Wednesday, March 21, 2007

When Do You Eat Dessert?


I do believe this is my last dessert for Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Sunny Pineapple Cake with Orange Glaze.

This is a one-layer cake, the type of thing you can serve for a light dessert, or as an afternoon tea cake. It is supremely moist and not overly sweet. The entire recipe uses only 3 tbsp of oil, and yes, it's wheat free. What could be better?!

When to eat dessert? Well, I no longer enjoy dessert straight after a meal. Years ago I read (in a couple of sources, Fit for Life being one) that eating sweets right after a meal is the worst time. Simply put, the stomach is busy digesting your meal, and the sugars from your dessert sit on top of all that food, 'fermenting' in your stomach. Ditto for fruit. While I add fruits to smoothies and in certain recipes, I never eat a piece of fruit after a meal. Once I stopped doing so, I felt much better eating fruit, and now eat in the morning before other foods or later on an empty stomach. Fruits, and even desserts, are better digested on an emptier stomach. I realized at restaurants that if I didn't eat dessert at the end of my meal, I felt much better within the hours following. Mind you, I don't overlook the dessert altogether... that's what takeaway is for!! When dining with family, we usually wait at least a half-hour or hour to have dessert, but even then it's not the most enjoyable for me. I much prefer my sweet treats in the afternoon, or dare I say... in the morning! (shhh, don't tell anyone, just between you and me, okay?!) Or, later in the evening if I've had an early dinner.

On to other ramblings, but still with desserts. I've been in touch with EarthSave Canada here in Vancouver about booking a cooking demo for this year's Taste of Health festival. I will let you know more about it once I have the details. But, the gal that contacted me mentioned that at a recent potluck, she brought my Lusciously Light Tiramisu from TEV. She won 1st place with the Tiramisu, out of about 50 dishes at the potluck. Cool! Now, it's been years since I've made that dessert myself! But, once I finish this manuscript, I'm going to make it again and post a pic for you. I'll have to get back to some 'oldies but goodies' recipes for you... and this is one of them!!

I'm going to break for a little bit. Crunch time is on, must finish my manuscript, and also have my next VegNews article to write, and a few other pressing details to attend to. Oh, and for those of you e-mailing, I apologize for my late replies. My blog traffic has increased, and I'm hearing from more of you. Which I love! So don't stop, I truly love to hear your feedback, comments, and questions... it just may take me a day or two (or three) to get back to you. :)

When I do get back to blogging I will have a giveaway or two! First, after posting about Salba, I e-mailed the company to let them know I had done so. They called within an hour to thank me, gave me more info about Salba, and offered some samples for a blog giveaway. What beautiful customer care! So, I will be back with that.

One very final thing... many of you aren't clicking. What's up?! It takes a second, you don't have to pay a thing yourself, just make a click or two every day. We've made about $20 in the last week or so since starting this campaign, but boy, we can make MUCH, MUCH more than that. Project Hands is the charity I am considering giving the money to. Check it out, then come back and click. Click. Click. And while I'm away, keep visiting and clicking. Please.

Long post, but it'll give you enough to read over a few visits when you come back to click... right?? :) Stay tuned... stay vegan.

21 comments:

aimee said...

I like my dessert in the afternoon (tea time). It gets me through the hump of the day and I don't feel badly for indulging since I know I won't have any after dinner! PLus, I just love the whole concept of afternoon tea! Good Luck with all of your deadlines, Dreena.
Aimee

hyphen_helena said...

I don't eat dessert that often but it tends to be after dinner. It's just a few cookies at most so I'm never bothered by it.

That charity looks beautiful. I will click proudly!

I'll miss reading your blog updates. Good luck with everything!

JENNA said...

I eat my dessert anytime of day. But I prefer it in the morning early afternoon hours for the same reason as you...you really just don't feel too good when you eat it after a big meal..that doesn't alway's stop me though.

JENNA

scottishvegan said...

I like to eat some chocolate after dinner every day, but I haven’t eaten any for a week since I read Breaking The Food Seduction. I think I am doing quite well, but all this talk of ice cream pie and clicking on adverts for chocolate isn’t helping! ;) The Sunny Pineapple Cake sounds delicious and I love the name! Project Hands looks like a very worthwhile cause. Hope you get everything done that you need to!

Aurelie said...

That's so weird! I just posted about a citrus flavored cake too! By the way, I recently signed up for google ads and I noticed that they didn't allow you to promote clicking ads in any way. I hope Click to Give doesn't count.

Jessica "Su Good Sweets" said...

Funny, I eat dessert after a meal so I don't eat a huge portion. Eating it on an empty stomach actually makes me hungrier and gives me a huge sugar crash. I need to eat sugar with something to offset its effects. Maybe it's psychological?

bjorkedoff said...

Alison is the one who made your tiramisu!I remember,she brought it to the August EarthSave potluck,and boy,it was amazing.Hands down the best dish there.I hope that you'll be at TOH this year,I'll be there volunteering for the 3rd year in a row(saw you in 2005,btw!)

Twisted Cinderella said...

I don't eat dessert that much but when I do, I like to be a treat all in itself with a nice cup of coffee. I don't like to have it when my belly is already full from other things

A.M. said...

Maybe a weird question, but why do you all call it dessert when you don't eat it after your meal?

I prefer 'sweets' in the morning and afternoon (ok, actually all day long).

bazu said...

Oh gosh, I want that cake right now! Healthy desserts are my favorite.

Carrie™ said...

I love dessert but I don't very often have it though. When I was growing up, my mom almost always had something for dessert. I still like to have a sweet tidbit at the end of my meal. Even a cookie will do it. If I do make dessert, I like to wait a while before indulging. Pineapple cake with orange glaze sound like it would be worth waiting for!

Amey said...

I often do eat some sort of sweetie right after dinner (if I have it at all) ... but I'll try waiting from now on. My aunt's boyfriend never eats fruits and vegetables at the same meal. It must be the same idea.

Thanks for sharing that.

Also, the pineapple cake looks great!

laura k said...

I like my dessert in the mornings, like you... I feel like that's when it has the least negative impact on my body. Now that I know the science behind that icky feeling you get when eating dessert right after dinner, I'm going to share that information! Oh, and that pineapple cake I'd make an exception for--I'll take it anytime!

Dreena said...

Hi Aimee, I love a sweet in the afternoon too... thanks for the good luck wishes!

Hyphen_helena, sounds like you are quite good at portion control and perhaps just a little nibble doesn't upset your stomach. I find my girls are that way too - and I don't abide by the fruit rule for them. That's too much restriction for them, and they can eat anything anytime (yesterday at lunch they wanted pasta with strawberries!) - I think it's their young efficient digestive systems! Hmmm, maybe that's what it is for you too!! :) Thanks for your support.

Ah, Jenna, ain't it the truth... doesn't always stop us!

Ha, ScottishVegan, yes, maybe I should be posting more main courses and healthier photos instead of these tempting desserts! I do love a good dark chocolate too, and a few squares is all I need to be happy. (most days)

Liliy, we are on a wavelength... I'm trying to bring out some sun my way - it's been raining all week - straight through the days!! Anyhow, I wasn't aware of that, so I will have to take notice, hopefully everyone will still remember what to do!!

Jessica, maybe your eating dessert on too empty a stomach, and then yes, you will likely overdo it. For fruit, it's wise to eat it on an empty stomach, but for dessert, I wouldn't suggest eating it when you are seriously hungry, but when you aren't full after a meal - somewhere in between for decent digestion... and not going overboard with the treats. Hooo-weeee roller coaster sugar ride, we don't need that I agree. :)

Hi iloveoatmeal, how cool... thanks! :) So you're one of the fabulous volunteers that keeps our demos going smoothly?! TOH is a great event and well organized with planning, prep, and you volunteers. I hope to be there this year too!

Hi Twisted Cinderella, yeah, a little treat with a hot drink is just bliss! For me it's tea... I'm a green/rooibos tea drinker - and herbal teas too. Love my teas!

Arine, ha, yes, perhaps we should be calling it 'dessert-izers', or something like that! We'd get along well... dessert most of the day. :)

Thanks Bazu!

Hi Carrie, thanks! My mom didn't make desserts a lot, but I always had access to sweets (candy bars, candy, ice cream, etc) from a very close corner store. Not good how much junk I ate! Yeah, if I want a slice of pie or cake I definitely need to wait an hour or so to let my tummy digest. Plus, I enjoy the taste of the dessert far more later after dinner.

Thanks Springsandwells! I eat all veggies with meals, including sweeter veg like sweet potatoes, and occasionally I'll add fruit to dishes if I cook them (ex: apples cooked in a casserole), but I don't eat raw fruit like a pear with or after a meal. Just doesn't digest well. If I'm having a raw salad then adding some pomegranate seeds or berries is fine for me, but probably that's because I'm not eating a heavy meal, so it's more efficient to digest, so no discomfort or icky feeling. Yeah, give it a try - even an hour or so, and see how you feel. :)

Hiya Laura, thanks, the cake *is* very moist and quite flavorful! I'm with you... a sweet in the morning is SO enjoyable. :)

Chef Jeena said...

I love moist cakes, I eat cake whenever I have a taste for it........Which isn't all the time luckly........


visit jeena's kitchen healthy recipe blog

Dr. Melissa West said...

Hi Dreena

Lots of luck finishing up the manuscript. We can't wait for the cook book.

I like my dessert at tea time, like the english. I find it very civilized to have dessert before dinner. I'm with Aimee on that one.

Can't wait for the giveaways when you get back.

p.s. I gave your cookbook to one of my participants at my last vegetarian cooking class. She was absolutely thrilled... especially about the cookies in Vive!

Anonymous said...

I try to only eat dessert after a meal because if I eat dessert alone I get symptoms of hypoglycemia a couple hours later -- shakes, headaches, etc.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

I totally thought of this post the other day, and had really enjoyed my banana bread for breakfast. thank you, dreena!

urban vegan said...

That cake looks so sunny and cheerful. I appreciate your interesting info about when to eat dessert, but I must maintain that, for me, it's *always* the right time to eat dessert ;)

[I'm such a sugarholic...sad.]

Anonymous said...

wishing you the best!
i love desserts and your are always pretty and healthy.

Pissed Off Chef said...

This whole 'fermenting' in the stomach idea is a little far fetched. Stop eating bread, that contains sugar and starch. So eating bread with a meal would also 'ferment'. Same goes for any veggies. They would also ferment. Cooked even more so than raw. Figure me this, you drink alcohol during dinner, that's just the end product of fermentation.

So, when do yo eat dessert? When you want it. You'll get an ulcer worrying about eating dessert. Just eat it. If you want to be careful, you should do what chefs do, they judge everything they put in their mouth as weather it is worth the calories. If it's worth the calories, you have my permission.