessive amount can be bad. Do I eat desserts that are packed with calories every day? No. Do I enjoy dessert when I do eat it - absolutely. I think there are real concerns about what is put into desserts however true pastry chefs are conscious about what goes into their desserts.
My take - eat your dessert - first, last, in the middle, not. Why follow the crowd in saying what you have to do? Just do it in moderation and know what you are doing. Then go take a walk....and leave the nay sayers behind.
Oh, for the love of all that is holy, lighten the heck up!
This is a thread about dessert, anf the person being interviewed seems to be a kind, pretty and considerate woman who obviously cares about her craft and those she serves. If you want to rail about calories, innuendos or anything else, please report for immediate seating i the stfu cafe.
AMEN to that. I'm with those who check out the dessert menu first. For those who say they're too full of the entree to eat dessert, take some of it home with you! And if the dessert's "too big," (there's no such thing, really), then take some of THAT home too! Where is it written that you have to clean your plate at the restaurant?? Good grief – lighten up indeed!! I have a "bite of sweet" almost every day. It might be fruit (though to me, that isn't really "dessert" per se), or it might be sugar-free, or oh my, sin of sins, it might have REAL sugar and butter and chocolate in it. But stop ragging on the author of this 5@5 – it was a fun subject until all you sourpu$$es showed up. Have a cupcake or something!!
I need no rationalization to agree with the concept of eating desert. In fact my whole menu decision in a restaurant is based on how good the desert is.......
I want to party with you!
To Abagail: you do realize your BMI is 17.9, right? That's technically UNDERweight....just saying...
Seriously, you are including a reference to massage parlor , "happy ending" in a dessert article? Get some language skills!
Seriously, you have already made your point. Why repost the same comment?
Rarely eat desert because of weight. However, if restaurants stopped mega-sizing deserts, I might reconsider.
I have thoroughly spoiled my family, I make dessert every night after dinner. When I don't feel like baking or creating something special, we have ice cream. In my own baking, I cut back on butter and NEVER use margarine. I do half oil half applesauce. Use cane sugar and honey; when using white sugar I reduce the amount. I try to incorporate fruits and veggies often as well. It's all in how you make it!
These have to be the worst 'rationalizations' ever. The same things could be said for sex (do it to keep Doctors in their fields!), jumping off a cliff (nothing tells your body life is over like death!- and think of the morticians gosh darnit!), and most importantly BEER (nothing puts a smile on 85% of the worlds face like a cold brew after a meal/hard day at work/doing nothing at all–and will someone PLEASE think of the brewers?!?! [SN:Not the Milwaukee Brewers- they are just horrible])
At least twice a day, I'll have dessert. Portion size is important. For the curious, I'm in my 50's, don't have any health/cholesterol issues, excercise regularly, and my weight is on the normal to low side. Everything is in moderation – from eating only 1/3 to 1/2 of a restaurant entree to sharing a large dessert with 1-3 others (or taking home leftovers).
The only restaurant where I order dessert is Magnolia Grill in Durham, NC. Karen Barker is a wonderful pastry chef and all of her creations are excellent. Most restaurant desserts are far too large and much too sweet. I much prefer the French approach of less sugar and more taste of the ingredients such as fruit or chocolate. Karen certainly gets it right. Otherwise, the chain restaurants serve frozen junk. Why spend the calories if it is not special? At home my dessert is a square of 72% chocolate.
The same reasons could be given to rationalize smoking after a meal only #3 would be 'Do it for the tobacco growers'.
Just fyi people dessert is spelled D.E.S.S.E.R.T. Yes two S's. That's right everyone. Get it right, because other's will not take you seriously if you can not spell simple things properly. That goes to all individuals on yelp as well...
I am a diabetic recovering from a major surgery. The surgery was for repair of a ventral hernia brought on by complications of emergency surgery from two years past that saved my life. I changed my life style a few years ago to improve my peresonal self worth and my health. Exercise that had a purpose other than exercise. I began to rebuild a 30 ft sailboat. Each lunch and dinner meal here at the recovery center has a small light desert. It may simply be apple slices cooked with a little cinnamon, sometimes fresh fruit or even a piece of cheese cake. A small comfort indulgence. Sometimes the only saving grace of the institutional food served. Desert is not a problem, sandwiches for me are my enemy. Remove the bread and you improve the meal. Results: I have lost 120 pounds and improved my life. The first 80 pounds more likely contributed to my survival. Desert does not have to be an over indulgence to be satisfying. It should compliment the meal. The only change I have made overall is to add exercise for purpose other than exercise. Eat in moderation and enjoy life. Quit the diets and eat sensibly and reduce your dependence on wheat. You will get great results, me I lost 120 pounds. My sasilsxboat is just about ready. :)
I must use this for my school presentation!!!
(Also,I am a korean kid....)
this is perfect!
Helen is not a Korean name... have you eaten dog yet?
What about diabetes?
What about it? IDDM is not related to consumption of sugar or any other food. Insulin resistance def requires more than daily consumption of dessert to show up: genetics, lifestyle, environment. So...if you eat well and are generally healthy, dessert wont hurt.
Easily the worst column I've ever read in support of something, You should be ashamed of yourself.
Totally agreed. What a B.S. article.
Heres another reason: 'Being a fat cunt'
rs1201 wrote: You people are nuts...have you ever heard of cholesterol...breast cancer...diabetes...obesity. My dessert is a light yogurt and I'm 5 ft 8" and weigh 118 lbs. I look at dessert and think...poison. That's exactly what you should all be doing. Once in a while you may have a small piece of cake or a small piece of chocolate...the operative word here is "small". Definitely, not every day and twice a day...that's suicide. I like being healthy and being able to tell the doctor at my annual checkups that I don't drink, smoke, and my cholesterol is around 117.
I hope you all realize that you will pay dearly for your indulgence as you get older. I plan to be a healthy old bag.
rs1201 is absolutely right. If you want to FEEL GOOD and BE HEALTHY curb the sugar... it is deadly. And stop drinking SODA. just check out why on a search engine. DEADLY. Like in die a horrible painful death. Put 'sugar' into mercola.com website. Find out how deadly this substance is.
I agree.
I eat dessert everyday.. I have a sweet tooth... I bake my own desserts and if not, I eat chocolate, candy..whatever dessert there is at home or fruit and yogurt. I do not want to give up my sweet tooth.. I am cautious though. When I dine out, I always ask for the dessert menu first and plan my meal around it .. I believe the mark of a good restaurant lies in the creativity of desserts served and so far I have not been disappointed :) Thank you Pastry Chefs.. you always make my meal an amazing one!
'etdrik-d-be-merry-for-tomorrow-you-my-die'
I love how more restaurants are offering mini desserts for lower prices (since regular desserts can be so expensive). I recently had a mini creme brulee. So good! Though I wish I ordered the regular size.
Dessert for me is usually a piece of warm cornbread.
Eh. I don't eat dessert as a rule, unless I'm at someone's house and they have prepared it and there isn't a polite way to escape it. I do not find sweets overwhelmingly attractive – would much rather have a few big hunks of really nice cheese or a 55 gallon drum of kalamata olives :) That having been said, about half the time when I go to bed I have a cup of cocoa or a piece of fruit. Does this count?
Desert is usually overpriced and not all that good to be honest. I'd rather take another steak or some more dog over desert any day. Fatties!!!!!
Meg, that was unbelievable! I wouldn't even be alive if I ate stuff like that!!
http://thisiswhyyourefat.tumblr.com/
Technology has made us fat and lazy. We are in a transitional phase. We have slowly been evolving technologically faster than we have been biologically and it is now starting to have a negative effect on our health.
I think sugar is really addictive to some people, and can get stored as fat in the body. I love dessert, and crave chocolate, and when you're addicted, moderation is hard to come by. So I'm overweight, but enjoy my sweets. I just wish I could moderate them.
No meal is complete without dessert for me. Heck, I've been known to eat dessert first and again after the main course. Sweet treats are such a great addition to a lustful evening; good wine, some candles, mood music and a great dessert, eventually riding a rocket off to a new galaxy. Bakeries are a gift from the Gods. I just love going to a great bakery and looking at all the delightful treats, stuffing my face, licking icing off my fingers, poking holes in the pies (my own pies of course) and the utter delight of smelling fresh bread or whatever else is baking..hehehe...I am forever 14, and my sweet tooth knows no bounds. Hats off to all the pastry chefs and bakers out there who have made my life on earth so much more enjoyable.
What are your "stats" with your doctor? Are you healthy? Overweight? Just curious. Sounds so wonderful to be able to handle sweets the way you do!
I am "healthy" whatever that means. If you are wondering about hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, etc..It's all good. As much as I love sweets, I'm well aware that I am not 16, so having a chocolate bar everyday is not going to work, but I will have it about once a month. Most times I buy one and split it with my sister so I don't even eat the whole thing, but simply satisfy the craving. I have cakes and pastries about twice a month. I cook most of what I eat, and I am 80% vegetarian, so I only usually indulge when I eat out. Truly there is no need to deny ourselves anything, just practice moderation in all things, go for a 40 min walk after dinner and enjoy the bounty of the earth. Now, if there is a medical reason not to eat sweets, it's best to follow that program.
I don't eat dessert....not for any of the above reasons, but because I don't have a sweet tooth. A bite of pie or cake is too sweet for me and thus really not at all pleasant. However, a good stinky cheese is fantastic!!
Ditto!! Cheese! Olives! Yum!
Amen! I would gladly give up any sweets for a hunk of cheese!
My idea of desert is a big, cold juicy orange, peeled and cut up into fat chewy chunks. I ratcheted down my expectations about rich, tasty food 26 years ago when I started eating to live, rather than just satisfy my cravings. The big surprise: I now enjoy deserting on mundane foods as much as my friends enjoy their ice cream and apple pie. I don’t think anyone believes me, but that’s okay.
Weak
I eat a small dessert most days –usually something like a couple cookies. I agree that it "finishes" the meal, and the day's food intake. I rarely order dessert in restaurants because I rarely have room after a meal, but my husband orders it and I'll swipe a bite. Tell you the truth, I'm far too often disappointed by restaurant desserts. Give me a good bakery or patisserie any day.
As a habit, I review the dessert menu before ordering my entree...it helps to determine how heavy (or light) my meal will be...I really see the meal as the prelude to the main event, which is dessert...I'm always disappointed when restaurants don't have a good selection of desserts or the dessert ends up being some dried out brownie or piece of pie/cake/cheesecake that tastes like the freezer it's been stored in for months :-(
I hardly ever order dessert in a restaurant, because most restaurants don't have any vegan desserts.
More vegan desserts please! Vegans deserve something sweet too.
It's called an apple. Most supermarkets have them and they are easy to carry.
Most nice restaurants can come up with a bowl of fresh berries for you. Sorbet is vegan.
Thank you jimmy! Too funny!
I don't eat desert very often. But my cat can eat a whole watermelon.
Ha ha ha ha – I love that!
STUPID – sugar is addictive and unnecessary
True dat.
I love dessert, but it shows if I indulge. The only time I cut loose is on a cruise. Good thing it takes us three years to save up for one.
I eat dessert every 78 seconds.
What a croc! How about fruit instead of highly processed sugar and other ugly things people put in their bodies. A desert once in a while is fine and good but not every day. They say use it or lose it, but you can overuse it and lose it too with bad health.
Grapes and cheese are fantastic for a dessert.
Having dessert is a wonderful thing, but it is not limited to baked goods, imho. A ripe piece of fruit hits all those same spots; and a small baked dessert is not really that bad for you. Especially if you make it from scratch (I wont advocate for pre-made stuff). Heck, one square of dark chocolate works AND it helps improve your blood pressure. Quality over quantity.
Don't you love that mango splayed open on your plate filled with fresh whipped cream. Or a caramel tuffle dripping raspberry goo all down the sides of your banana. The subtext to this article is – "YEAH DESSERT IS GOOD BUT SEX IS BETTER." Dessert is sex on a plate. Oh yeah something sweet is always nice!
OK..... I'll do it for one reason, and one reason only......... for the love of God, someone need's to save the pastry chefs !!!!!
And someone needs to learn the proper use of apostrophes, and perhaps to go back and finish 4th grade.
That's not grammatically correct!
Eat dessert first, you don't know how long you have....
5 nights a week
Yeesh, you sound uber-stressed... have a dove bar will ya?!
: ]
um let me say one thing about this article... it is just opinion after opinion
I can't believe CNN...you have stuff on here about eating dessert next thing you're going to have an article about not eating dessert and we"ll have another article or a segment on your broadcast about obesity, and heart disease and high blood pressure...and so on .....what side is CNN on?
The side where the news is.
It's just dessert !!!!!
i know! i wish cnn would just tell me for once and for all how to live my life!
Yeah... How dare the folks at CNN have an write up about dessert in a section about food!
What's next? ESPN reporting about New York stuff in ESPNNY or Dallas stuff in ESPNDallas? How dare they do what they're supposed to do!
I donot consider having desert is a compulsory after my everyday meal, maybe occasional wise when I got out with friends or family. Eating outside is at the most 4 times a month, so I don't have the habbit.
I'm eating dessert right now!
And i haven't had dinner yet. Something sweet really makes me happy after a rough day at work but it's a special occasion thing.
I know how you feel. Savory & salt does that for me.
Don't see a good health reason up there...
You people are nuts...have you ever heard of cholesterol...breast cancer...diabetes...obesity. My dessert is a light yogurt and I'm 5 ft 8" and weigh 118 lbs. I look at dessert and think...poison. That's exactly what you should all be doing. Once in a while you may have a small piece of cake or a small piece of chocolate...the operative word here is "small". Definitely, not every day and twice a day...that's suicide. I like being healthy and being able to tell the doctor at my annual checkups that I don't drink, smoke, and my cholesterol is around 117.
I hope you all realize that you will pay dearly for your indulgence as you get older. I plan to be a healthy old bag.
Wow. Dictate much? Channeling your mother maybe? Get help ..... soon.
You definitely have the old bag part down already.
Congratulations...you're underweight. I eat dessert when I want it and have a healthy weight. Here's the kicker: We're both going to die in the end.
Man........ I smoke, drink, and eat dessert.......... cholesterol is perfect.... and so is my weight......5"6 104 lbs. No prob here..... maybe the stick up your a*** is ...... well , you know.... ha ha
Just remember, everything in moderation. You sound extreme in your stance on food. And also remember, the artificial sweeteners in your 'light yogurt' may also have negative health repercussions as well!!
I am a baker and in good shape. I don't have dessert every time I go out nor every night, but I certainly would feel deprived going through life without things like homemade lemon meringue pie, homemade chiffon cakes, chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven and much, much more! Enjoy life, it doesn't last long!
its almost 11pm and you just made me hungry! lol.
Get a grip!
Who is a "You People?" Us People are havin fun, You Person is havin "Stick in the Mud"!
Fast food, fried / greasy food, pre-packaged frozen food with alll the artificial junk will kill a person faster! Would you rather eat Red40 , titanium dioxide, high fructose corn syrup OR a blend of 1 egg, some whole grain flour, brown sugar , a little butter and some oatmeal?
At 5'8 and 118 you clearly have a eating disorder. Yogurt is probably the only thing you eat in a day. Healthy...not hardly, but if you want to fool yourself into thinking that..have at it.
I'd rather live 10 years less and enjoy the finer things in life. Quality vs. quantity.
You got that right, Skippy. When the day comes that I can't drink, skrew and have fun, check me out.
Have you ever heard of balance?
The weekend is coming up and it's a safe bet that one of my meals will be 2k+, if not 3k+ calories. Big freaking deal. Last weekend I was active for around 12 hours – That's easily over 8k calories burned. Obesity? Cholesterol? Pffft. Those are things that lazy and irresponsible people worry about.
Light yogurt is crap. It's the very poison you condem others for eating. If you really were so good at eating well, you would eat plain organic lowfat yogurt with some fresh fruit mixed in and maybe a tiny dab or honey or maple syrup. Don't preach if you aren't familiar with the material.
@rs1201 – Sorry, we will all die in the end, and I'd much rather enjoy my life in a quality manner by eating everything in moderation – why limit yourself so severely?!?!!! It's like being dead already!! Ugh! And funny enough, eating moderation paired with some exercise keeps my weight perfectly in check as well as my choloesterol. Lighten up and live a little!!
I feel really bad for you... Dessert as "poison"??? Good grief.
That's if the bus does not hit you earlier :-) And all that "hard work and no pleasure" will be useless. Eating everything in modetarion is good enough and does not make you a prisoner of food. You do sounds like one now.
Sheesh, lighten up and live a litte. Who'd want to be old if you have to suffer through life worrying about every bite. You'll probably get hit by a bus anyway!
You are Debbie Downer rs1201! Enjoy life a little!!!
According to the BMI charts, you are underweight. at 5'8', males should be around 139-169 and females should be around 126-154 to be at a healthy weight. You sound too obsessed with looks and dieting. Go gain your pounds by eating a nice slice of cheesecake or lemon cream cake. All in moderation, of course.
Why be so judgmental, rs1201?
I'm a very large person. I had a physical last week. My cholesterol is 141. My pulse is 78. My blood pressure is 120/65. My blood glucose level is 94 (fasting). I smoked for 18 years (quit three years ago).
Genetics plays such a huge part in our health. I have a friend who has cholesterol of 400. He's been on blood pressure medication, congestive heart medication and cholesterol medication for the last 15 years (we are 40). He's six feet tall and weighs about 150. He eats chicken and vegetables. He eats very little bread, fat or sugar. He exercises daily.
It's unfair, but that's the way it is. I'm large and my numbers are very good. He's a small guy and his health is awful. Genetics are interesting.
His entire family is unhealthy. My family is extraordinarily healthy, blessed with longevity (it's very common for my family members to live into their 90s) and we all eat like horses and have voracious sweet tooths (I like that better than 'sweet teeth:) ).
Life is unfair.
Not much of a link between diet and blood cholesterol, and not much of a link between blood cholesterol and heart disease, especially for women. Dump the refined food, except for the occasional treat. Eat real, unprocessed, full fat foods. Your body needs some fats to process fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It's the excess carbs that will kill you, not protein or dietary fats. BTW, I'm middle-aged, 5' 8 1/2" tall, weigh about 125 – 130 lbs, and do an intense Crossfit exercise program 3 – 4 times a week, plus a few other sports.
And yes, you will end up dead eventually, just like the rest of us.
It's amazing all the negative comments for such a sensible post!
rs1201,
With a BMI of less thatn 18.5 you are unhealthy-thin. You run the risks of brittle bones and catabilsing your muscle tissues...have some pie.
Considering I have a food blog dedicated to baking sweet treats, I love this article!
I bake a lot and I hate when people turn down dessert because they're trying to "be healthy". Eat in moderation and don't deprive yourself of indulgences!
http://www.thesweetart.com
...or hey, enjoy the fruits of life – literally!
We eat a bit of fruit for deserts on many occassions. A little sweetness... the fruit is healthy... and all natural.
Now don't get me wrong, I like eating the junk too, but it shouldn't be the 'go to' every time...
Alright, I'm off to eat a cannoli. :)
...and thanks for the link. A couple of those look interesting to try. I never thought of asparagus as a desert item...
I absolutely agree.. I love baking and have always had a sweet tooth. Some people love desserts but feel the super guilt trip after looking at something decadent . I cannot imagine a life without desserts and I do not feel guilt and I am not overweight! People get so obsessed sometimes!!
"It's ok to eat a broken cookie – the calories have leaked out" ... "Eating standing over the sink is not fattening" ... your reasons made me smile ... they are just as erroneous as these (fat) old wives tales, but they're still compelling ... I've eaten too many desserts for too many years and find there's "a lot of me to love", trying to rediscover fruit and not just in a pie.
I call B.S. on #4 – cite the studies, please. Sugar makes me want *more* sugar, not less.
Sometimes I skip the meal and only order desert for lunch or dinner! Key Lime Pie is my favorite!
Been there-done that... today! : ]
My Aunt orders apple pie for breakfast. She figures it's no worse than the belgium waffle with apple pie filling and whip cream and tastes better! I only remember one restaurant I ordered dessert in everytime, it was at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Walt Disney World and I was there on a package deal (honeymoon) that included meals. 18 years ago and my husband and I still talk about the pecan pie with chocolate chips they served that we had to take to go! And yes, we both gained 10 lbs.
I eat dessert on Friday. I usually have 2 pints of Blue Bell Moollenium Crunch. I worry that I'm stopping up my arteries. I used to drink.
We eat dessert every day, at lunch and at dinner (in moderation of course). Then we brush our teeth. We have two young children and dessert is a powerful tool in negotiating and rewarding/punishing the kids' behavior.
With all due respect – using food on a regular basis, especially sweets, to reward children's behavior is setting a bad precedent for their future. I would encourage you to use something else that they enjoy.
With all due respect – you're not showing any respect to someone else's skills as a parent. Trust they know what works for their kid.
they are training up their children like dogs-perform this trick and you get a doggie treat.....not only is that debasing, it will cause emotional eating in the future. And dessert twice a day? Hello, gastric bypass.
Wait... negotiations and rewards are dog-like behavior? Under that, if you're employed in any way, then you're a dog!
1. Because it's delicious!
2. If you are fat already, it will not make a difference
3. After you had one dessert, just have another one (see 1 and 2 above)
4. Since you already had two desserts, forget the dieting and excersising
5. Have another dessert
Yep, that about sums it up for many...
Thanks for the chuckle!
...and make sure your life and health insurance premiums are paid up!
I would be addicted to pie, cake, gooey butter coffee cake and cheese danish! Must exercise self control cause I do not have any. I just saw peach upside down cake, YES! hahahaha Cream Pies! Yes! German Struesal! Yes! I do not need a reason! Ok...Its Thursday, lets have rum raison!
Growing up, we had dessert every night. I have been trying to stop that habit ever since, but it always feels like something is missing without a sweet ending to the evening meal. So I usually have a bit of dark chocolate. Nice article.
Dark chocolate and some good dessert wine is a perfect way to end a meal.
Dark chocolate in moderation is health food!
Love Desserts, but wish more restaurants have sugar free/artificial sweetener options :-(
Did you know that artificial sweeteners are what they actually feed pigs to make them eat more? Trust me, stay with the real thing.
Not all artificial sweeteners are good for you. Some contain neurotoxins and some others contain carcinogens. Natural is always good. If you're diabetic, balance your sugar intake with your diet and you won't have to deprive yourself. I should know; I live with a diabetic. Just ask your physician or any licensed dietician.
None of them will kill you in small amounts – like anything else.
I never eat desserts after a meal. I am in insulin diabetic. When I eat sugar on top of the good stuff, I get sick as a dog and feel so yukky that it simply is not worth it to me. However, I do treat myself with the occasional top quality cookie or small pastry or lump of the best chocolate in the world. But not right after a meal, thank you very much.
Never heard of sugar free stuff??
You don't need a rationalization to eat! Just eat things in moderation and enjoy! I wish people didn't think they needed reasons to eat food!
I like pie.
I like turtles!!!! Ok... for those that don't know, that is a Tosh.0 reference.... Ok.... for those that don't know..... Tosh.0 is a hillarious show on comdedy central.....Ok.... for those that don't know, oh forget it.
never explain a reference, obscure or otherwise
Besides... that kid was internet famous before Tosh.0
You don't need to be a running ad there. I know it's you Daniel.
Last time I was at a restaurant I ordered three desserts. So, I'm doing my part! It's just not right to end a meal on a savory note. There's something just really satisfying to end a meal with something sweet, especially if you're also having coffee or another beverage.
Oink.
Douche.
What a Hard sell on eating Dessert.Of course if this pretty lady makes an exceptional Cherry Pie, I will be the first in line.
what are you, 60?
We order dessert occasionally in restaurants. It depends on what they offer.
When we eat at home we have a bit of ice cream before bed.
I have ice cream down to an art form...First off, I'll hit three bowls a night. With Magic Shell (best invention behind the wheel and fire) and Reddi Whipped cream (extra creamy). Fav flavors are usually the store brands, but I love Cake Batter, Cookie Dough and Peppermint Chocolate Chip. It is amazing I do not weigh 400 pounds.
I'd say you're at least 320lbs :)
And you woud be wrong.
There is a saying: Life is short, we don't know what's gonna happen next – so eat dessert first. :)
And for the rest of us, this is just a little side article about dessert not some life changing event. I say- If you can't have dessert, maybe a little chill pill would help...
You're a lucky man in so many ways. ;)
I'll just have 5 or 6 spoonfuls and I'm good. BB has been known to eat the whole pint in one sitting. ;)
Those are some good rationalizations for eating dessert! I rarely eat it though, especially at a restuarant. Mostly because I'm not hungry after a good meal, salad, bread, etc. But if someone else orders it (husband), I will have a few bites. I do love ordering something to go and eating it later though...couple hours after I've had a meal is when I want that something sweet... Thanks for the encouragement! :)
Key word there is 'rationalization'.
Does anyone want to place bets on how these same points will be re-worded in a week or so in a story on 'What drives Americans to Overindulge', 'The reasons Americans are pushing the bounds of Obesity', 'The mental gymnastics done by over-eaters', or some similarly titled story?
On a side note, does predictable journalism now count as consistent coverage?
I would get desert if restaurants didnt give you 2-3 servings of food just so they can get away with charging more. Do they honestly expect people to order desert when nobody can ever finish the entree? I have never actually ordered desert after a dinner, I am always stuffed and dont even want to look at food after trying to finish the bucket they put in front of you called an entree.
Give us smaller portions, charge us less per item, and watch us order desert and end up paying more in the end. Why is that such a hard concept?
Haha, I would actually complain of the opposite in most cases. There are some restraunts, like The Cheese Cake Factory chain that do indeed give you huge amounts of food, including the dessert. but many places I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth, and that's especially true when it comes to dessert. Most places a dessert is $6 or more, and it's usually a smallish brownie with a scoop of ice cream and a little syrup! For $6 I could bake a batch of brownies and buy half a gallon of ice cream. Now more elaborate desserts I can understand having a price premium. But like the article mentioned most places don't serve that quality of dessert because their chef's don't have that kind of expertise.
The amount they serve has nothing to do with how much you eat. Make the kind of choices that are right for you and quit blaming others.
I don't want to eat white flour, heaps of sugar and fat, artificial colors, etc., so I usually don't eat dessert. I wish there were more all-natural, low-fat, sweetened with stevia, whole grain desserts with a lot of fruit offered at restaurants so us folks who are into healthy nutrition could feel good ordering dessert. I keep looking for low-fat, stevia sweetened wholegrain apple pie or cherry pie; creamy buttermilk desserts with fresh fruit, etc., but it's more or less hopeless unless you go to a vegan hippie place. Even restaurants who have very smart options for their main courses (fish with lots of veggies, etc), usually don't have even one dessert that's not loaded with sugar and fat.
Bake your own.
You fall into #3...Most high end restaurants that actually do have pastry chefs, do not use processed sugars. I myself use 99.9% palm sugar, coconut sugar, muscovado sugar, and turbinado sugar for sweeteners AND not a lot of it...I personally do not like the flavor of stevia. I also use whole wheat four, rice flour, water chestnut flour and have non-gluten style desserts for my business. One would be surprised if they actually ventured and actually just tasted things... people's palates are so amateur.
Totally do not mean to disrespect. It's just an added factor that the American style dessert of high fat, fried, or fructose that is incorporated in all(thought) desserts and it's simply not true... one must just research what they may like or looking for...
Although you lifestyle is probably healthy, you definitely missed the point of this article.
So... you want crappy pie for dessert? I doubt you'll find that on the menu of any restaurant. Kind of defeats the purpose of dessert.
Obviously you are one of the few wise people who value nutrition over pleasing the taste buds.You will never be obese and probably suffer fewer health problems also.I think the article's 5 points were pretty weak.Dessert for the most part is just a bad habit!
Seriously, you are including a reference to massage parlor,"happy ending" in a mainstream article? What kind of language skills are now acceptable?
Shut up. Why do you even know what that means. LOL it was FUNNY and only us pervs would even comprehend. Get your mind out of the gutter.
I, also, would pass on a mean for a delicious desert. I have a horrible sweet tooth but not for chocolate bars or candy, etc. as much for wonderful deserts. When I was in college I used to go to the bakery every other day and order a small, single serving size birthday cakes this baker specialized in, and eat the entire thing myself...............wait a few days and do it all over again. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, to eat desert is divine!!
"eat desert" ?? You mean you gobble sand and nibble cacti??