One of the great joys after a good main meal is the dessert. Children love them and the elderly feel that they finish the meal. The problem is that they are usually full of calories and contribute to obesity and even diabetes in all ages. There are some excellent alternatives, like a piece of fruit or a smoothie. In my young days we were also encouraged to have jam in the bread as a good filling if we were still hungry. Fresh and spreadable bread is delicious.
My children were always given a dessert because that's how it was in my family. But now it's almost unheard of and we're all better for it.
Some desserts are worse than others because they contain cream or are full of ice cream or custard. Those who promote these dressings are usually cakes or cooked fruits, such as apples. Who does not love a pavlova or chocolate éclairs, and the calorie count in them has to be high due to sugar and cream.
So, what's on our palate that allows us to take such foods in the first place. Until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, sugar was virtually unknown because it came from the New World with explorers like Christopher Columbus. Then it was such a luxury that only the richest could afford it. The kings, like Henry VIII, became extremely fat and loved his indulgence so much that he had ulcers on all his legs, shocking teeth and was probably diabetic.
The manufacture of chocolate took off between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when chefs added sugar to the raw material and converted it into beverages and later into commercial products. Now it is part of your daily diet for many. Children receive chocolate candy from babies and become addicted to it. Adults are also so addicted that they feast, as I used to do.
When my sugar levels increased and I was pre-diabetic, the doctor advised me to stop eating sweets. When asked how to overcome desire, his advice was that once you stop eating sugar, the craving ceases. It is perfectly true. Now I have very little sugar or salt in my diet and I know that the desire has completely disappeared.
None of my children is addicted to him either because they saw the light. With a good healthy diet, it is not necessary to spoil substances that are not healthy and cause other problems, such as obesity, diabetes and tooth loss. The desserts would have to be the first thing to cut out of a meal since they are unnecessary.