A word on “healthy treats”: I’ve twice had a conversation with a friend about the so-called healthy treats made famous by the likes of Deliciously Ella – her sweet potato brownies, for example. My friend suggested that it was misleading to call these healthy when they are just as calorific as any normal brownie.
I have some thoughts on this. The definition of healthy is that which is conducive to health. With that definition in mind I would argue that these sorts of treats can be considered healthy in that the ingredients DO provide vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and contain a lower GI rating than traditional brownies.
Normal processed white sugar and refined white flour are completely void of any nutritional benefit so if that’s what your brownies are made with and you're eating lots of them then maybe it’s time to have a think about how you are nourishing (or not) your body.
It is astonishing that Ella’s recipe calls for 14 dates. That’s nearly 1000 calories! Rounded out by the sweetness of sweet potatoes, the somewhat fattening quantity of ground almonds and the added maple syrup. However this is all REAL food. CLEAN food. No factory processing with chemicals. And I like that.
It should be noted, however, that even though these brownies are still lower in calories than something awful like a Duncan Hines box of brownie mix, they are still very calorific and if you lead a sedentary lifestyle these will cause weight gain.
They are a treat. Healthy, perhaps, but they are a treat. And I wish more of these trendy young girls flogging their cookbooks would acknowledge that.
photo courtesy of Clare Winfield, Deliciously Ella cookbook