Best post-30 treats (Lara Bar vs Reese's, Ben & Jerry's vs Paleo Icecream

[mispro]

I'm about to wrap up my first whole 30.  During the program, I had a few Larabars on emergency basis while traveling.  I've read that sugar is sugar is sugar, and I know that a goal in the program is to break food addictions.  I feel I've done this and will continue to avoid sugar post whole 30.  Still, on the RARE occasion that I want to eat a treat simply for the sake of taste (let's say once a month), I'm stuck on what would be best in the short and long term for my mental and physical health.  

 

Should I just go for what I really want (i.e. a few bites of Ben & Jerry's or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup...OMG!), or stick with the healthiest versions of these treats (i.e. buy or make my own which contain all natural, organic ingredients with lower sugar content in the form of fruit juice and/or raw sugars)?  If sugar is sugar, does it really matter? 

 

Thanks for any input!

[Roz Griffiths]

Go for what you really want & be satisfied. No point fobbing yourself off with something if it's meant to be a special treat. Have the real thing, enjoy it & move on

[Colleen Roy]

I agree with the previous post about going for what you really want, however, I bet you will find your taste buds and those previous favorite treats are totally different now! I used to LOVE Reese's Peanut Butter Cups- had one several days a week prior to my first whole30 last summer. And don't even get me started on Ben & Jerry....OMG-a pint of Karamel Sutra and I was in heaven....

Since my first whole30 though, those don't tempt me like they used to. I can count on one hand the number of times I've tried a RPBC-haven't even eaten the second one in the pack once! Just tastes fake...and bad...I have also discovered that dairy in the form of rich, sugary, creamy ice cream is not my friend anymore. Suffice to say my belly protested loudly and frequently the day after indulging in ice cream. And I am ok with that! NOW I KNOW IT IS NOT NORMAL TO FEEL THAT WAY!!! So, I make better choices.

Now, when I want a "treat", I make sure it is really, really special. Like the dark chocolate salted caramel at the local chocolatier. And I will buy two. It is SO good and just enough to feel decadent and delicious, but it's not over the top. And then I am done. There is also a mini-dessert sampler at our favorite restaurant. You get to choose four mini versions of their desserts- chocolate truffle, creme brûlée, cannoli, tiramisu, panna cotta, gelato....it changes every season. They are tiny-2-3 bites each. But it is just enough of each to share and feel like we had a treat. I think we've done one or the other maybe 6 times in the last year?

So find that thing your really, truly love and enjoy that sparingly....it will be all the more enjoyable when you have it. I promise!

[Physibeth]

To add to what the previous posters have said this might help as well. 

 

Edited: That link doesn't work. No idea why. At any rate...it was supposed to be a link to the Whole9 guide to offroading flow chart. There is a link to it from the resources page of the Whole9 Site.

[lexes42]

Make your own Reese's with Almond butter and quality chocolate.  I'm sure you can google it and find directions... I've seen them in paleo books.  I wouldn't go the lara bar route unless you're on a road trip with no options.  You know in your heart they aren't special.

 

I am normally one to say don't substitute - go for the good stuff.  But the 'goodstuff' as Collleen Roy says, may be different now.  I've grown out of B&J ice cream because there's 'too much' going on.   Vending machine chocolate doesn't do it for me anymore either.  So when I must have chocolate now.... I seek something super high quality (a godiva truffle for example) and enjoy it.  If I have to have ice cream... a scoop of full fat, high quality vanilla bean with nuts and cocoa works better than anything else....

[JJB]

It's sad, but I also don't enjoy some of the things I used to. Jelly Bellies didn't seem like a real treat, and my beloved Phish Food (B&J) just tasted overly sweet and kind of gross. I was disappointed to see the ingredients in Ben & Jerry's. They use carageenan and other yucky stuff. If/when I have ice cream I'm going to stick with Haagen Daz or something else with real ingredients. I would imagine (hope) that tastes better too.

[MrsStick]

I've had to be more careful with my treats too. The simplest one that I've enjoyed is sweetened condensed milk mixed with coconut, then baked. Delicious, amazingly rich, and decadent.

 

We have several fro-yo places in town now and hubby and I both agreed after eating at the one that the flavors were "thin." It was all low-fat/non-fat there. The other one is better, but I still am eating more of the toppings (Reese's cups and hot fudge sauce) than the yogurt. But it keeps me from eating anything candy/ice cream-y all week, so I allow the one treat. Larabars for me are more of an emergency food as a dessert, and I try to keep them that way instead of as a "I get a treat now!" thing. I want treats to be real treats, and not something that's just okay to keep hubby and I from killing each other out of hangry-ness.

[Jomyke]

I find that after eating clean for a while that my old favorites just don't have the same effect for me. I used to come home after a bad day and have a bowl of ice cream to make me feel better. Now it just makes me feel sick. But I can make my own healthy treats and know that my body will accept it and it still feels like an indulgence. I know in the long run I'll be much better off without those Reese's or B&J!

By the way, another favorite of mine was always pumpkin pie. A sweet potato with some coconut oil and cinnamon is pretty darn close!!